|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
The Colts Influence
Constructed, destructed and reconstructed
Colts
FORUM
Colts
BLOG
The Colts Influence www.mycolts.net/coltsinfluence
http://myspace.com/coltsinfluence
|
Lucas Oil Stadium The New Home of The Indianapolis Colts
Intro Features Location
Driving Directions
Maps Fan
Friendly Amenities Retractable
Roof Suites
Luxury Suites
Field level Suites Super
Suites Mini Suites
Quarterback Suites Scoreboards
Corporate Sponsors Fact
Sheet Location
Description Purposes Developers
Architect Construction
Timetable Construction Manager
Financing Benefits
The Colts get
The city gets
While
you're in The New Colts Home,
Workers celebrate completion of Lucas Oil Stadium Posted: Aug 11, 2008 02:08 PM The first of many ceremonies takes place Monday to mark the completion of Lucas Oil Stadium, the new home of the Indianapolis Colts. Construction workers, builders and their families are celebrating the end of the three-year project. That ceremony takes place Monday night at 6:00 pm. Lucas Oil Stadium workers celebrate The men and women who put their own blood, sweat and tears into the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium got a first-hand look inside Monday night. The celebration for the contractors was topped off by a demonstration of the retractable roof. More than 6,000 contractors and their families were invited to have dinner and tour the stadium. Workers said the celebration gave them a chance to appreciate their handiwork. "It looks really cool. I was just here a week ago and I didn't think it would be ready for this big of an event. But it looks really good," said Jon Hardin, a glass installer. The contractors and their families were able to walk on the field turf and even try to kick a field goal. "It's great to see the fruits of our labor after being here for 15 months and building the stadium," said Ken Stroke, a food services employee. The contractors also got see a number of suites, including Colts owner Jim Irsay's. One of the most popular attractions of the evening was the tour of the Colts' locker room, where fans were able to see and touch the Super Bowl trophy. "It's an appreciation thing. We're the ones who built it. It's pretty cool to be the first ones in here and see everything before anyone else," said Jon Hardin. Construction on the stadium isn't totally complete. Some contractors were at the stadium Monday dealing with finishing touches. ON THAT NOTE . . . Colts to practice in new stadium August 19, 2008 Source: Indy Star Before the Indianapolis Colts can make Lucas Oil their home, they've got to get the routine down. And that will occur Aug. 19. Along with practicing for the first time in Lucas Oil Stadium - its new 63,000-seat, state-of-the-art facility, the team will go through a "dry run'' with its game-day schedule a week from tomorrow. The practice will be closed to the public. The players will take a bus from the team's West 56th Street complex to the downtown hotel they use the night before a game, then address virtually every issue leading up to a kickoff: how to get from the hotel to the stadium, where the players park, the location of the locker room, the location of the wives' waiting area, etc. Minute details? Sure. But important. The Colts should have enough time to acclimate themselves to playing in a new facility before their Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears. They entertain Buffalo Aug. 24 and Cincinnati Aug. 28 in their final two preseason games. "We'll have enough time on the field in two preseason games,'' coach Tony Dungy said after this morning's light workout at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. "But some of those (issues) can be the biggest headaches - 'Where was my wife's elevator and all those kind of things.' "Hopefully we can get a lot of that ironed out." Dungy has taken a tour of Lucas Oil Stadium, and came away impressed. "Phenomenal," he said.
COLTS PLAY
THIER FIRST GAME IN LUCAS OIL STADIUM The Colts will play their first three preseason games on the road, traveling to Detroit and Atlanta before playing their first game at the new Lucas Oil Stadium against Buffalo on August 24. Dates and times for the Detroit and Atlanta games have yet to be determined. The Buffalo game will be televised nationally on NFL Network. It will be the first football game at the Colts' new state-of-the-art home, which replaces the RCA Dome. The Colts wrap up the preseason at home against Cincinnati on Thursday, August 28. Indianapolis then opens the regular season on Sunday night, September 7 at home against the Chicago Bears. 2008 schedule Preseason
Sunday, Aug. 3 – versus Washington in Hall of Fame Game in
Canton, Ohio, 8 p.m. (NBC) Regular Season
Sunday, Sept. 7 – Chicago, 8:15 p.m. (NBC)
2012
Super Bowl bid plans include pregame party, outdoor village! Event: Kenny Chesney & Poets & Pirates Tour 2008 Kenny Chesney - the Poets & Pirates Tour coming to Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, September 13. This is THE concert event of the year featuring the biggest show on the road. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the first concert ever in the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium. Produced by TMG & AEG Live Event: Kenny Chesney & Poets & Pirates Tour 2008 Starring: Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes, Gary Allan & Luke Bryan Date: Saturday, September 13 Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium Prices: $99.50, $79.50, $59.50, $29.50 Public on Sale: Friday, March 28 at 10:00 a.m.
