Editing Millennium Dome

{{Short description|Original name of a large dome-shaped building in South East London, England}}
{{About|the Dome's use as a Millennium exhibition|its post-redevelopment use|The O2}}
{{pp-sock|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox building
| name                  = Millennium Dome
| image                 = Millennium Dome 1.jpg
| building_type         = Exhibition space
| architectural_style   = Dome
| structural_system     = Steel, tensioned fabric
| location              = [[Greenwich Peninsula]]<br />[[London]], [[SE postcode area|SE10]]<br />[[United Kingdom]]
| coordinates           = {{Coord|51|30|10|N|0|0|11|E|type:landmark_region:GB_scale:5000|display=inline,title}}
| completion_date       = 1999
| opening_date          = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1999|12|31}}
| closing_date          = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2000|12|31}}
| grid_name             = Current status
| grid_position         = Converted into [[The O2 Arena]]
| cost                  = [[Pound sterling|£]]789 million<br />(£{{formatprice|{{Inflation|UK|789000000|1999}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}} pounds{{inflation-fn|UK}})
| architect             = [[Richard Rogers]]
| structural_engineer   = [[BuroHappold Engineering]]
| services_engineer     = BuroHappold Engineering
| awards                = {{ubl|[[Royal Academy of Engineering]]|[[MacRobert Award]]}}
}}
The '''Millennium Dome''' was the original name of the large [[dome]]-shaped building on the [[Greenwich Peninsula]] in [[South East (London sub region)|South East London]], England, which housed a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the [[third millennium]]. When opened in 1999, it was the [[List of largest buildings#Largest usable volume|fifth largest building in the world by usable volume]]. The exhibition was open to the public from 1 January to 31 December 2000. The project and exhibition were highly contentious and attracted barely half of the 12 million customers its sponsors forecasted, and so were deemed a failure by the press.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4903922.stm|title=White elephant 'not forgotten'|date=12 April 2006}}</ref> All the original exhibition elements were sold or dismantled.

In a 2005 report, the cost of the Dome and surrounding land (which increased to 170 acres from the initial offering of the 48 acres enclosed by the Dome) and managing the Dome until the deal was closed was £28.7 million. The value of the 48 acres occupied by the Dome was estimated at £48 million, which could have been realised by demolishing the structure, but it was considered preferable to preserve the Dome. The structure itself still exists and is now a key exterior feature of [[The O2]].

The [[IERS Reference Meridian|Prime Meridian]] passes the western edge of the Dome and the nearest [[List of London Underground stations|London Underground station]] is [[North Greenwich tube station|North Greenwich]] on the [[Jubilee line]].

== Architecture ==
[[File:UK Londen Millennium Dome 20040921 30701.jpg|thumb|left|The dome, seen from above]]
[[File:The O2 Arena viewed from a cable car.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The dome, seen from the [[London Cable Car]], with [[Canary Wharf]] in the background.]]

The dome is one of the largest of its type in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Millennium_Dome|title=Millennium Dome - Designing Buildings Wiki|website=www.designingbuildings.co.uk|access-date=2 October 2017}}</ref> Externally, it appears as a large white [[Tent#Marquees and larger tents|marquee]] with twelve {{convert|100|metre|ft|adj=mid|-high}} yellow support towers, one for each month of the year, or each hour of the clock face, representing the role played by [[Greenwich Mean Time]]. In plan view it is circular, {{convert|365|m|ft|-1}} ({{convert|1|m|in|spell=in|disp=or}} for each day in a standard year) in diameter.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Millennium Dome|url=https://www.burohappold.com/projects/millennium-dome/|access-date=12 April 2021|website=Buro Happold}}</ref> It has become one of the United Kingdom's most recognisable landmarks, and can be easily identified on satellite images of London. 

