SUN CITY WEST, Ariz. — The silence inside the Sundome stands in stark contrast to the scenes that once played out inside it.
The Sundome, host to some of the biggest names in entertainment during the 1980s and 1990s, has long been idle. Its walls still hold the seats, carpeting and stage where the likes of Dolly Parton, Don Rickles and Lawrence Welk entertained audiences. Soon, only the memories of those shows will remain.
The building will be torn down, a process that will begin as early as this week, bringing a formal end to years of unsuccessful attempts by owners to make it financially sustainable and preserve an attraction that gave Sun City West area residents a path to top-line performers at reasonable prices in their own backyard.
“The heart is very heavy,” said Don Tuffs, director of entertainment and general manager of the Sundome from 1978 through 1983. “It’s devastating.”