Intro
Fact Sheet
He looked onto a large projection screen. Lucas Oil Stadium, it read . . . A Future of Promise. Lucas applauded. His wife, Charlotte, applauded. His sisters applauded. Colts Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jim Irsay did, too. Just about everyone gathered Wednesday afternoon in the Union Federal Center applauded, and Lucas' family - a tight-knit group that Lucas says is vital to his story - fought tears. And with that, what Lucas - the president and Chief Executive Officer of Lucas Oil Products, Inc. - called the worst secret he'd ever heard was finally and undeniably official: The new Indiana Stadium in downtown Indiana has its name: Lucas Oil Stadium. Lucas Oil has won the naming rights to the new Indiana Stadium in Indianapolis; it was announced at a ceremony at the Union Federal Football Center Wednesday, March 1, 2006. The deal, which is one of the biggest stadium-rights deals in the NFL, came together during the last two or three months The deal is valued at $122 million over 20 years, Lucas confirmed. Beginning with the 2008 season, Lucas Oil Stadium will be the home to the Indianapolis Colts, NCAA men's and women's Final Fours and other major sporting events.
A New Home After more than two decades of playing at the RCA Dome, the Indianapolis Colts will play in one of the NFL's best stadiums in 2008 when Lucas Oil Stadium opens. "We were at risk to lose not only the Colts but NCAA Final Fours and several important conventions and exhibitions if we did not replace the RCA Dome," says John Klipsch, executive director of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority. RCA was completed in 1983 but is considered small and without the amenities that fans desire. It has the smallest seating capacity in the NFL (57,693) and ranks low in the number of corporate suites. They are major revenue generators for NFL teams. The stadium took three years to build, but it took many years of negotiation and difficult deals before the first brick was laid. The announcement came just before kick-off in late 2004 - a deal to keep the Colts here for 30 years. At the heart of it were plans for a 63,000 seat, state-of-the-art, retractable roof stadium. The agreement ended two years of talks and rumors of the team moving to Los Angeles. Proponents sealed the deal by tying the new stadium to a convention center expansion. They also talked of hosting more Final Fours and even the Super Bowl. But Democratic Mayor Bart Peterson tussled with Republican lawmakers over how to pay for it. Peterson proposed expanded gambling. Lawmakers nixed that, ultimately agreeing to a hike in hospitality taxes, including a regional food and beverage tax. Peterson also had to turn over control of the project to the state. The state broke ground in September 2005 with Peyton Manning the surprise attraction. Three months later, the stadium was starting to take shape but it still didn't have a name until March 2006. That's when the Colts announced a $121 million deal to name the stadium Lucas Oil. As the stadium went up, so did the costs for steel, insurance and removing contaminated soil. The initial price tag of $625 million increased to $720 million and doesn't include the Convention Center connector going in or any of the recent storm damage not covered by insurance. Under a tight deadline to open by August 15th, the RCA Dome remains up and game-ready, just in case. The new Lucas Oil Stadium replaces the RCA Dome, which has been home to the Colts since their arrival in Indianapolis in 1984. In addition to the new stadium, the construction project also will significantly expand the downtown convention center.
The Colts will move from the
RCA Dome to Lucas Oil Stadium after the 2007 season and is scheduled
to be open for the Colts 2008 season. Located in downtown Indianapolis, the stadium is positioned off the city street grid, running north-northeast to the south-southwest. This will allow direct views of the city skyline to the north. The stadium is built on a downtown site bounded on the north by South Street, on the east by Capitol Avenue, on the south by McCarty Street and on the west by Missouri Street.
