OT: Lucas Oil Stadium-a Pacers Digest "first look"

[Roaming Gnome]

I posted these on the Colts side of the forum, but I know that maybe there are some of you that don't venture over there but would be interested in seeing these pics since the stadium project is of interest locally and not just to the Colts fans, so I brought them over here in an OT thread. Hope this is ok with the Admins.

As some of you may know, I'm one of the over 900 men and women that are constructing the new Lucas Oil Stadium in Downtown Indianapolis for the Colts. I wanted to share some of the photos I have taken in the recent weeks to give you a first look and an idea of the size of this place.

Lets start the tour

These images are of the multiple levels in the new stadium. The stadium is comprised of 7 levels, event/field level, street level, lower suites, club level, upper suites, terrace level and pressbox level. Everyone will be closer to the game, including the media due to the press box being suspended over the upper reaches of the terrace seating area.
In this shot, you can see the Colts blue seats being installed.






These are images thru the opening for the large one of a kind sliding glass window that will be motorized with the retracting roof. This window will seperate at the center with panes of the window retracting to the sides. You may also notice that the seat brackets are installed around a Colts horse shoe. Unlike Conseco, there will be no doubt who's home this belongs to.






Again, there's no doubt who plays their home games here!!!


Here are the views you will have when you walk up to this window. This window ledge will be part of the terrace concourse. You will be able to stand up here and see the downtown skyline.





Out with the old, in with new Lucas Oil Stadium.


In these shots, here's the structural steel grid that will hold the stadiums two scoreboards. The new high-definition scoreboards in Lucas Oil Stadium (rendering below) will be five times larger and will have resolution nearly twice as good as those in the RCA Dome. Each board will be 97 feet wide by nearly 53 feet high. Three screens and a stadium nameplate will form each scoreboard.






Here is one of the scoreboards, courtousy of the Indianapolis Star.


Here is a shot of the field from the seats in "club level". The box truck below should give you an idea of the height from club to the field below. The picture was taken from the south endzone facing the north endzone. The windows that are under the deck across the field are not windows at all, but the actual doors into the stadium on South Street. Yes, that means that the playing surface does sit 35 feet below ground. The lower bowl seating area has not been completed yet, that is why there is so much space on the ground.


These are shots of the structural "Super Beams" that holds the roof and makes this stadium truely unique. There are 2 of these steel monsters that support the tremendous weight of the moving roof.




Here is a shot of the retractable roof that is being constructed. Indy will not have the first retractable but we will have the most unique one with the roof opening from the center to both sides. Somebody is going to win an award for this stadium. This is not a cookie cutter at all!


Here 3 pics of the extra wide concourses that will give everyone tons of room to move around the stadium. Yes, who ever designed this stadium loves windows because there are lots of places to see the outside world.






Here are the seating decks that are above the south endzone (side that faces I-70). The areas with the tanish/brown walls are actually the suites. Right now, since it is winter, the suites have been boarded up to allow workers to do their work out of the elements and the cold. The top level of suites here is going to be the quaterback club. I will explain more on this later. This end of the stadium will be finished with windows in all those panes behind the upper deck of seating here.


The quarter back club is going to be a suite that overlooks the field from the south endzone. This area will have seats, but also will have full size billiard tables, Many large screen TV's that will have all the games on and a large bar that will match the Colts Horseshoe that is built into the ceiling in this pic. As I said earlier...No doubt who plays here!





This is the retractable opening in the roof.




A world class stadium that will frame a world class city.




This will be one of the FOUR grand entry pavilions. This is the entry on the Misouri Street side. This pic was taken from the corridor that is for lower suites. The suite corridors overlook the main corridors in this stadium.


There are escalators all over this stadium. Last time I counted, I thought there were at least 16. Skip those stairs unless you want the exercise!


No sitting down on the job! Looks like you will be the first to test these seats out!

Cost: $675 Million Dollars

I will have more pics later on in the project and they will be right here on the digest.

[LoneGranger33]

Hey man, thanks for the pics and keep up the good work. The place looks massive.

I see there are plenty of high ledges for us Pacer fans to jump off too. These builders must really know the area.

[aero]

That place is a work of art awesome pictures. I cant wait to mortgage my house to see a game in there one day lol

[Erik]

I love how they are going with all of the windows and the "open" feeling. The only thing that I don't care for is when the field is half sunny and half shady during a game, I guess we'll get used to it. Thanks for the cool pictures.

[Wu-Gambino]

Yeah, the size of the stadium is truly mind-boggling. It absolutely dwarfs the RCA Dome.

Awesome pics, thanks for sharing!

[marcus]

Great pics, Gnome. As you know I'm working there as well. I ve been there for a full year now and I'm still in awe of how massive that place is. I find myself gawking alot. It sure is a sight to see and something that this city and state will be very proud of when completed.

[benjaminooo]

Sweet pictures.

Escalators aren't a ride.

[Naptown_Seth]

Living d'town I pass this every day since big ditch and Mt. whatever it was called. The stone work outside is amazing, the windows, it's really impressive in every way.

What I want to know is how you got all those photos with the simulated crowd post-Manning retirement.

Sad but probably true. Maybe fans will start to realize than win or lose going to a game is about the community coming together for a day of fun. There is no good reason for a place like this not to be packed 10+ times a year. Then again I could say the same about the Fieldhouse.


I have a couple of photos my buddy got pre-main supports going up. I'll look into posting those now.

edit:
Here's a shot from the floor. He circled where he took the 2nd photo from (look at those stairs, yikes). Big is the word that comes to mind obviously.

[jeffg-body]

Awesome pics. I can't wait to see it next year.
:spid ey: