Cowboys Stadium is a domed stadium with a retractable roof in Arlington, Texas, for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys. It replaced the partially-covered Texas Stadium, which opened in 1971, as the Cowboys' home. It was completed on May 27, 2009 and seats 80,000, but is expandable to hold up to 111,000 through the use of standing areas.
The stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world, has the world's largest column-free interior, and the largest video screen which hangs from 20 yard line to 20 yard line. The facility can also be used for a variety of other activities outside of its main purpose (professional football) such as concerts, religious ceremonies, basketball games, college football and high school football contests, soccer matches, Motorcross races and rodeos similar to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Construction and design
Cowboys Stadium was designed by the Dallas-based architectural firm HKS. Besides the Cowboys, the new stadium will be used by college football teams and other organizations for other sporting and non-sporting events. On March 10, 2008, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, joined by officials and coaches from Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas (Jones' alma mater), announced that the two schools would renew their rivalry with annual games at the stadium, beginning October 3, 2009. In addition, the Cotton Bowl Classic will be moved to the stadium beginning of 2010.
Originally estimated to cost $650 million, the stadium's current construction cost was $1.15 billion, making it one of the most expensive sports venues ever built. To aid Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in paying the construction costs of the new stadium, Arlington voters approved the increase of the city's sales tax by 0.5 percent, the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent, and car rental tax by 5 percent. The City of Arlington provided over $325 million (including interest) in bonds as funding, and Jones covered any cost overruns. Also, the NFL provided the Cowboys with an additional $150 million, as per their policy for giving teams a certain lump sum of money for stadium financing.
Although the stadium had yet to sell naming rights, many fans started referring to the project with various nicknames such as "Jerry World", "JonesTown", the "Jerrydome", "Jones-Mahal", the "Death Star", the "Boss Hog Bowl" in reference to Jones' continued affiliation to his Alma Mater nickname, the Razorbacks (or hogs), or "Six Flags Over Jerry" in reference to Jerry Jones and Six Flags Over Texas, which is near the new stadium, as well as "Casa de Jones", "World Jerry Center", "9021-Jones", "Planet Jerrywood", "Jerry Rock Hotel", "Leaning tower of Jerry". There was also a petition by some fans to have the stadium named after longtime Cowboys coach Tom Landry. On May 13 , 2009, Jerry Jones announced the official name, Cowboys Stadium.
A pair of nearly 300 ft (91 m)-tall arches spans the length of the stadium dome, anchored to the ground at each end. The new stadium also includes "more than 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more, offering fans viewing options that extend beyond the action on the field," and a center-hung video display board that is the largest high-definition television screen in the world. Glass doors, allowing each end zone to be opened, were designed and constructed by Dallas-based Haley-Greer glass systems.
The retractable roof was designed by structural engineering firm Walter P Moore and the systems were implemented by mechanization consultants Uni-Systems. These Kinetic Architecture fundamentals will be employed in order to create quick conversions of the facility to accommodate a variety of events. When the design was officially unveiled on December 12, 2006, it showed that, from inside the stadium, the roof (membrane installed by K Post Company of Dallas) will look very similar to the Texas Stadium roof, with its trademark hole. However, it can be covered by the retractable roof panel to protect against the elements.
A Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame is planned for the Hall of Fame level. The drawings also include a site for a large sculpture northeast of the stadium, close to Randol Mill Road.
Excavation work at the stadium site began in May 2006 near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Cowboys played in Texas Stadium through the 2008 season.
This stadium will host Super Bowl XLV in 2011, beating out bids from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It will also host the 2009 and 2010 Big 12 Football Championship and Cotton Bowl Classic, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2014 men's Final Four. The Professional Bull Riders will also host the Dickies Iron Cowboy Invitational at Cowboys Stadium in February 2010.
Timeline
- 1994: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he wants to expand the 65,000-seat Texas Stadium by up to 40,000 seats, add retractable roof panels and install a climate-control system to make the stadium a year-round venue for sporting events, including the Super Bowl, concerts and conventions.
- 1997 – 2000: The Cowboys hold preliminary talks with Arlington officials about building a stadium there. The team also publicly discusses a $260 million plan to upgrade Texas Stadium. In 2000, the Cowboys compile a list of potential stadium sites, which include Grapevine, Coppell and Arlington. The team continues negotiating with Irving to renovate Texas Stadium.
- 2001: Jones says Arlington is a leading contender for a $500 million stadium. The primary site considered is the 2,000 acres (8 km 2 ) Lakes of Arlington tract on Farm Road 157. Other cities in the running include Grapevine and Grand Prairie. In October, Jones discusses the new stadium with the mayors of Arlington, Irving, Grapevine and Dallas.
- 2003: The Cowboys ask the Irving City Council to extend their lease at Texas Stadium, which expires at the end of the 2008 season, on a year-to-year basis. They narrow their search to sites in Las Colinas and Dallas, and state legislators file bills that would allow Dallas County to increase its hotel occupancy and car rental taxes to pay for a new stadium.
- 2004: In April, the Cowboys announce plans to build a $650 million stadium at Fair Park in Dallas. The deal requires $425 million in public financing from a 3 percent hotel-occupancy tax and a 6 percent car-rental tax. The deal falls apart in June when Dallas County commissioners say they cannot justify asking voters to approve the team's request for $425 million in public funding. In July, the Cowboys and Arlington announce they are negotiating to locate the stadium near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (then Ameriquest Field). In August, the Arlington City Council agrees unanimously to put before voters a tax increase that would fund the city's $325 million portion of the project. Voters approve the tax increase on November 2.
- 2005: Arlington and the Cowboys choose the site south of Randol Mill Road and east of Collins Street for the new stadium. The city begins notifying residents and property owners of its plans to acquire their property. The Cowboys hire the HKS architectural firm to design the stadium. Early blueprints show 414 luxury suites and a two-panel retractable roof. The city completes its sale of $297.9 million in bonds to pay for its portion of the construction. Demolition of houses begins November 1.
- January 2006: The Cowboys hire Oklahoma-based Manhattan Construction as the general contractor for the stadium and the city completes its land purchases, although it still faces a number of lawsuits over land acquisition. Also in January, Tarrant County work crews begin demolition of more than 150 Arlington residences and small business structures to make room for the stadium.
- March 2006: Alliance announced between Manhattan Construction and two minority-owned general contractors, Rayco Construction of Grand Prairie and 3i Construction of Dallas, to manage the stadium's construction.
- April 2006: Excavation begins by Mario Sinacola and Sons Excavating. By August, they had moved over 1.4 million cubic yards of earth, shaping a 13 acre to 14 acre stadium bowl an average of 54 feet (16 m) deep.
- August 2006: Two construction cranes are raised on the site.
- October 2006: The grass amphitheater on Randol Mill Road is leveled to make way for the extension of Baird Farm Road.
- December 2006: The stadium's structure begins to go up and on December 12th, Jerry Jones unveils the in-depth plans and designs of the stadium to the public.
- January 2007: A construction worker is injured in a 20 ft (6 m) fall.
- February 2007: Masonry work begins.
- March 2007: Heldenfels Enterprises awarded the contract to manufacture and erect the pre-cast/pre-stressed concrete structural components and placement of them begins in April.
- June 2007: Work on the retractable roof, designed by Uni-Systems, starts.
- July 2007: Exterior facade and enclosure work began.
- October 2007: First steel arch is completed.
- February 2008: Second steel arch is completed.
- June 2008: Jones commissions the world's largest 1080p HDTV, to hang above field.
- June 2008: An electri
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