From the outside, the stadium has a facade of brick and glass allowing it to fit in with the surrounding area. The stadium is built with 15,000 tons of steel and 100,000 cubic yards of concrete, measuring up to 1.8 million square feet. That makes Lucas Oil Stadium twice the size of Conseco Fieldhouse. The stadium includes a million square feet of poured decking, 600,000 sq ft of slab on grade and 1.1 million concrete blocks. Lucas Oil Stadium (LOS) is the multi-purpose facility that replaces the former RCA Dome and opens as the new home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts for the 2008 NFL season. Lucas Oil Stadium is a state-of-the-art, 63,000-seat, retractable roof , multi-purpose stadium featuring spectacular views of the Indianapolis skyline. In addition, the stadium has an infill playing surface, 7 locker rooms, exhibit space, meeting rooms, operable north window, dual two-level club lounges, 137 suites, retractable sideline seating, house reduction curtains, two large video boards, ribbon boards, spacious concourses, interior and exterior plaza space, 11 indoor docks, two vehicle ramps to the event level and much, much more. In 2010, Lucas Oil Stadium will be connected to the newly expanded convention center and several hotels and entertainment options by a new pedestrian connector. Lucas Oil Stadium has a three-deck, seven-level stadium which seats 63,000 for football can also be reconfigured to seat 70,000 or more for NCAA basketball, the Super Bowl and concerts. It will cover 1.8 million square feet (over twice the size of Conseco Fieldhouse) and will also host NCAA Final Four and Regional men's and women's basketball games, major conventions, trade shows, IHSAA tournaments, national band competitions, local and national amateur sports events and events such as the annual Indiana Black Expo and Circle City Classic. The seven levels of the stadium include: Event Level Feature locations include field, loading dock, locker rooms (NFL and auxiliary), commissary, pedestrian connector to Indiana Convention Center (to open late 2010), exhibit halls and meeting rooms. The Event Level also includes 8 Field Suites, with over 160 individual seats.
Street Level This is the main level in which you enter the Stadium. Feature locations include Lucas Oil Plaza, East and West Club Lounges, Ticket Office and Colts Pro Shop. The Street Level contains over 26,000 individual seats. Lower Suites The Lower Suite Level contains 77 suites, with over 1,700 individual seats.
Club/Loge Level Feature locations include the upper levels of the East and West Club Lounges. The Club/Loge Level contains approximately 14,600 individual seats. Upper Suites Feature location includes the Quarterback Suite in the South End Zone which has seating for 200. The Upper Suite Level contains 53 suites (including Quarterback Suite), with over 1,000 individual seats.
Terrace Level Feature location includes the The Bud Light Zone, which displays an operable window overlooking the city. The Terrace Level contains approximately 20,500 individual seats. Press Box The Press Box contains game operations booths, radio broadcast, coaches booths, print media, video board production and stadium operations. The Press Box also has seating for up to 200 members of the media. Lucas Oil Stadium is a fully accessible facility. All entrances into the stadium are accessible. Guests may use ramps, elevators and escalators to move between all levels. Accommodations for persons with disabilities include family restrooms, accessible ticket and concession counters, first-come, first-serve designated parking, assisted listening devices and wheelchair availability. Tradeshows can take advantage of an indoor 30,000 square foot loading dock with 11 bays, retractable seating and operable walls to utilize up to 183,000 contiguous square feet of space. Football games can be played indoors or outdoors using the retractable roof and operable north window. The house reduction curtain system covers the entire Terrace Level seating, reducing capacity from 63,000 to approximately 41,000. Basketball and other half-house events have the option of playing in the round for up to 70,000 fans or in a much smaller configuration with a house reduction curtain system unlike any other stadium. Conventions may use the stadium for general sessions in a variety of configurations. The twelve backstage meeting rooms plus the 25,000 square foot Exhibition Hall 1 and 18,000 square foot Exhibition Hall 2 may be utilized for additional convention space. Concerts may be played indoors or outdoors in full stadium or reduced house configurations. Seating configurations range in size from 15,000-65,000. Standing in the plaza area at the north end zone is one of the most dramatic views anyone can obtain at an NFL venue in the country. You come straight in and you see the entire bowl in front of you. One will also note the glass walls. There's so much glass on the exterior so when you walk into the concourse you're still in a light-filled space. Because the stadium will also host NCAA basketball and conventions, it was important to create not just a football stadium, but a civic building of sorts. All four sides are open and you enter from all four sides. So you enter a space shaped intentionally as a major public space rather than a linear concourse. The various plazas and corners are all different, also make Lucas Oil Stadium unique. The design creates a series of eight separate spaces rather than a single race track design you see in most arenas and stadiums, adding that feature makes it hard for fans to "get lost." Then there's the question, why is the stadium built at an angle? Answer: it points to Monument Circle.
FAN FRIENDLY AMENITIES
The Fieldturf playing field will be 25ft below street level, allowing fans easier access to their seats. Many upscale amenities will be found in the stadium which will include 142 corporate suites; wider seats with more legroom than the seats at RCA Dome; seats with backs throughout, about 5,000 greater than the football seating at the RCA Dome, and it will beat its predecessor in numerous other measures, including the distance between rows, seat width and the fact that all seats are theater style . . . No bleachers!
