Cowboys’ new stadium impressive in size and architecture
By Tom Orsborn - Express-News
Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips outlined for reporters last week what fans can expect this season.
“We’re going to have the greatest stadium in the world,” Phillips said. “We’re going to try to have the best football team.”
While the odds are against the latter happening, there’s no disputing the former is a done deal.
The Cowboys will unveil their gleaming, glass-encased $1.1 billion stadium with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today in Arlington. Cowboys Stadium’s inaugural event, a concert headlined by country music star George Strait, is set for June 6.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones cut no corners in accomplishing his goal of building a “modern-day Colosseum of Rome.” With 3 million square feet of air-conditioned space, the site of the 2011 Super Bowl is three times bigger than Texas Stadium, can be configured for an NFL-high seating capacity of 100,000 and will include 300 suites priced at $100,000-$500,000 annually.
Here’s another way to envision the enormity of Cowboys Stadium: Four AT&T Centers can fit inside.
But the size of “Jerry World” isn’t the only thing about the venue that inspires awe. The place is loaded with state-of-the-art bells, whistles and architectural finery, including glass walls, a pair of quarter-mile long arches and a translucent retractable roof.
The cherry on top is a $40 million, 600-ton high-definition video board — the world’s largest — that will stretch from 20-yard-line to 20-yard line and produce images in which the players will be 72 feet tall.
Put it all together, and you’ve got a building that will redefine how fans watch football in real time, said architect Danny Forster, host of the Discovery Channel’s “Build It Bigger.”
“Given their history and reputation, people imagined that the Dallas Cowboys were going to build a palace to themselves,” Forster said. “But what they’ve done is built a temple for football.”
In terms of pure architecture, many critics, including Forster, believe the Cowboys produced the equivalent of a flawless 14-play, 90-yard game-icing touchdown drive.
“Anybody can build a big building,” Forster said. “It’s no accomplishment to build the biggest anything. What Jerry Jones has done is really rethink how the football stadium works as a piece of architecture.”
Forster toured the stadium with Jones last November during filming of a “Build It Bigger” episode.
“The smell, the air, the light — everything about it — will be different than all the other stadiums,” Forster said. “I’m very impressed. Jerry always said the stadium isn’t about the Cowboys, it’s about football. That really comes across in the architecture.”
Graphic
The truly big 'D'
I saw a commercial about how affordable Cowboys season tickets are. Don't you have to pay like a thousand bucks for a seat license just to be able to buy season tickets? They failed to mention that little tidbit.
< Bitter because he'll never live to see the Cowboys play in that stadium.
yeah..but it's always been that way. Some people do it. I've got a few buddies who have season tickets..don't know how they do it.
Now all they need to do is get Wrestlemania to be held there and I can die happy.
About the only 'good' thing is that the City of Arlington locked in their 'contribution' at $325M, at the time half the projected price for the stadium. Jerry's monument to himself escalated from $650M to $1.1 billion, one reason why ticket prices are so outrageous.
If Jerry sells out his lux boxes, it'll bring in about $70M annually (assuming an average cost of $250K); 'founding partners,' so far, $45M; 15K seat rights at an average $30K, $450M. If ol' Jer can pull all that off he gets his additional investment back in the first year and his complete investment in around five. He must be asking for an additional huge chunk ($50M? More?) for naming rights, since it's still being called "Cowboy Stadium."
Going to be interesting to see what the crowds are like in this economy. When I lived in D/FW there were a lot of stories about how they were having a hard time selling the PSLs, and that was before the stock market and everything thing else fell off a cliff.
100 bucks says they see the Superbowl there before they win a playoff game there.
the whole place is season tickets only and acording to the ticket rep i talked to they have sold over 90% of the place out
More people are looking forward to the Jonas brothers concert there than actual cowboy games.
Will be opened by the King, George Stait
i will lol when a rogue tornado brings that thing down
It's true.
What do the masses want to see?
These talented young fellas?
or these untalented fellas?
Yes.And I am the ?
amen they will but they just barely had wrestlemania this year at reliant stadium so maybe another 5 or 6 years
can't wait till the allstar game and when i see the redskins beat down the cowgirls
Shh.. don't call them Redskins, people will get offended.
Jones says stadium will inspire
By Tom Orsborn - Express-News
ARLINGTON — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has built a palace. Now he expects the players to honor it with efforts befitting football's grandest venue.
In a sun-splashed ceremony that included fireworks, skydivers and a soaring orchestral score, a beaming Jones helped cut the ribbon at Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday, opening a 3 million-square foot building a team spokesman said has a final price tag of $1.150 billion.
An invitation-only crowd of 1,500, including government officials and several of the franchise's former stars, watched intently as the opening of the giant glass end-zone doors punctuated the event.
Jones equated the satisfaction he gained from building the stadium to winning a Super Bowl, something the Cowboys did for him three times in the 1990s.
Now he's hopeful Cowboys Stadium will help the current team add another Lombardi Trophy.
“This building could have been built for two-thirds of the cost, but it was about expectations,” Jones said. “And I expect every player who ever walks on this field to play above their level.”
The stadium drew rave reviews from former players, including Drew Pearson, a star receiver in the 1970s.
“I was totally wowed and totally awed by it,” Pearson said. “It just makes me wish we could set the clock back a little bit and I could strap on the hat and lace the cleats and get some action in this stadium, because this is beautiful.”