The architect was [[Richard Rogers]] and the contractor was a joint venture company, McAlpine/Laing Joint Venture (MLJV) formed between [[Sir Robert McAlpine]] and Laing Management.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/archive/millennium-dome-site-in-44m-work-bonanza-28-05-1998/ |title=Millennium Dome site in £44m work bonanza |work=Construction News |date=28 May 1998 |access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref> The building structure was engineered by [[Buro Happold]], and the entire roof structure weighs less than the air contained within the building.<ref name=":0" /> Although referred to as a [[dome]] it is "not a dome in the structural sense [...] In this building, a dome-shaped cable network is supported on a ring of [...] masts".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.architectureweek.com/2003/0326/building_1-2.html |title=Long span structures |work=Architecture Week |date=26 March 2003 |first=Angus J. |last=Macdonald |access-date=5 April 2006 |archive-date=2 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502142718/http://www.architectureweek.com/2003/0326/building_1-2.html |url-status=dead }} Excerpt from ''Structure and Architecture'' (2nd ed.), Architectural Press, 2001</ref> It has been disparagingly referred to as the Millennium Tent.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letter-millennium-tent-1258034.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letter-millennium-tent-1258034.html |archive-date=14 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=Letters to The Independent|title=Letter: Millennium Tent |date=26 June 1997 |access-date=29 June 2009 |first=Louis |last=Hellman |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmhansrd/vo001113/debtext/01113-31.htm |work=Commons Hansard Debates |title=House of Commons Hansard Debates 13 November 2000 |date=13 November 2000 |access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/jun/24/dome.architecture |work=The Observer |title=Stephen Bayley on the rebirth of the Millennium Dome |date=24 June 2007 |access-date=29 June 2009 |location=London}}</ref>

The canopy is {{convert|52|m|ft|-1}} high in the middle – {{convert|1|m|ft|spell=in}} for each week of the year<ref name=":0" /> and is made of durable and weather-resistant [[Polytetrafluoroethylene|PTFE]]-coated [[glass fibre]] fabric panels (original plans to use PVC-coated polyester [[cloth|fabric]] were dropped after protest led by [[Greenpeace]]<ref name="Hakimian">{{cite magazine |last1=Hakimian |first1=Rob |title=Millennium Dome roof shredded as Storm Eunice rips through the UK |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/millennium-dome-roof-shredded-as-storm-eunice-rips-through-the-uk-18-02-2022/ |magazine=New Civil Engineer |access-date=19 February 2022 |date=18 February 2022}}</ref>), with each of the 72 segments containing two panels.<ref name="ET">{{cite web |title=Millennium Dome |url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=73 |website=Engineering Timelines |access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref> Its symmetry is interrupted by a hole through which a ventilation shaft from the [[Blackwall Tunnel]] rises. Six segments were destroyed during [[Storm Eunice]] on 18 February 2022.<ref name="Hakimian"/>

Built in 15 months, the dome structure was delivered under budget, at a cost of £43m.<ref>{{cite web|title=Millennium Dome|url=https://www.burohappold.com/projects/millennium-dome/|access-date=26 April 2021|website=Buro Happold}}</ref>

The critic [[Jonathan Meades]] has scathingly referred to the Millennium Dome as a "Museum of Toxic Waste",<ref>{{cite web |title=In praise of … Jonathan Meades |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/29/jonathan-meades |website=The Guardian |date=29 January 2013 |access-date=16 June 2022}}</ref> and apart from the dome itself, the project included the [[Land reclamation|reclamation]] of the entire Greenwich Peninsula. The land was previously derelict and contaminated by toxic sludge from [[East Greenwich Gas Works]] that operated from 1889 to 1985. The clean-up operation was seen by the then [[Deputy Prime Minister]] [[Michael Heseltine]] as an investment that would add a large area of useful land to the crowded capital.

==Background to the Dome project==
The Dome project was conceived, originally on a somewhat smaller scale, under [[John Major]]'s [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Premiership of John Major|government]], as a [[Festival of Britain]] or [[World's Fair]]-type showcase to celebrate the [[third millennium]]. The incoming [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Premiership of Tony Blair|government]] elected in 1997 under [[Tony Blair]] greatly expanded the size, scope and funding of the project,{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}<!--This article details the developments in funding but isn't a drop-in reference as it seems it was mostly Lottery money; the sentence should probably be rewritten https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/nov/09/dome.jondennis--> and construction began in June 1997.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/632785.stm|title=The Dome - from conception to birth|date=6 February 2000|access-date=13 March 2020|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> It also significantly increased expectations of what would be delivered. Just before its opening Blair claimed the Dome would be "a triumph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over blandness, excellence over mediocrity".<ref>{{cite news
 | title = Dome woes haunt Blair
 | work = BBC News
 | date =15 February 2001
 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1172367.stm
 | access-date = 31 January 2007 }}</ref> In the words of [[BBC]] correspondent Robert Orchard, "the Dome was to be highlighted as a glittering [[New Labour]] achievement in the next election manifesto", but  criticised in the 2001 Conservative Party manifesto as  "banal, anonymous and rootless", and lacking "a sense of Britain's history or culture".<ref>http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/e01/man/con/manifesto_uk.pdf p.43</ref> Following the [[death of Diana, Princess of Wales]], a member of the Dome's board suggested the project be refashioned and extended "to accommodate, for example, a hospital, businesses, charities, private residences, and the whole thing named 'the Princess Diana Centre{{'"}}. The idea was later scrapped.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/bill-clinton-turned-down-tea-with-the-queen-five-things-we-learned-from-newly-declassified-papers-12359777|title=Bill Clinton turned down tea with the Queen: Five things we learned from newly declassified papers|work=Sky News|first=Connor|last=Sephton|date=20 July 2021|access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref>

