i agree but it was a huge battle between the city and them

Then how did they win? Maybe if the judge should have taken a walk around the building, then he would have made a different decision. And, if that was a battle, then I would hate to see the battle between the city and the companies on the west side of West St.

By the way, here is a couple cool links on the stadium:

http://www.midwestmodel.com/athletic_coltsstadium.htm

http://www.midwestmodel.com/athletic_coltsstadium.htm

http://www.midwestmodel.com/3d_rp_arch_lucas.htm

Notice that the "LOS" is still on the top of the stadium.

which structure is the bean factory???
and i really love that picture, it really shows the grittyness of Indianapolis.

which structure is the bean factory???
and i really love that picture, it really shows the grittyness of Indianapolis.

The building on the South side of the parking lot if the pic is the Bean Co. It needs to be demolished.

The building on the South side of the parking lot if the pic is the Bean Co. It needs to be demolished.

that cool brick building? I love that building(or atleast the gritty facade)
hell, knock down the rest, but keep the facade! Thats a cool looking facade.
Maybe they could incorporate the facade of it(or the intact section) into a sort of condo project or something, that would be rather interesting.

that cool brick building? I love that building(or atleast the gritty facade)
hell, knock down the rest, but keep the facade! Thats a cool looking facade.
Maybe they could incorporate the facade of it(or the intact section) into a sort of condo project or something, that would be rather interesting.

You are talking about the Bean building on McCarty St, the one with all the trailers around it, right? Have you actually been close to it, been on the actual grounds? The building is a mess. It looks so poor. I really don't know why this city doesn't do something to the owner of these run down building. Its an embarassment. I guess since nothing ever major has gone up south of South St, the city has never cared about its looks. McCarty and Kentucky is even worse. Actually, from Kentucky and the 70 overpass, everything east is a run down need of help project.

You are talking about the Bean building on McCarty St, the one with all the trailers around it, right? Have you actually been close to it, been on the actual grounds? The building is a mess. It looks so poor. I really don't know why this city doesn't do something to the owner of these run down building. Its an embarassment. I guess since nothing ever major has gone up south of South St, the city has never cared about its looks. McCarty and Kentucky is even worse. Actually, from Kentucky and the 70 overpass, everything east is a run down need of help project.

The building facade is nice, but the site around it is a mess.. However, some of the bean factory land has been acquired by the city, so it isn't as bad as it looks right now.

Besides, I'd rather have that factory than a lifeless parking lot...

I was in St. Joseph Michigan last night, and alot of the old wholesale type buildings are being or are converted into condos. There was a box factory, that appeared to be an art gallery-condo building now. In many ways I would want new apartments-condos, especially with height, however I love the old being redone.

You are talking about the Bean building on McCarty St, the one with all the trailers around it, right? Have you actually been close to it, been on the actual grounds? The building is a mess. It looks so poor. I really don't know why this city doesn't do something to the owner of these run down building. Its an embarassment. I guess since nothing ever major has gone up south of South St, the city has never cared about its looks. McCarty and Kentucky is even worse. Actually, from Kentucky and the 70 overpass, everything east is a run down need of help project.

it is rundown, and looks like shit.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut hehe
as cliche as it sounds of me, there are many things about it that give a sort of old industrial feel that I love.
But, I highly doubt its structually worthe the heavy duty work.

The building facade is nice, but the site around it is a mess.. However, some of the bean factory land has been acquired by the city, so it isn't as bad as it looks right now.

Besides, I'd rather have that factory than a lifeless parking lot...

yeah,
I would rather see that, than a parking lot or pullbarn factory,
the building should be knocked down, but it would be cool if the facade could be kept for like a project or public art.

that bean company will cost the state 15 million because they promised the colts so many parking spaces near LOS

An update on the stadium construction progress from the IndyStar:




Some 850 people are now working at Lucas Oil Stadium.


Crews completed $20.6 million worth of construction in June alone. That includes the cost of materials, manpower, equipment and other expenses.
Some of the most visible progress has been made on the roof.

Earlier this month, contractors completed construction of the first of five massive steel trusses that run east to west and will support the retractable roof panels.