Patrons attending events at the new Lucas Oil Stadium should feel much more comfortable in their new chairs compared to the old ones at the RCA Dome. That's because all the seats in the new stadium will be wider theater-style chairs with arms ranging in width from 20 to 24 inches. RCA Dome seats, including bleachers in some general admission areas, average 19 inches in width. The Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority (ISCBA) approved an $11.3 million contract with Irwin Seating Company to provide 53,266 standard stadium seats measuring 20 inches in width, 6,982 padded club seats that are 21 inches wide and 2,194 upholstered suite chairs with a width of 22 to 24 inches. More than 600 additional seats will be included on a future bid package for a total of 63,000 seats. In addition, the distance between rows at Lucas Oil Stadium will range from 33 to 35 inches compared to only 31 inches at the RCA Dome.
To view a map of the 2008 Season Lucas Oil Stadium seating chart, click here.
The new stadium will have
twice the number of public toilet fixtures - 1,200 toilet fixtures
spread around all seven levels, but there's no word yet on how many
will be designated for each sex. It's suggested an average of one
toilet for every 45 fans. There will be 58 permanent concession
stands where credit cards will be accepted. The simple change of
allowing fans to pay for food with a credit card or debit card could
keep lines shorter and reduce crowds around ATMs in the stadium.
Though the stadium will be game-ready by the start of the 2008
football season, the finishing touches, such as the last concession
stands, are not expected to be complete until February 2009. The new
stadium also includes 14 escalators; 11 passenger elevators; 30-foot-wide
public concourses; four primary plazas with entrances at each; and
two pedestrian ramps. Special features include detailed arch entries,
brickwork, exterior precast concrete and limestone, as well as
structural steel super columns and special steel for the roof.
A ONE OF A KIND
RETRACTABLE ROOF The stadium will feature a 1 of a kind roof that sets the stadium apart from all other arenas, architects say. A retractable roof that will allow the Colts to play outside for the first time since the team moved to Indianapolis from Baltimore. The retractable roof will be the first in the world to open sideline to sideline instead of end zone to end zone. "The first time a blimp is over this stadium for a nationally televised game, the whole country will see a roof and a stadium design here that are unlike any other in the world," said John Hutchings, a partner in Dallas-based HKS. "As soon as they see this stadium from above, they'll know its Indianapolis." Lucas Oil Stadium's roof will be unique. The stadium's retractable roof is incredibly complicated. It took years to design and months to build. It works on the same principle as a pair of automatic garage doors - except that the doors are as big as two football fields and they weigh six million pounds. They keep unwanted weather out and let the Hoosier sun shine in. "Obviously it is not your everyday construction challenge," said project manager Bob May. He continued, "It really comes down to someone pushing a button and it opens and closes." To really appreciate the roof, May says you have to understand its enormity. The retractable roof covers 176,000 feet. That's as large as four acres. The two movable panels are 300 feet wide and 600 feet long together. One more way to envision it - it's large enough for 62 tennis courts or 2,100 parking spaces. The 132 electric motors and computers synchronize the movement of 6 million pounds of metal hidden in the structure. It takes about ten minutes to open or close the roof. The NFL said that opening the roof is a home team decision that will be made at least 90 minutes before kick-off.
If there is rain or snow,
temperatures below 40 degrees, or winds over 40 miles an hour the
room closes automatically.
It is to feature the only retractable roof in the country with two moving panels that will meet in a peak above the center of the stadium. Those same panels will rest above seating on the east and west sides of the stadium when the roof is open. The roof on Lucas Oil Stadium will boast a larger opening -- a 4.5-acre hole to the sky -- than the three other current or future NFL stadiums with retractable roofs, and it will work so efficiently it'll generate power when moving down slope. Controlled by cables wrapped around drums and run by electric motors, the entire roof will open in six minutes on a third less horsepower than an Indy race car packs. Operating parameters NFL rules require teams to decide three hours before game time whether a roof will be open or shut. During the game, referees control any decision to change the position of the roof. Some other considerations:
Also distinct to Lucas Oil will be the large window on the north side of the stadium that will open to provide a view of the Downtown skyline. Facts about the Retractable Roof
NFL rules for roof opening -- home team determines if roof is to be opened or closed 90 minutes before kickoff (except if precipitation is within the vicinity of LOS, temperature is below 40 degrees, or wind gusts are greater than 40 mph, then roof is automatically closed). It remains open unless there are hazardous conditions (lightning, severe winds, precipitation, low temperatures, etc.) Once closed, the roof may not be reopened. For events other than Colts games, operation of the roof and window will be solely at the discretion of Lucas Oil Stadium management. Due to the fact that the football field does not have a drainage system, and plumbing and piping are not insulated in Lucas Oil Stadium like many other outdoor stadiums, the roof should be closed during any inclement weather. If the outdoor temperature is below 42 degrees Fahrenheit, the roof will be closed. Lucas Oil Stadium Club Seats are perfect for fans who want to see all the action from optimal sightlines while enjoying the convenience and luxury of Club Lounges available before, during and after games. Featuring two levels of Club Seating on each side of Lucas Oil Stadium, all Club Seats are located between the 20-yard lines, guaranteeing a great view of the game. Club Seat Amneities and Privileges
CLUB SEAT AGREEMENT To become a Lucas Oil Stadium Club Seat holder you must sign a three or five-year Club Seat Agreement. This is NOT a PSL (personal seat license). The Club Seat Agreement isin place to provide Club Seat holders with long-term pricing guarantees on their seats. By requiring multi-year commitments from our Club Seat holders, we have the flexibility to limit or eliminate Club Seat price increases. If you choose the five-year agreement, your price will not increase for the first three seasons. Once Club Seats are assigned, you will receive a Club Seat Agreement with your Lucas Oil Stadium seat locations. At that time, you can choose between the three and five-year agreement.