Before its opening, the Dome was excoriated in [[Iain Sinclair]]'s diatribe, ''Sorry Meniscus – Excursions to the Millennium Dome'' (Profile Books: London 1999, {{ISBN|1-86197-179-6}}), which forecast the hype, the associated political posturing, and the eventual disillusion. The post-exhibition plan had been to convert the Dome into a European football stadium which would last for 25 years: [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]] at one point considered a possible move but instead chose to redevelop their own stadium. Local team [[Fisher Athletic F.C.|Fisher Athletic]] were at one time interested in moving to the Dome, but they were considered to have too small a fan base to make this feasible. The Dome was planned to take over the functions performed by the [[London Arena]] after its closure. This is the function which [[The O2 Arena]] has now undertaken.

== Millennium Experience ==
[[File:Show at the Dome - geograph.org.uk - 7512.jpg|thumb|right|The Millennium Dome Show, October 2000]]
[[File:MillenniumDomeAtNight(ChristineMatthews)Sep2000.jpg|right|thumb|The Millennium Dome at night, September 2000]]

After a private opening on the evening of 31 December 1999, including a [[New Year's Eve]] celebration attended by [[Queen Elizabeth II]], the Millennium Experience at the Dome was open to the public for the whole of 2000, and contained a large number of attractions and exhibits.

=== Millennium Dome Show ===
{{main|Millennium Dome Show}}
The English musician [[Peter Gabriel]] issued in 2000 [[The Story of OVO]] which was released in a CD-booklet-shaped [[comic book]] as part of the CD edition with the title "[[OVO (album)#Release|OVO The Millennium Show]]". The story of the 2000 [[Millennium Dome Show]] based on it.<ref name="TheStoryOfOVO">{{Cite book| last=Gabriel| first= Peter| title= The Story of OVO| publisher= Peter Gabriel Ltd.| language= English| year= 2000| isbn=0-9520864-3-3}}</ref> The show opened on 1 January 2000 and was performed 999 times before closing on 31 December of that year. ''sponsored by [[Walt Disney World]]''.

=== Exhibits ===
[[File:Millennium Dome entrance area (London) mid-2000.ogv|thumb|A short clip inside the Millennium Dome in London, mid 2000. Shows some of the interior, a robot figure, inside of the brain exhibit.]]
The interior space was subdivided into 14 ''zones'': "Who We Are" (Body, Faith, Mind and Self-Portrait), "What We Do" (Work, Learning, Rest, Play, Talk, Money and Journey) and "Where We Live" (Shared Ground,<ref>{{cite book|title=Millennium Experience|id=[[European Article Number|EAN]] [http://www.ean-search.org/perl/ean-search.pl?q=5060006651519 5060006651519]|page=60}}</ref> Living Island and Home Planet).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Deamer |first1=Peggy |title=Architecture and Capitalism: 1845 to the Present |date=18 July 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-04955-3 |page=192 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWUdAAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>

Surrounded by the zones was a performance area in the centre of the dome. With music composed by [[Peter Gabriel]] and an acrobatic cast of 160, the [[Millennium Dome Show]] was performed 999 times over the course of the year. Throughout the year, the specially-commissioned film ''[[Blackadder: Back & Forth]]'' was shown in Skyscape (a separate cinema on the site sponsored by [[BSkyB]]).<ref>[http://wwp.millennium-dome.com/dome/zones/skyscape.htm SkyScape] Greenwich 2000</ref> There was also the [[McDonald's]] ''Our Town Story'' project in which each [[Local Education Authority]] in the UK was invited to perform a show of their devising which characterised their area and its people.

As well as the above, the first ever series of ''[[Techno Games]]'' was filmed there and shown on [[BBC Two]] the same year.