The final pieces of another east-west truss are scheduled to be raised by cranes and bolted into place on Friday or Saturday. The pieces are 30 to 40 feet tall and took two to three weeks to assemble on the field.

It will take roughly until the end of the year for all five beams to be completed, said Scott Blanchard, contract manager for Hunt Construction Group, which is managing the stadium project. At that point, cranes will be removed from the field area.

The retractable roof panels will begin going in sometime in the new year, and the roof won’t be fully operable until early next summer.

While lots of other work is going on inside and outside the stadium, the roof work is really driving the schedule now, Blanchard said.

“That’s got to get done, otherwise the rest of the work can’t get done,” Blanchard said. “It also dictates where others can work because of the overhead danger.”

Will the RCA Dome be imploded or just get dismantled once the stadium is completed?

Will the RCA Dome be imploded or just get dismantled once the stadium is completed?

The convention center will be expanded onto the site that currently houses the Dome. This will nearly double our CC's capacity. The Dome is to be demo'd (by what means is still not decided) next summer.

^^ When you guys find out something, would you mind keeping the rest of us posted? I'd like to see that on tv.

I keep having this vision of a popular band playing on the parting deck on opening nite of a certain season. I'm watching (of course on HD) the view from the Southside seats pointing toward the party deck with the windows open and the summer city skyline behind them. The place is rockin. The sun is setting on a perfect summer nite with a pink and orange sunset. The guys on tv keep talking about what an awesome stadium the Colts and Indianapolis have, while the camera keeps switching from the blimps aerial views looking through the retractable roof and the Southside cams looking around the stadium towards the North and out the huge retractable windows. I also see a couple of angels from outside on the Northside looking into the the windows and seeing everyone in their seats and some kind of dancing on the field. I don't know which season it is, but I do know it is after another SB win. Hopefully next year.

The convention center will be expanded onto the site that currently houses the Dome. This will nearly double our CC's capacity. The Dome is to be demo'd (by what means is still not decided) next summer.

I thought that the convention center expansion and such will start after the season. What are the timetables for all these to be finished? New dome by opening day 2008-2009 season, then how about hotel, convention center? Thanks

I thought that the convention center expansion and such will start after the season. What are the timetables for all these to be finished? New dome by opening day 2008-2009 season, then how about hotel, convention center? Thanks

The RCA dome will come down immediately following next year rookies combine. Then construction will start on the CC with completion done and opening in 2010. As for the J.W. Marriott hotel going in, they are suppose to start breaking ground sometime early this fall and completion within 2 or 3 years. But now that we are not getting the SB in 2011, they might not start on it until next year or later. I have no link on the Marriott, this is just my own opinion.

well, we will still be hosting the Final Four in 2010, so it is supposed to be built in time for that (the JW)

does anyone if LOS could host World Cup soccer games i thought it would have been awsome if indy could get worldcup and USGP on the same day but the chances of that now are slim:(

does anyone if LOS could host World Cup soccer games i thought it would have been awsome if indy could get worldcup and USGP on the same day but the chances of that now are slim:(

YES and YES! The Indiana Sports Corporation is currently trying to get seom early rounds for the next World Cup.

^^^^thanks

well, we will still be hosting the Final Four in 2010, so it is supposed to be built in time for that (the JW)

These projects seem as though they will be late, in time for whatever event they will be wanted for. Then again, the Luke was quickly started, I believe whether the JW, Convention Center, or whatever is wanted on time the city will get things in gear. However, I would not want to be in a hotel, that is not done all the way, and you have to walk around workers, or the service does not have its kinks worked out! I was at the Riviera in Vegas several years ago, and they were upgrading parts of the old place, which was ok for its age, however a new place that has alot of time to have its politics worked out, start to finish...:ohno:

You know, I'm looking at what will be the retractable window, and it sure doesn't look like it will be 84 ft high and 214 ft long. Isn't a floor in a building like 10-12 ft high? I'm probable wrong, but won't that put the window around 7-8 floors high and 15-21 floors wide? Maybe it is just me, but the opening doesn't look like its going to be that wide. Any answers on this?