*These prices represent the MAXIMUM increase. Club Seat prices will increase between 0-3% annually at the discretion of the Colts or as details in the Club Seat Agreement.
INDY’S HOTTEST CLUBS The four expansive Club Lounges will cover over 62,000 square feet. Escalators will connect the lower and mid-deck Club Lounges on each side of the stadium. The Club Lounges will offer expanded menus with upscale selections. Approximately 100 HD flat screen televisions will provide NFL Sunday Ticket, broadcast and in-stadium programming. Full service bars will offer more options. LUCAS OIL STADIUM SUITES Many suites have been sold. Of 86 suite-holders at the RCA Dome, 81 have signed contracts for Lucas Oil Stadium, which is set to open in 2008.
Lucas Oil Stadium offers 137 luxury suites for lease, including 8 field suites that offer a unique opportunity to see the game up close and personal, as well as 12 super suites. In addition, the Quarterback Suite offers 200 seats for a unique shared suite experience. Suite holders receive Indianapolis Colts season tickets, VIP parking, first option to purchase tickets to most Lucas Oil Stadium public events, and access to private suite level concourses as well as club lounges. All suites are equipped with leather armchairs, bar stools, elegant furnishings, and flat screen televisions complete with NFL Sunday Ticket and game statistics provided via video network. Inside you will also have the ability to select press, public address, radio, television and auxiliary audio feeds. Seating capacities within the various suites range from 8 -72 guests. Restrooms for Suite Level are conveniently located on each level. Delicious food and beverage selections are delivered directly to each suite by Centerplate, exclusive caterer of Lucas Oil Stadium. Located on the upper and lower levels, Luxury Suites offer sideline and end zone viewing. These spacious suites feature a traditional suite environment, with enhanced comfort and convenience. Annual costs run from $40,000 for the smallest mini-suite to as much as $235,000 for one of the premium luxury suites. Schwartzkopf and other designers built the rooms around a blue theme, then focused on what she described as complementary walls and fixtures. They selected seating and furniture for maximum comfort, she said. Greg Hylton, Colts vice president for premium seating and ticket sales, said returning suite-holders will immediately notice the new layout. A back kitchen and island area, a middle lounge area and the front seating area overlooking the field. "The biggest thing is the size. The suites are bigger," he said. Carpeting, furniture and artwork will draw out Colts blue; one of the carpet designs under consideration has Colts horseshoes incorporated into it. "If someone brought you in blindfolded and you opened your eyes, we want you to know you're in a Colts suite," Hylton said. "We want to have a real Colts feel to it." Other amenities include:
Closer look at the Lucas Oil Stadium suites The stadium suites may be the best seats in the house. They are most certainly the most expensive. There are five kinds of suites, some so private that they seat only eight, to one big enough for 200 cheering fans. The quarterback suite will set you back $4,000 per season ticket. Then there are the top dollar super suites at midfield: $235,000 per season. The Colts say they want the suites to convey contemporary luxury. You'll also see lots of blue, even a horseshoe bar in the designs plus flat screen TVs. The Irsay family suit is certainly on a larger scale. While you look at the owner's suite, keep in mind that there were 104 suites at the RCA Dome compared to 140 here. Food and drink are included. All of the suites are spoken for. They are leased through the 2013 season. Here are a few specifics of each suite:
Luxury
Suites Field level Suites
Super Suites Mini
Suites Quarterback Suites Luxury Suites
Super Suites
Mini Suites
|