=== Other attractions ===
There were a number of other attractions both in and outside of The Dome. Inside the Dome there was a play area named Timekeepers of the Millennium (featuring the characters Coggsley and Sprinx), The Millennium Coin Minting Press in association with the [[Royal Mint]], the 1951 [[Festival of Britain]] Bus, and the [[Millennium Star|Millennium Star Jewels]] (focus of the failed [[Millennium Dome raid|Millennium Diamond heist]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1827559.stm|title=Timeline: Dome diamond heist|access-date=30 June 2008 | work=BBC News | date=18 February 2002}}</ref>) Outside was the Millennium Map (thirteen metres; 43' high), the Childhood Cube, ''Looking Around'' (a hidden installation), Greenwich Pavilion, the Hanging Gardens at the front of the Dome, as well as a number of other art installations and sculptures.

Two of the remaining art installations form the start of The Line, a modern art trail connecting the O2 to the [[Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Homepage - The Line - London's public art walk|url=https://the-line.org/|access-date=3 February 2021|website=The Line}}</ref>

=== Financial and management problems ===
{{Quote box
 |quote  = At worst it is a millennial metaphor for the twentieth century. An age in which all things, like the Dome itself, became disposable. A century in which forest and cities, marriages, animal species, races, religions and even the Earth itself, became ephemeral. What more cynical monument can there be for this totalitarian cocksure fragile age than a vast temporary plastic bowl, erected from the aggregate contribution of the poor through the National Lottery. Despite the spin, it remains a massive pantheon to the human ego, the [[Ozymandias]] of its time.<ref>''[[Sunday Times]]''. 1 February 1998.</ref><ref>Off message. Bob Marshall-Andrews</ref>{{nonspecific|reason=Does this refer to his book, or is that the title given to his letter to/article in (whatever it is) the Sunday Times?|date=February 2022}}
 |source = [[Bob Marshall-Andrews]] MP, ''[[Sunday Times]]'' 1 February 1998
 |width = 30em
}}

The project was largely reported by the press to have been a failure. During 2000, the organisers repeatedly asked for, and received, more cash from the [[Millennium Commission]], the Lottery body which supported it.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Millennium Dome: Report - Value for money |url=https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/the-millennium-dome/ |website=[[National Audit Office (United Kingdom)|National Audit Office]] |access-date=2 September 2024 |date=9 November 2000 |quote=In the face of the severe shortfall in the Company's revenue, during the year 2000 the Millennium Commission has approved four additional grants totalling £179 million}}</ref> There where numerous changes at management and board level, before and during the exhibition;<ref name=NAOReport/>{{rp|58–59}} [[Jennifer Page (Millennium Dome)|Jennifer Page]] was sacked as chief executive of the New Millennium Experience Company just one month after the dome's opening.<ref>{{cite news | title = My Crown of Thorns | publisher =Guardian News and Media | work = The Guardian | date = 4 May 2000 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/may/04/dome.millennium1 | access-date = 26 July 2008 | first=Jennifer | last=Page | location=London}}</ref> The project came to be seen as closely aligned with [[Tony Blair]]'s [[New Labour]], making its success or failure politically important.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Imogen West-Knights |title=Was the Millennium Dome really so bad? The inside story of a (not so) total disaster |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/12/millennium-dome-experience-disaster-inside-story-new-labour |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2 September 2024 |date=12 March 2020 |quote=Here, perhaps, was a chance to make a physical monument to everything that New Labour Britain would be about ... "New Labour really did think it was going to be some sort of quasi-political, sociological experience that would underpin everything that they were about," the exhibition designer Peter Higgins told me incredulously}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Labour's White Elephant |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1718293.stm |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=2 September 2024 |date=18 December 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Nicholas Watt |title=Dome too ambitious admits Blair |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2000/sep/25/uk.tonyblair |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2 September 2024 |date=25 September 2000}}</ref> Part of the problem was that the financial predictions were based on an unrealistically high forecast of visitor numbers at 12 million. During the first year that it was open there were approximately 6.5 million visitors – significantly fewer than the approximately 10 million paying visitors that attended the [[Festival of Britain]], which only ran from May to September.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1098465.stm |title=Dome visitor total way off target |publisher=BBC |access-date=18 February 2022 |date=3 January 2001}}</ref> [[Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938]], held in Glasgow, attracted more than 12 million visitors, being open May to October.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Empire Exhibition Collection |url=https://libcat.csglasgow.org/web/arena/empire-exhibition |website=Glasgow Libraries Online |access-date=2 September 2024}}</ref> Unlike the press, visitor feedback was positive; as of August 2000, 87% of visitors said they were satisfied with their visit.<ref name=NAOReport>{{cite web |title=The Millennium Dome: Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General |url=https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2000/11/9900936.pdf |website=[[National Audit Office (United Kingdom)|National Audit Office]] |access-date=2 September 2024 |date=9 November 2000}}</ref>{{rp|41–42}} It was the most popular admission-paying tourist attraction in 2000, with almost twice as many visitors as the second most visited attraction, [[Alton Towers]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dome was UK's most popular visitor attraction |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jan/03/dome |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2 September 2024 |date=3 January 2001}}</ref>