As of this morning, it looks like they are either starting on the retractable window frame or maybe one of the actual windows. Anyhow, it looks pretty long.

http://www.oxblue.com/client/indianastadium/

The suburban pieces of shit are starting to rise (far right in link) ^^^^

You know, I'm looking at what will be the retractable window, and it sure doesn't look like it will be 84 ft high and 214 ft long. Isn't a floor in a building like 10-12 ft high? I'm probable wrong, but won't that put the window around 7-8 floors high and 15-21 floors wide? Maybe it is just me, but the opening doesn't look like its going to be that wide. Any answers on this?

The thing is close to 300 foot tall. I think it's among the top ten tallest stadiums in the world.

Thing is, looking at it, and walking right next to it, it sure doesn't look as big as it actually is... I've been to the Grand Canyon, and it sure doesn't seem like I'm looking 6 miles essentially straight down, but I am.

I think with structures this size, our perception is thrown out of whack. I have no trouble believing that it's actually that size, but it sure doesn't seem like it up close. Our minds can't completely comprehend it.

The thing is close to 300 foot tall. I think it's among the top ten tallest stadiums in the world.

Thing is, looking at it, and walking right next to it, it sure doesn't look as big as it actually is... I've been to the Grand Canyon, and it sure doesn't seem like I'm looking 6 miles essentially straight down, but I am.

I think with structures this size, our perception is thrown out of whack. I have no trouble believing that it's actually that size, but it sure doesn't seem like it up close. Our minds can't completely comprehend it.
Drove by on I-70 and that thing is absolutely MASSIVE.

Drove by on I-70 and that thing is absolutely MASSIVE.

It is frigging huge! It keeps getting bigger everyday, I swear. And they've still got quite a bit of mass to add yet.

I think it's finally setting in that this is going to be a permanent (well, as permanent as a downtown stadium can be) fixture in the skyline.

Moochie: The Grand Canyon is a little over 1 mile deep - not six miles deep. Six miles would be about 31,000 feet which is taller than Mt. Everest.

http://oxblue.com/archive/8252a53cdf135347c0dd1d16228b6ff2/1024x768.jpg

Moochie: The Grand Canyon is a little over 1 mile deep - not six miles deep. Six miles would be about 31,000 feet which is taller than Mt. Everest.

I know that, but when you look over the edge, you see the Colorado river, and it's 6 miles away from the edge, but it appears like it's practically right below you. I suppose I could have been clearer.

Well, today was a pretty exciting day for me. I actually got to go inside the bowl to do a pour. Somethings I saw before I got inside the bowl:

1. South parking lot is starting. They are already starting to put asphalt down, and light posts. BTW, I didn't know this, but all the light posts in the parking area will have speakers on them for all the tailgators.

2. Lights on the side of the building are starting to go up. They are small spotlights pointing up alongside of the stadium. And other lights around the doors.

Okay, now what the stadium looks like inside. It was so cool driving down that ramp into the bowl. You cut right thru the inners of the stadium. Then you come into the bowl area. I really don't know how to discribe it, but "WOW!!!!" It is so huge inside. I sat there for about 45 mins (before I poured) in awe. I asked one of the ground managers about the 3 other trusses. He said they were not putting them together right now. But instead were starting on the smaller trusses where the roof will sit on. They had 3 of them done (one of them they were putting in place), and were putting the finishing touches on the other 2. Five altogether. I'm guessing they want to at least get half of them done before starting back up on the bigger trusses. They then moved me to the west side, because more and more trucks were coming in with steel. I pulled up about forty feet from the wall (the highest part of the lower deck). As I sat there, I was looking up to the press box and it looked like it was right above me. Thats how steep the seating is. I couldn't even see any of the seating from the second deck on up. I also saw that they have one of the two frames up for the replay tvs. Let me just say, it was bigger than my house. I'm guessing 3 or 4 times bigger than the one in the RCA dome. One thing I did notice is that there is a whole lot of construction left inside that bowl. I don't think any of the suites are even half way done, but I could be wrong. I still can't believe how massive it was to be in their. IMO, when done, I think the Luke will be one, if not the best stadium in the country. The design is nothing like you will ever see in your life. I have been in Hinkle and Conseco, and to me, both of them don't even come close to how beautiful this stadium will be. It is just amazing what man can do.

