Features
U.S. Bank Stadium Opens Doors
The $1.1 billion home for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, U.S. Bank Stadium , recently had an open house in Minneapolis in advance of the team’s season this fall.
Photo: Joe Reinartz
The stadium is relatively expensive but the football team paid for a big chunk of it. More than $602 million came from private funding, including the Vikings’ original $477 million commitment plus an additional $125 million. The state of Minnesota tossed in $348 million. The stadium staff is not only looking forward to football season but is anticipating Luke Bryan’s christening of the building Aug. 19 and, the very next night,
The SMG-managed and HKS-designed facility has plenty of mod cons, with interesting facts both big and small. For instance, its 1.75 million square feet is big enough to fit inside of it two Metrodomes – the team’s last building. It has 131 luxury suites – many of which are at ground level. It also has a massive dressing room for the cheerleaders and a dedicated room for the mascot, Ragnar (unfortunately, the man behind the costume for 21 years, Joe Juranitch, won’t be in it after demanding $20,000 per game for 10 years).
Although the capacity is 66,000, and expandable to 70,000 for events like the Super Bowl, it will have a capacity in the 50,000 range for concerts. Speakers cover the ceiling, attention was given to acoustics, and there is no central scoreboard to block sightlines to the stage (officials decided, instead, for two massive endzone video screens). It also touts six club spaces, 33 escalators, 11 elevators and 979 restrooms.
Photo: Joe Reinartz
Like a bad penny, the bobblehead of promoter Dan Steinberg of Emporium Presents will follow you everywhere, even when touring the offices of the new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Another feature that could initially seem to be a negative is that it does not have a retractable roof. Instead, it boasts of the largest ETFE roof in North America and the only one on a U.S. sports facility. It’s fun to ask the staff what ETFE stands for (ethylene-tetra-flouro-ethylene). Its advantage is it provides an outdoor feel and a climate-controlled atmosphere – a feature that has been commended by NFL camera crewmembers that are not necessarily fans of the outdoors.
The snowy climate of Minnesota is put to good use, with runoff from the roof reclaimed for use inside the stadium. Officials have pointed out that the facility will be LEED certified and is the first NFL stadium to open with LED lighting, consuming 75 percent less energy compared with traditional metal halide.