According to the UK [[National Audit Office (United Kingdom)|National Audit Office]], the cost of The Dome at the liquidation of the New Millennium Experience Company in 2002 was £789 million, of which £628 million was covered by National Lottery grants and £189 million through sales of tickets etc.<ref>{{cite press release | title = Winding-up the New Millennium Experience Company Limited | publisher = National Audit Office | date = 17 April 2002 | url = http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/01-02/0102749.htm | access-date = 3 January 2007 | archive-date = 23 October 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081023164235/http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/01-02/0102749.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> A surplus of £25 million over costs meant that the full lottery grant was not required. The £603 million of lottery money was still £204 million in excess of the original estimate of £399 million required, due to the shortfall in visitor numbers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.millennium.gov.uk/lottery/experience.html |title=Experience |publisher=New Millennium Experience Company |access-date=4 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624075018/http://www.millennium.gov.uk/lottery/experience.html |archive-date=24 June 2007 }}</ref>

== Closure and sale of site ==
The government's difficulties in selling the site became the subject of much critical comment.<ref name="Guardian December 2001">{{cite news |publisher=Guardian News and Media |work=The Guardian |title=Legacy loses exclusive dome bidding rights |date=18 December 2001 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/dec/18/dome.politics |access-date=3 May 2008 |location=London
}}</ref> The amount spent on maintaining the closed building was also criticised.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davey |first1=Jenny |title=Taxpayers' £33m bill for Dome |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/property-home/article/taxpayers-pound33m-bill-for-dome-6lhzsbt2hsk |website=The Times Online |publisher=[[The Times]] |language=en}}</ref> Shortly after it had closed, Lord Falconer reported that The Dome was costing over £1&nbsp;million per month to maintain.<ref name="Guardian February 2001">{{cite news |publisher=Guardian News and Media |work=The Guardian |title=Legacy loses exclusive dome bidding rights |date=15 February 2001 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/feb/15/dome |access-date=3 May 2008 |location=London}}</ref>

Following closure of the Dome, some Zones were dismantled by the sponsoring organisations, but much of the content was auctioned or donated to Disney World. This included a number of artworks specially commissioned from contemporary British artists. A piece by [[Gavin Turk]] was sold for far below his auction price, though Turk stated that he did not think the piece had worked.{{Clarify|date=April 2008}} The Timekeepers of the Millennium attraction was acquired by the [[Chessington World of Adventures]] theme park in [[Surrey]]. A unique record of the memorabilia and paraphernalia of the Millennium Experience is held by a private collector in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dome2000.com/|title=The Millennium Dome: A collection|access-date=4 July 2007}}</ref> Many of the fixtures and fittings were also purchased by [[Paul Scally]], chairman of [[Gillingham F.C.]], for the club's stadium.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030119/ai_n9682090 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611184146/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030119/ai_n9682090 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 June 2008 |title=Football: He paid £1 for the club. Now the Gills are quids in |work=The Independent on Sunday |first=Steve |last=Tongue |access-date=8 November 2007 |date=19 January 2003}}</ref>

== Temporary reopenings ==
The Dome opened again during December 2003 for the ''Winter Wonderland 2003'' experience. The event, which featured a large [[funfair]], ice rink, and other attractions, culminated in a [[laser]] and [[firework]] display on New Year's Eve. It also served as the venue for a number of free music festivals organised by the [[Mayor of London]] under the "Respect" banner.<ref>[http://www.thesituation.co.uk/features/respect_festival/respect_festival.html Respect Festival 2003] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207143857/http://www.thesituation.co.uk/features/respect_festival/respect_festival.html |date=7 February 2009 }} ''The Situation''</ref><ref>[http://legacy.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=1859 "Over 30 acts to perform at respect festival's Comedy Dome"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728140325/http://legacy.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=1859 |date=28 July 2012 }} Greater London Authority, 17 July 2003.</ref>

Over the 2004 Christmas period, part of the main dome was used as a shelter for the homeless and others in need, organised by the charity [[Crisis (charity)|Crisis]] after superseding the [[London Arena]], which had previously hosted the event. In 2005, when work began for the redevelopment of the Dome, the London Arena hosted the event again.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4122067.stm | work=BBC News | title=Dome hosts homeless for Christmas | date=24 December 2004 | access-date=12 May 2010 | first=Claire | last=Heald}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4436118.stm | work=BBC News | title=Christmas services for homeless | date=14 November 2005 | access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref>