Well, I just wanted to share with you all on what I saw today. I'll try to keep you guys informed on what they are doing.

Wow, thanks for the update and descriptions of the inside. Can't wait until I get a chance to go inside!

Thanks for the first hand account.

Is the project still on schedule? It is a bit disconcerting to hear that so little progress has been made on the innards of the satdium.

Is the project still on schedule? It is a bit disconcerting to hear that so little progress has been made on the innards of the satdium.

Yes, the stadium is still on schedule. I guess you may have read way between the lines. You do know that there is still a year left on construction. I didn't say I got of my truck and walked around. When I said "Still alot of work to be done", I meant the roof still needs to go up, the SE corner still need to go up, the seating still has to go in, glass has to be put up in the suites, and so on. And if you meant "innards" as the halls, stairs, bathrooms, and consession stands, then I have no idea. But seeing everyone running around and working, then I am sure that they are right on schedule for the opening.

Yes, the stadium is still on schedule. I guess you may have read way between the lines. You do know that there is still a year left on construction. I didn't say I got of my truck and walked around. When I said "Still alot of work to be done", I meant the roof still needs to go up, the SE corner still need to go up, the seating still has to go in, glass has to be put up in the suites, and so on. And if you meant "innards" as the halls, stairs, bathrooms, and consession stands, then I have no idea. But seeing everyone running around and working, then I am sure that they are right on schedule for the opening.

The first event at LOS is slated to occur in early summer 2008, so the construction crews have about 10 months to substantially finish the stadium.

The RCA Dome is going to be torn down in less than a year so LOS is going to have to be ready.

The first event at LOS is slated to occur in early summer 2008, so the construction crews have about 10 months to substantially finish the stadium.

The RCA Dome is going to be torn down in less than a year so LOS is going to have to be ready.

Are you sure? I thought that the Colts' home opener was the first even in September 2008

Are you sure? I thought that the Colts' home opener was the first even in September 2008

Before the Colts even get in the stadium, The nationals for the Drum and Bugle Corps will be held in it. Should be sometime in the summer of 2008. They have signed a contract with the city and stadium to move their headquarters to Indy and have the nationals play in the LOS for the next 18 years.

Before the Colts even get in the stadium, The nationals for the Drum and Bugle Corps will be held in it. Should be sometime in the summer of 2008. They have signed a contract with the city and stadium to move their headquarters to Indy and have the nationals play in the LOS for the next 18 years.
You've got that about 90% correct -- it's Drum Corp International (DCI) and the contract runs through 2018 (not the next 18 years).

Looks like they are starting on the retractable window frame. Getting closer!!!

From August 8th, 2007 Indianapolis Star:

Lucas Oil Stadium Model at Fair
Star Report

Lucas Oil Stadium is more than a year from opening, but Hoosiers who want a sneak peak at the Colts' new home can visit a model at the Indiana State Fair.

For the second year in a row, the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority will have a precisely engineered replica of the new stadium on display at the fair. Visitors can also check out renderings of the planned convention center expansion, which will be built once the RCA Dome is knocked down.

When the expansion is complete in 2010, the Indiana Convention Center will have a total of 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space, making it the 16th largest convention center in the country.

The stadium and convention center projects have a combined budget of $990 million and are being paid for primarily through restaurant taxes in Marion County and surrounding counties, and hotel and car-rental taxes in Marion County.

The stadium and convention center exhibit will be housed in Booth No. 436 in the center of the Toyota Exposition Hall, near the open area that features Indiana-made cars and trucks. The booth will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays

The metal piping is going in at the NW corner!

It is just amazing what man can do.

Women can do it too. ;)

Women can do it too. ;)

yah, what are you saying aavmarine,
are women incapable of doing so?
I am like, offended. JERK. :lol:

The metal piping is going in at the NW corner!

