The 80,000 seat Pontiac Silverdome was scheduled for demolition with a planned explosion set to bring down the massive stadium in front of a live audience.
But despite thunderous explosions and a cloud of dust engulfing the stadium, the demolition failed to bring down the upper tier of the abandoned sports ground.
The steel columns supporting the stadium built in 1975 didn't crumble because 10 per cent of the explosives failed to detonate.
“Unless we find something in the next few hours researching the wiring, we will take it down mechanically,” Rick Cuppetilli told the Free Press.
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“We haven’t found the wire yet. It’s going to take us a while to research it all.”
Thousands attended the explosion live in Detroit, while sports fans on social media were quick to joke about the Silverdome's resilience.
The Silverdome was once hailed as one of the most impressive stadiums in the US, but its abandonment has become a symbol of south-east Michigan's struggles since the auto industry's decline.
The stadium was the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions who didn't win a championship since 1957.
It has been empty for more than a decade and suffered major damage after a 2013 winter storm, which destroyed its inflatable roof.
The failed explosion follows the successful demolition of the Georgia Dome, despite a bus arriving at the wrong time to block the live broadcast.
