Revoluntionary Stadiums

Every so often as fans we are treated to a new stadium that promises to changes the way we look at the sporting world. Last night the Cowboys ushered in their state of the art, ultra flashy new digs. But will Cowboys Stadium be the stadium in which all new NFL stadiums built from here on in will be compared against? Did we usher in a new era of stadiums?

Harvard Stadium

Harvard Stadium (Boston, MA)
The first concrete stadium in the world was constructed in 1903 for a cost of $310,000. Harvard Stadium accomplished permanence for the game of football. Since the stadium was made of immovable concrete the field dimensions were set to their modern proportions. Harvard Stadium may be old, but it still plays an important role every other year playing host to one of the nations longest standing rivalries (Harvard vs Yale). Harvard Stadium is also home to a professional women’s soccer club.

Yale Bowl

Yale Bowl (New Haven, CT)
The Yale bowl was built soon after Harvard stadium. While Harvard brought in the modern area of football, the opening in 1914 of the Yale Bowl became the template for the football world and can hold upwards of 64,000 people. Like Harvard Stadium, the Yale bowl is no longer in its prime. However its design was duplicated at Michigan Stadium, Notre Dame Stadium, the Rose Bowl, and LA Coliseum among others. All of these stadiums are still considered to be some of the best places to catch a game.

RFK Stadium

RFK Stadium (Washington, DC)
Opened in 1961 RFK might not have been designed to have been a revolutionary stadium, but it was. RFK brought in the cookie cutter stadium era, as stadiums that were built to handle both football and baseball, and currently holds 45,000 people.

Stadiums that followed the same model as RFK stadium include, Veterans Stadium, Shea Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, Fulton Country Stadium and Busch Stadium. There have been other interpretations of this model that still exist, but for the most part, the past 15 years have been about replacing these dated facilities. RFK is also currently on the chopping block because in 2012 it will lose it’s only tenant.

Arrowhead Stadium

Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)

Arrowhead stadium was years ahead of it’s time. When the other cities were busy duplicating the the cookie cutter style stadiums, Arrowhead was making the blue print for NFL stadiums that would be built in the late 90’s into the 2000’s. Arrowhead Stadium opened in 1972 at a cost of $43 million for the 79,000 seat stadium.

Is it any wonder that most of the NFL (and MLB) teams consulted with the Kansas City based stadium design firms when they were constructing their new facilities? Arrowhead Stadium is approaching 40 years old and is still looking fantastic.

Montreal Olympic Stadium

Olympic Stadium (Montreal, Quebec)
When first conceived this was going to be one of the great wonders of the world. This huge stadium would have a retractable roof and huge slanted tower and cost $770 million in 1976. What resulted was anything but for this 66,000 seat stadium. The designed proved to be too complex, the roof never worked, concrete chunks fell from above and the stadium has since fallen into disrepair. Currently there is no tenant for the Big O and no real plan for this reeling facility.

Rodgers Centre

Sky Dome (Toronto, Ontario)
Rodgers Centre formally called Skydome was one of the first stadium to offer a retractable roof, a hotel within the stadium and when built the largest video board in the world. It was built in 1989, and the construction costs ran to almost $570 million. It was the last stadium built that was designed for both baseball and football in North America.

While many of this stadiums concepts were duplicated (retractable roof), many felt that this stadium would bring usher in a new level of stadium design. Since then the nostalgia of the stadium wore off, things that once wowed the public now don’t seem so special. The Rodgers Center is however faring better than it’s other Canadian Counter part.

Camden Yards

Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore, MD)
Oriole Park at Camden Yards was built in 1992 at a cost of $110 million (a bargain). Camden Yards was the first modern ballpark to bring back the soul of a old school ballpark and mesh it with modern amenities, and seats 48,000 fans. It was here that America’s latest stadium revolution started. Countless baseball stadiums across the country modeled their ballparks after ideas and concepts that Camden Yards delivered 17 years ago. It brought in record numbers of fans and moved baseball stadiums back into city neighborhoods. Camden Yards is still regarded as one of the best places in the country to watch a ball game.

Beijing National Stadium

Beijing National Stadium (Beijing, China)
Commonly referred to as the Birds Nest, Beijing’s National Stadium is the worlds largest steel structure. This stadium combined beauty and functionality and wowed the world for 3 weeks last August. The price tag for this 80,000 seat facility was only $423 Million.

After the torch was blown out at the 2008 Olympics the Birds Nest has struggled to find a tenant and a purpose. Only a year ago this was the focus of the world, now future plans for this gem might even include converting it into a shopping mall.

New Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium (New York, NY)
The new version of Yankee Stadium is essentially a pimped out version of the old Yankee Stadium. This latest model has a huge HD center field video board, tons of Yankee memorabilia in the ‘Great Hall’ and 52,000 seats. Beautiful Indiana Limestone graces the stadiums facade as seemingly no expense was spared here at this 1.5 Billion dollar ballpark.

Yankee Stadium has been criticized for having many unused seats in the first few rows behind home plate and being a home run haven when the winds are blowing out. Yankee Stadium future will host Notre Dame vs Army and the possibility of being host to a college bowl game.

Cowboy's Stadium

Cowboy’s Stadium (Arlington TX)

Cowboy’s Stadium seems to have it all. A retractable roof, room for over 100,000 fans and video screens that span 60 yards. Opened in 2009 at a cost of $1.3 billion. This is the latest addition to revolutionary stadiums is not with out it’s issues. The $75 game day parking and the low hanging scoreboards. The stadium’s future is very bright as it will host the Final Four, the Super Bowl and be the new home of the Cotton Bowl.

Target Field

On the Horizon (New York & Minnesota)

The new Meadowlands Stadium opens next football season. It will be home to both the Giants and the Jets. Construction costs are estimated to be around $1.4 Billion. Features include a facade skin that changes color and 4 large video screens.

Target Field in Minneapolis will be the home of the Twins starting in 2010. This will be the second ballpark in the majors that will LEED certified. A concept that the Nationals ballpark revolutionized in 2008.

Related posts:

1. Harvard Stadium: Home of the Crimson
2. Camden Yards: Baltimore MD
3. Notre Dame Stadium: Home of the Fighting Irish