Those are the air ducts or vents. When I did a pour last week, I pulled right up next to them. They don't look that big from the cam, but when you get right up next to them, they are huge. They have to be a least ten feet wide or larger, Big enough to fit a SUV into.

yah, what are you saying aavmarine,
are women incapable of doing so?
I am like, offended. JERK. :lol:


I think you guys know what I meant. That is called sarcasm, right? I actually saw some women down their. They were walking around, but they did have a hard hat on, vest, and even a tool belt.

Those are the air ducts or vents. When I did a pour last week, I pulled right up next to them. They don't look that big from the cam, but when you get right up next to them, they are huge. They have to be a least ten feet wide or larger, Big enough to fit a SUV into.




I think you guys know what I meant. That is called sarcasm, right? I actually saw some women down their. They were walking around, but they did have a hard hat on, vest, and even a tool belt.

of course I'm being sarcastic lol.
I'm not some nazi femanist XD
yah, I noticed that. But whenever I see them, they arent ever doing hard work like the male workers are.

of course I'm being sarcastic lol.
I'm not some nazi femanist XD
yah, I noticed that. But whenever I see them, they arent ever doing hard work like the male workers are.

Yes, I know, I was just playing your game. ha,ha.. I found a little article on another forum, so don't yell at me if this has already been posted on here. I thought this was pretty cool. It talks about tayloring to the blue and white collar fans. I wouldn't mind having a season pass to the Quarterbacks suites. They sound like they are going to be a blast.
I also remember reading in some magazine a while back, "That in the not so future, ticket holder seats will have a small (8-10 in) hi def touch screen tv, where the fan can interact with the NFL. They will be able to watch their game or catch other NFL games. Watch instant replays of a play that just happened, bring up the history or stats of a player or game, and even order drinks and food to be delivered to them." That would be cool if our stadium was the first to have this. Here is the article:


What's in it for the fans?
A wider seat, more legroom and Wi-Fi for all. Those who pay more also will get fireplaces, beer tubs and pool tables.

Whether you're a Colts fan paying top dollar for a fancy suite, or a blue-collar backer who can only afford the cheap seats, there's something in the new Indiana Stadium for you.

Fireplaces in club lounges. Pool tables in the quarterback suites. Wireless Internet access throughout. A little more room in the seat.

The nearly 500-page stadium plan released Monday details how nearly every inch of the new building will look and be used -- from the size of potted plants to the width of the seats.

Though officials are three years away from installing the last seat, here's what fans can expect in the new facility, depending on how much you're willing to pay. Prices, however, haven't been set.

The cheap seats

Forget those metal, stadium bleacher seats found in the RCA Dome. The new stadium will have all real seats with backs, small armrests and cup holders. The seat width will grow by approximately 1 inch, to 20 inches. The legroom grows, too, from about 31 inches now to 33 inches.

Colts-themed trash cans will be sprinkled throughout the concourses, as will lifesaving defibrillators, ATMs and approximately one concession stand for every 175 patrons. The concession stands will have a 1920s and 1930s retro theme. Those who venture outside their seats won't miss the action either, as televisions will line the concourses.

Bathroom facilities will be plentiful. There will be an average of one toilet for every 200 men and one urinal for every 80. There will be an average of one toilet for every 50 women. Toilets will automatically flush, and hand washers will use paper towels, not dryers.

Clubbing it

Those who want to pay more for roomier, cushier club seats will get an extra inch of seat space -- or about 21 inches. Legroom also grows, to at least 35 inches. Seat bottoms will be extra plush and padded.

Club patrons will have access to approximately 72,700 total square feet of lounge space, or upscale, private bar and dining areas.

There, they will find dozens of high-definition television sets sprinkled throughout, along with 10- and 30-gallon potted plants and four fireplaces.

The bathroom ratios get better for men here, where there will be an average of one urinal for every 60 men. In the restrooms, patrons will be able to keep track of the game through a sound system tied into the stadium audio.

Club seat fans also are likely to have shorter lines at the concession stands. There will be approximately one point-of-sale for every 125 patrons.

The suite life

There are at least 14 different types of suites, or luxury boxes.

Fans who can afford this luxury will get theater-style seats, at least 22 inches wide and 36 inches of legroom with either leather or premium-grade upholstery. There will be a refrigerator, icebox, built-in beer tub and granite countertops.