== Redevelopment and rebranding as The O2 ==
[[File:BRIT Awards 2020 Red Carpet.jpg|thumb|The entrance of the O2 Arena prior to the [[Brit Awards 2020]]]]
[[File:O2 arena.jpg|right|thumb|The interior of The O2 in 2007]]
By late 2000, a proposal had been made for a high-tech business park to be erected under the tent area, creating an "indoor city" complete with streets, parks, and buildings. The business park was actually the original 1996 proposal for the site of the peninsula before the plans for the Millennium Dome were proposed.

A suggestion was also made that the entire Dome be relocated to [[Swindon]] to serve as a research centre and extension of the [[Science Museum, London|Science Museum]]; this proposal only came to light when released by [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Archives: Swindon move for Millennium Dome proposed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64116797 |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=30 January 2023 |date=30 December 2022}}</ref>

In December 2001, it was announced that Meridian Delta Ltd had been chosen by the government to develop the Dome as a sports and entertainment centre, and to develop housing, shops and offices on {{convert|150|acre|km2}} of surrounding land. It also hoped to relocate some of London's tertiary education establishments to the site.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/dec/18/dome.politics|title=Done to become sports venue|last=Staff and Agencies|date=18 December 2001|work=The Guardian|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref> Meridian Delta is backed by the American billionaire [[Philip Anschutz]], who has interests in oil, railways, and telecommunications, as well as a string of sports-related investments.

A report in 2005 by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee found that the cost of the process of selling the Dome and surrounding land (which increased to 170 acres from the initial offering of the 48 acres enclosed by the Dome) and managing the Dome until the deal was closed was £28.7 million. £33 million were expected to be returned to the taxpayer by 2009. The value of the 48 acres occupied by the Dome was estimated at £48 million, which could have been realised by demolishing the structure, but it was considered preferable to preserve the Dome.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmpubacc/409/409.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmpubacc/409/409.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts: The regeneration of the Millennium Dome and associated land; Second Report of Session 2005–06, 18 July 2005|website=parliament.uk}}</ref>

The dome was publicly renamed as [[The O2]] on 31 May 2005, in a £6 million-per-year deal with telecommunications company O2 plc, now a subsidiary of [[Telefónica Europe]]. This announcement, which presaged a major redevelopment of the site that retained little beyond the shell of the dome, gave publicity to the dome's transition into an entertainment district including an indoor arena, a music club, a cinema, an exhibition space and bars and restaurants. This redevelopment was undertaken by the dome's new owners, the [[Anschutz Entertainment Group]], to a design by [[Populous (architects)|HOK SVE]] and [[Buro Happold]]. It cost £600 million, and the resulting venue opened to the public on 24 June 2007, with a concert by rock band [[Bon Jovi]].<ref>[http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/entertainment/music/bon-jovi-open-new-o2-venue-$1103128.htm Bon Jovi open new O2 venue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124162411/http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/entertainment/music/bon-jovi-open-new-o2-venue-%241103128.htm |date=24 November 2010 }} inthenews.co.uk, 25 June 2007.</ref>

During the [[2012 Summer Olympics]], the artistic gymnastics events, along with the medal rounds of basketball, were held at The O2. It also held wheelchair basketball events during the [[2012 Summer Paralympics]]. For sponsorship reasons, during those times the arena was temporarily renamed the North Greenwich Arena.

The O2 now contains multiple VR theme park rides, a trampoline park, and an attraction called "Up at The O2," offering guided climbs on the O2 arena.

==Effects on political careers==
{{Expand section|date=April 2008}}
Issues related to the Dome damaged the political careers of government ministers [[Peter Mandelson]]<ref name="Mandy">{{cite news |title=Mandelson: Dome alone |publisher=BBC News |date=23 December 1998 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/241619.stm |access-date=4 March 2007}}</ref> and [[John Prescott]].<ref>{{cite news |title=A hollow man and an empty tent |work=The Guardian |date=7 July 2006 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/story/0,,1814521,00.html |access-date=31 January 2007 |location=London}}</ref> The scheme was seen as an early example of what some saw as [[Tony Blair]]'s often excessive optimism, who stated at the Dome's opening: "In the Dome we have a creation that, I believe, will truly be a beacon to the world".<ref>{{cite news |title=The Dome: A Message from Tony Blair |publisher=Greenwich2000 |date=24 February 1998 |url=http://wwp.millennium-dome.com/experience/pm.htm |access-date=2 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103105012/http://wwp.millennium-dome.com/experience/pm.htm |archive-date=3 November 2006 }}</ref> The fact that Mandelson's grandfather was [[Herbert Morrison]]—who as a minister had been involved with the [[Festival of Britain]]—was often drawn on for negative comparisons.<ref name="Mandy" />

== Chronology of the project ==
*1994: Millennium Commission established by Prime Minister [[John Major]] and handed over to Deputy Prime Minister [[Michael Heseltine]].
*1 March 1995: chief executive [[Jennifer Page (Millennium Dome)|Jennie Page]] appointed.
*19 June 1996: Greenwich Peninsula site selected over Birmingham by the Millennium Commission. The [[Birmingham NEC]], Pride Park in [[Derby, England|Derby]] and [[Bromley-by-Bow]] in East London were the other locations on the final short list.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}
*December 1996: Government decides to support the project with public money after being unable to raise private capital.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/millennium-dome|title=Millennium Dome|access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref>
*19 June 1997: New Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] visits Greenwich to announce that the Millennium Dome has been saved. The decision was taken only after a difficult Cabinet debate which lasted for more than an hour.<ref>''[[Evening Standard]]'', 19 June 1997</ref>
*20 June 1997: Tony Blair appointed [[Peter Mandelson]] to the role of Minister for the Millennium after his announcement that the beleaguered £580 million dome would go ahead.<ref>''[[Evening Standard]]'', 20 June 1997</ref>
*June 1997: Construction begins.
*10 January 1998: Creative director [[Stephen Bayley]] quits the project. He is said to have been at "loggerheads" with Peter Mandelson as to who was in charge with the project.<ref>''[[The Times]]'', 10 January 1998</ref>
*23 December 1998: Peter Mandelson resigns from government after a financial scandal.
*4 January 1999: [[Lord Falconer of Thoroton]] replaces Mandelson.
*May 1999: The [[Jubilee Line Extension]] opens, putting the Dome on the [[London Underground]]. This too is seen as disorderly, opening 14 months late and with station facilities not yet complete (e.g. lifts for wheelchair access).
*22 June 1999: structure of Dome completed.
*31 December 1999: the [[BBC One 'Balloon' idents|BBC Balloon]] is seen flying during "[[2000 Today]]" on BBC One, and used throughout 2000.
*31 December 1999 and 1 January 2000: VIP guests are kept waiting outside for hours because of a ticketing problem.
*1 January 2000: Dome structure opens to public as the Millennium Dome containing an exhibition to celebrate the third millennium.
*5 February 2000: Chief executive Jennie Page sacked and replaced by [[Pierre-Yves Gerbeau]].
*26 July 2000: Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee publishes adverse report on Dome's management.
*7 November 2000: [[Millennium Dome raid|Thieves break into the diamond exhibit]] during opening hours but are foiled by waiting police. Four men are jailed for the attempted robbery on 18 February 2002.
*9 November 2000: [[National Audit Office (United Kingdom)|National Audit Office]] publishes report blaming unrealistic attendance targets for the Dome's financial problems.
*14 November 2000: Michael Heseltine (MP for Henley), the Dome's original political supporter, states "I have seen the inside story, and of course, with hindsight, all of us would do it differently".<ref>''[[Birmingham Post]]'', 14 November 2000</ref>
*31 December 2000: Dome closed to the public, having attracted just over six million visitors. The initial projected figure was twelve million.
*27 February 2001 – 2 March 2001: One Amazing Auction Sale: Four-day public [[auction]] with 17,000 lots of Dome/NMEC items, managed by auctioneer Henry Butcher.
*18 December 2001: Announcement of sale of site to Meridian Delta Ltd, who planned to turn it into a 20,000-seat sports and entertainment venue. Houses and offices to be built on the surrounding land, subject to the consent of the London Borough of Greenwich.
*6 December 2003: opening of ''Winter Wonderland''.
*25 May 2005: Anschutz Entertainment Group sells the naming rights to the former Millennium Dome to [[Telefónica Europe|O2 plc]], a British mobile phone company.
*24 June 2007: [[The O2]] opens, with a concert by [[Bon Jovi]].

