Back in 1966, architects presented two designs for a multipurpose sports stadium to the city of Philadelphia and officials of the Phillies and Eagles. Early stadium discussions provided no definitive preference, open-air vs. domed.

MULTIPURPOSE STADIUM -- This is the architect’s drawing of the combination baseball-football stadium that was presented to officials to be built in south Philadelphia. For football, its capacity will be 65,000, and for baseball 50,000. The cost of the “Octorad” design stadium is established at 61 million with the fixed roof, and 40 million without. (AP Wirephoto) 9/15/66.

As we all know, the dome eventually was doomed by its cost.

Philadelphia voters approved $13 million in bonds to build a new multipurpose stadium in south Philadelphia to be located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue. That was May 16, 1967. The groundbreaking took place on Oct. 2, 1967. A 1970 opening was postponed until April 1971 because of numerous changes in design, weather, cost overruns and labor strikes.

The final cost was $52 million. With an artificial playing surface of AstroTurf, the stadium was the home of the Phillies (1971-2003) and NFL Eagles (1971-2002). The stadium's design appeared to be circular, but it really was an "octorad” design, incorporating four arcs of a large circle and four arcs of a smaller circle to round out the corners. Other “cookie-cutter” stadia of the era were circular or oval.

It was regarded as state of the art when it opened and the largest built in the 1960s and '70s.

The Phillies played their first game at the Vet on April 10, 1971. 11,859 days later, the final game was played on Sept. 28, 2003.