The suites will have interactive touch-screen computers with special software where fans can interact with replays, game stats and rules. Flat-screen HDTVs will not only be in the suites, but outside them as well so fans don't miss any action.

No detail is too small. Coat closets will even have upscale hangers.

Bathroom lines will be even shorter. There's an average of one toilet and urinal for every 32 men, and one toilet for every 16 women.

For fans in any of the 10 quarterback suites, there will pool tables and servers who can take individual food orders.

Tailgaters

A parking lot with 3,000 spaces will provide tailgating space before and after events. Speakers will hang off the light poles, which also will provide electricity for RVs. About 200 of those spaces will be reserved for coaches and players.

Coach and players

Players get a locker room with 90 lockers, three grease boards, 24 showers and a drying area for 15 players at a time. The coach (now Tony Dungy, left) gets his own office, restroom and refrigerator. The coach and players' families get lounges.

http://oxblue.com/archive/8252a53cdf135347c0dd1d16228b6ff2/1024x768.jpg

My God this thing is going to be huge. Just look at the roof!

My God this thing is going to be huge. Just look at the roof!
Coming back to downtown from picking up my wife from the airport on Sunday, I noticed that one of the best views of the stadium in relation to downtown is between the Holt Rd. exit and the bridge over Tibbs Ave. The stadium is really massive and impressive the closer you to downtown, but I think that the view from a distance really puts things in perspective. In particular, it shows you how far the stadium is from the core of buildings downtown.

My God this thing is going to be huge. Just look at the roof!

I height, I wonder how high it will be compared to other large sports stadiums around the world?

I height, I wonder how high it will be compared to other large sports stadiums around the world?

I know that at its originally planned 295' it was to be in the top ten. I think it's down to 275' now though, so I couldn't tell you where it is in the standings.

Somehow I knew they'd have the front framework finished in time for MNF...

Read this article today, thought it was interesting:

Inside the RCA Dome, workers have been testing the public-address system, fixing broken seats and painting goal posts for tonight's preseason matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears.

August 2007: About 850 people are working on the stadium site each day, and much of their focus is on the retractable roof. Two of the five steel roof trusses that form the peak are in place. - CHARLIE NYE / The Star

Across the street, crews are busy preparing for a different season kickoff -- one that is almost exactly a year away.
Lucas Oil Stadium, the $700 million or so goliath rising just south of the RCA Dome, must be ready in time for the 2008 NFL season. The league won't set a game schedule for some time, so the state authority that is building the arena has given itself until Aug. 15, 2008, to make the stadium game-ready.
Between now and then, the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority also must solve a parking problem that has left the stadium 1,000 spaces short.
"It's an aggressive schedule everyone will work hard to meet," said John Klipsch, executive director of the building authority. "The start-up of a building of this magnitude is a monumental task. It will take a lot of people . . . burning the midnight oil."
Here's what lies ahead.
First, the roof

About 850 people are working on the stadium site each day, and much of their focus is on the roof. Two of the five steel trusses that form the peak of the roof are in place, and structural steel should be finished by the end of the year.
Retractable panels on the west side of the stadium should be operational in February. Those on the east side are expected to move for the first time in April, and the roof will be complete next summer.
The large window in the north end zone that will open to reveal a view of Downtown will be installed in late spring or early summer. Field turf will go in next summer.
Klipsch said things will get particularly intense in the final months, when construction workers will be finishing up and employees from the RCA Dome will need broad access to the stadium to learn how to use the new equipment and systems.
Dome demolition