==In popular culture==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2022}}
* Within the foundations of the Dome in 1998, a time capsule was buried by [[Katy Hill]] and [[Richard Bacon (TV presenter)|Richard Bacon]], two of the then-current presenters of the long running BBC children's programme ''[[Blue Peter]]''. The capsule was due to be opened in 2050, but was accidentally unearthed and damaged in 2017 during construction work. It was originally intended to be reburied once it had been repaired,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38838033|title=Blue Peter time capsule dug up 33 years early|date=2 February 2017|access-date=2 February 2017}}</ref> but was instead opened and its contents taken on a tour of the UK. It was subsequently stored in the National Archives until 2050 alongside a new Diamond Time Capsule celebrating the show's 60th anniversary.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2018/blue-peter-time-capsule-tour|title='Dug up' Blue Peter millennium time capsule set to go on UK tour|date=10 May 2018|access-date=12 November 2020}}</ref>
* The song "Silvertown Blues" from [[Mark Knopfler]]'s 2000 album ''[[Sailing to Philadelphia]]'' deals with the construction of The Dome.
* Two books about the attempted robbery of the [[De Beers]] diamonds from the Dome were published in 2004: ''Diamond Geezers – The Inside Story of the Crime of the Millennium'' ({{ISBN|1843171228}}) written by Kris Hollington, published by Michael O'Mara Books Ltd, and ''Dome Raiders – How Scotland Yard Foiled the Greatest Robbery of All Time'' ({{ISBN|1852271949}}) written by Jon Shatford and William Doyle, published by Virgin Books.
* In 2005, the Dome was featured in a task on ''[[The Amazing Race 7]]'', in which contestants had to drive an [[AEC Routemaster]] [[double-decker bus]] through the structure's car park.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.realitytvworld.com/news/older-couple-meredith-and-gretchen-smith-get-eliminated-from-the-amazing-race-7-3465.php|title=Older couple Meredith and Gretchen Smith get eliminated from 'The Amazing Race 7'|work=Reality TV World|last=Sellers|first=Andrea|date=4 May 2005|access-date=31 December 2019}}</ref>
* ''[[Gideon's Daughter]]'' is a 2006 BBC television drama written and directed by [[Stephen Poliakoff]], stars [[Bill Nighy]] as a publicist working to promote the Dome in the run-up to its grand opening. [[Emily Blunt]] plays the titular daughter who is disdainful of the project, while [[Miranda Richardson]] plays Gideon's love interest whose simple observations about his life – and the Dome – reshape Gideon's life. Both Nighy and Blunt received Golden Globe Awards for their performances. The show won a Peabody Award in April 2007.
* The Millennium Dome was prominently featured in the pre-title sequence of the 1999 ''[[James Bond]]'' film ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]''. Bond falls down the outside of the Dome when pursuing a target, injuring his shoulder in the process.

==See also==
*[[Millennium Bridge, London]]
*''[[A Slice of Reality]]''
*[[Tensile architecture]]
*[[Crossings of the River Thames]]
*[[Tunnels underneath the River Thames]]

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Millennium Dome}}
*[http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=skhfr8h005ty&lvl=17&dir=90&sty=b&form=LMLTCC Aerial view of the Millennium Dome] Bing Maps
*[https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.502973,0.003176&spn=0.001392,0.001923&t=k&hl=en Aerial view of the Millennium Dome] Google Maps
*{{Structurae|id=20000362|title=The Millennium Dome}}
*[http://www.dome2000.com The Millennium Dome: A Collection] Dome2000 – One individual's collection of Millennium Dome objects
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130509104633/http://o2millenniumdome.co.uk/ Photos from Ground Up (1997–2000)] O2MillenniumDome.co.uk – Early website devoted to the Millennium Dome with pictures from ground excavation through the build
*[https://eeyore.org/greenwich-mm-mex-the-dome-the-o2/ Greenwich MM — MEX — The Dome — The O<sub>2</sub>] On-going site that documents the run up to the MEX including details of various planning meetings and, now, to the O<sub>2</sub>
*[http://www.paulspages.co.uk/panoramas/pano-view-frameset.htm?1&The%20Millennium%20Dome,%20London,%20UK&dome300.ivr&700&300&450&300&300&5&-70&none&no&dome-details.htm The Millennium Dome, London] Paul's Panoramas – Panoramic view of the Dome interior during the 2000 exhibition (requires java-enabled browser)

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{{s-aft|after=Sun City Exhibition Center<br>{{flagicon|South Africa}} [[Sun City, North West|Sun City]]}}
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[[Category:Cultural and educational buildings in London]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:History of the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Tensile membrane structures]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures celebrating the third millennium]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1999]]
[[Category:Richard Rogers buildings]]
[[Category:High-tech architecture]]
[[Category:Domes]]
[[Category:Redevelopment projects in London]]
[[Category:Event venues established in 1999]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in England]]