Like Jones, Pearson is hopeful the new stadium will bring out the best in today's players.
“Man, if these guys got any sense, it would inspire them, motivate them to be better players, to give more, to try to do everything they can to stay a Dallas Cowboy throughout their career,” Pearson said. “... Hopefully, that translates into victories.”
Pearson said Cowboys Stadium, site of the 2011 Super Bowl, would be the envy of the league.
“All you have to do is look at Terrell Owens,” said Pearson, referring to the former Dallas receiver released in March after a season in which he was at the center of a locker room drama. “You think he'd rather be here or in Buffalo?
“It tells me a lot about him. He couldn't keep it together enough to make it one more year to be a part of this. Now he's in Buffalo. That's what happens when you sometimes run your pass routes with your lips instead of your legs.”
After the ceremony, Jones proudly pointed out to reporters some of the stadium's features.
“Look at that finish on that concrete block,” Jones said. “(It cost) 25 cents a square foot just to buff it, not paint. ... You did things of that nature all the way through this thing and you do it enough and it adds up. And then all of a sudden, it's got a quality to it.”
Pearson said he was impressed with the proximity of the seats to the field, one of several design elements that mirrors Texas Stadium.
“A lot of these new stadiums, they build them so big and wide they loose a lot of the closeness, a lot of the crowd noise, the ambience, the environment that makes it special to play in,” Pearson said. “They didn't lose that here. The field-level suites are right there. As a matter of fact, if the players get a little bored or have to go to the bathroom they don't have to go to the locker room, they can go right to the suite.”
Jones didn't deny that sales of luxury suites have been slow during the recession. He said 280 have been sold, leaving more than 20 to go.
“I sold one today,” Jones said with a smile.
I am going to see this mother er on June 20th for the frist time. I have seen the outside but not inside. My 6 year old and I are going to the Jonas Brother concert. haha. What a a way to see the new Cowboy stadium.
I'm jealous...not because you're seeing the Jonas Brothers, but because you're going to see it. I'm one of the biggest Cowboys fans I know, but I've never been able to see a game.
I do have a piece of turf from Texas Stadium though...in a limited edition frame..pretty big piece..
I am excited about seeing it. They have played it up so much here and the outside is freaken HUGE. I was lucky enough to go to alot of games in my life. They ask to much for tickets now. I had a stretch of 16 straight Thanksgiving games. Pretty cool considering I lived in NY for most of that run. I am 37 and that streak ended in 97. We had season tickets for the superbowl runs.(Aikman years) I have no desire to pay those ridiculous prices now. Anyhoot I am pretty excited seeing it. FYI.. the Jonas brother prices are ing ridiculous to. Jerryland is one expensive place. I know the prices will drop soon. They are already lowering the CRAZY prices for Cowboy games. Still up there but coming down fast. They are even thinking a game might be blacked out this year. Could you imagine?
A jillion seats selling for 400 dollars each? I can absolutely see more than one game being blacked out. I will listen to the game on the radio bitterly satisfied that Jerry's losing money.
This guy has to be losing a load of money. 1.1 Billion to make they damn thing. They had to name the place "New Cowboy Stadium" because they can't get a sponser like American Airlines or some company like that. They were seeking 300-400 million for that.
This really made me laugh the other day. A commercial selling season tickets. A guy pimping the tickets said something like "How much do you think tickets are" reply " 100,000 or something like that" Pimp " where would u here something like that " reply "the media" Pimp made him feel like he was a idiot. The thing was asshole Jones was asking this BULL for the seat license fees on his best seats. Seriously I am offended by Jones ridiculous prices for years. Think what you want of T.O but that move will cost him at the box office. Unless Jones ends up auctioning those tickets off I am not going to a game.
Think about the bank and city of Arlington that helped paid for this big ass place. They will never see that money again. Local media does not cover this because Jones won't give them there passes and lord knows they can't afford to pay to get in. They refinaced the place last summer. Not even built yet and they had to refinace.
Hey, there are already 4000+ tickets available from TickCo for the pre-season game against the ans for as little as $33, the 200-level starting under $70, lower level under $100.
Keep the faith. I thought I'd never see Duncan play in person and it happened. You never know, things can fall into place when you least expect it.
Hope you can get to a game someday.
Went in last night for the "Jonas Brother" concert. 6 year old daughter. Don't judge.... Let me tell you this. That stadium is BAD ASS. That screen that stetches across the feild is freaken amazing. Don't get me wrong, you pay money to see the game with ur own eyes but you will end up watching that thing especially if you are in sections 300-400. It's amazing. When you are up getting food,drink durning game you won't miss . In fact I bet alot of people will eat and drink at the bar like tables durning the game. They circle every section. 8 bucks for beer, 7:50 for dogs. If you want to explore the stadium do not get endzone section seats. They won't let you anywhere else. A few people were pretty upset with that and I don't blame them.They didnot open the roof last night but I heard it takes about 15-20 minutes. The box seats were amazing. They were in between every level. They have box seats,little apartments on the freaken feild level. No closing windows either like at the old stadium. They have these big ass leather seats in the front then the tv,fridges,couches in the rear of the box The stadium is a 10 plus!!! Pricing.... you Jerry Jones. Game time gets closer ebay ur tickets if you want to beat the system. Stadium is just to big to sell out.
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