The opening of Lucas Oil Stadium will mean the end of the RCA Dome, which will be razed to make way for an expansion of the Indiana Convention Center.
Officials overseeing the stadium and Convention Center projects hope to start taking the Dome down in April.
Before that can happen, the Colts must sign off. Pete Ward, the team's senior executive vice president, said it is too early to say whether the team will approve the envisioned timeline.
"Obviously, everyone needs to be certain that the new stadium will be ready for us before we leave the Dome," he said.
Exactly how the RCA Dome will come down is still being decided. The operation is somewhat tricky because the Dome is connected to the Convention Center, and the buildings share some utilities.
Bill Browne, president of Indianapolis-based RATIO Architects, the lead design firm on the Convention Center project, said construction managers are considering an implosion or a more conventional demolition approach that would entail removing the building in chunks.
"The implosion tends to be more spectacular, but no one is looking for that as part of this project," Browne said. "We're looking to make sure we do it properly."
Safety will be the deciding factor, Klipsch said.
In either case, it likely will take about four months to clear the site, Browne said.
Big parking problem

Under the terms of the deal with the Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium must have 3,000 parking spaces. So far, the building authority has room for 2,000, and nearby property is either too expensive or has already been gobbled up.
Building authority officials have been working for months to figure out a solution but don't have an answer.
The board considered building a parking garage, but that would cost $25 million to $30 million and is no longer a preferred option.
Klipsch wouldn't say what idea is now favored, citing continuing negotiations, but said "everything is on the table."
Among the possible solutions: putting a lot farther from the stadium, leasing spaces from an existing garage on game days or entering a public-private partnership with a developer.
Any of those ideas would need approval from the Colts, because the team's lease requires the parking spaces be in surface lots on or adjacent to stadium land.
Ward, the Colts executive, said the team is waiting to see what is presented and is "keeping an open mind."
The stadium's price tag, once $675 million, is now pegged at $695.2 million to $719.6 million -- because of higher-than-expected costs for steel, soil cleanup and insurance, and because the state paid the Colts a $48 million lease-termination fee. The new bottom line doesn't include whatever it takes to fix the parking problem.
The building authority still hasn't figured out where the extra money will come from, but Klipsch pledged that taxpayers won't be asked to chip in more.
"There will be no more tax money needed to finish this project," he said.
A need for more money

The city also is facing financial issues relating to the new stadium.
The Capital Improvement Board has estimated that the new venue eventually will cost at least $10 million more a year to run than the RCA Dome, primarily because it is bigger and will require more to heat, cool, clean, staff, maintain, insure and generally operate.
The board won't have a firm grasp on the extra costs until it has a full year of operations under its belt.
Today, a year before the new stadium opens, the city still doesn't know where the money will come from in future years.
Fred Glass, the head of the Capital Improvement Board, said the issue won't prevent the stadium from opening on time or cause a problem the first year.
The board won't take over the stadium until sometime around August, and there shouldn't be any maintenance costs at first. As a result, the board expects the new stadium to add $2 million to $4 million to its 2008 budget, and that money is expected to come from the board's reserves, Glass said.
The Capital Improvement Board also should have enough in its reserves to cover the extra operating costs for 2009 and possibly longer, though eventually it would run out of money, Glass said.
The city wanted to pay for increased operating costs with money left over after construction loans are paid, but lawmakers who approved the stadium financing package instead ordered that excess cash be used to pay down debt early. The stadium is primarily being funded by restaurant, hotel and car-rental taxes in Marion County, and restaurant taxes in surrounding counties.
Glass expects to bring the issue to the General Assembly in 2009 -- the next time the legislature takes up the state budget. He declined to say exactly what solution he would push for but said he hopes the problem can be solved without new taxes.
"My belief and hope is that we can sit down and sort out some things that can make this work in a way that everybody's comfortable with," Glass said.
Whether the state is inclined to listen is unclear.
State Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, the author of the stadium financing legislation, said he has not had any conversations with representatives of the Capital Improvement Board.
"It has to start with the CIB," he said.

Coming back to downtown from picking up my wife from the airport on Sunday, I noticed that one of the best views of the stadium in relation to downtown is between the Holt Rd. exit and the bridge over Tibbs Ave. The stadium is really massive and impressive the closer you to downtown, but I think that the view from a distance really puts things in perspective. In particular, it shows you how far the stadium is from the core of buildings downtown.

I think it would be a great idea for someone to post some of these more distant pictures which show the stadium's impact and relation to the downtown skyline. I have a hard time visualizing how this looks in relation to the rest of the skyline now that I don't live nearby anymore.

Read this article today, thought it was interesting:

Inside the RCA Dome, workers have been testing the public-address system, fixing broken seats and painting goal posts for tonight's preseason matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears.

August 2007: About 850 people are working on the stadium site each day, and much of their focus is on the retractable roof. Two of the five steel roof trusses that form the peak are in place. - CHARLIE NYE / The Star

Across the street, crews are busy preparing for a different season kickoff -- one that is almost exactly a year away.
Lucas Oil Stadium, the $700 million or so goliath rising just south of the RCA Dome, must be ready in time for the 2008 NFL season. The league won't set a game schedule for some time, so the state authority that is building the arena has given itself until Aug. 15, 2008, to make the stadium game-ready.
Between now and then, the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority also must solve a parking problem that has left the stadium 1,000 spaces short.
"It's an aggressive schedule everyone will work hard to meet," said John Klipsch, executive director of the building authority. "The start-up of a building of this magnitude is a monumental task. It will take a lot of people . . . burning the midnight oil."
Here's what lies ahead.
First, the roof

About 850 people are working on the stadium site each day, and much of their focus is on the roof. Two of the five steel trusses that form the peak of the roof are in place, and structural steel should be finished by the end of the year.
Retractable panels on the west side of the stadium should be operational in February. Those on the east side are expected to move for the first time in April, and the roof will be complete next summer.
The large window in the north end zone that will open to reveal a view of Downtown will be installed in late spring or early summer. Field turf will go in next summer.
Klipsch said things will get particularly intense in the final months, when construction workers will be finishing up and employees from the RCA Dome will need broad access to the stadium to learn how to use the new equipment and systems.
Dome demolition

The opening of Lucas Oil Stadium will mean the end of the RCA Dome, which will be razed to make way for an expansion of the Indiana Convention Center.
Officials overseeing the stadium and Convention Center projects hope to start taking the Dome down in April.
Before that can happen, the Colts must sign off. Pete Ward, the team's senior executive vice president, said it is too early to say whether the team will approve the envisioned timeline.
"Obviously, everyone needs to be certain that the new stadium will be ready for us before we leave the Dome," he said.
Exactly how the RCA Dome will come down is still being decided. The operation is somewhat tricky because the Dome is connected to the Convention Center, and the buildings share some utilities.
Bill Browne, president of Indianapolis-based RATIO Architects, the lead design firm on the Convention Center project, said construction managers are considering an implosion or a more conventional demolition approach that would entail removing the building in chunks.
"The implosion tends to be more spectacular, but no one is looking for that as part of this project," Browne said. "We're looking to make sure we do it properly."
Safety will be the deciding factor, Klipsch said.
In either case, it likely will take about four months to clear the site, Browne said.
Big parking problem

Under the terms of the deal with the Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium must have 3,000 parking spaces. So far, the building authority has room for 2,000, and nearby property is either too expensive or has already been gobbled up.
Building authority officials have been working for months to figure out a solution but don't have an answer.
The board considered building a parking garage, but that would cost $25 million to $30 million and is no longer a preferred option.
Klipsch wouldn't say what idea is now favored, citing continuing negotiations, but said "everything is on the table."
Among the possible solutions: putting a lot farther from the stadium, leasing spaces from an existing garage on game days or entering a public-private partnership with a developer.
Any of those ideas would need approval from the Colts, because the team's lease requires the parking spaces be in surface lots on or adjacent to stadium land.
Ward, the Colts executive, said the team is waiting to see what is presented and is "keeping an open mind."
The stadium's price tag, once $675 million, is now pegged at $695.2 million to $719.6 million -- because of higher-than-expected costs for steel, soil cleanup and insurance, and because the state paid the Colts a $48 million lease-termination fee. The new bottom line doesn't include whatever it takes to fix the parking problem.
The building authority still hasn't figured out where the extra money will come from, but Klipsch pledged that taxpayers won't be asked to chip in more.
"There will be no more tax money needed to finish this project," he said.
A need for more money

The city also is facing financial issues relating to the new stadium.
The Capital Improvement Board has estimated that the new venue eventually will cost at least $10 million more a year to run than the RCA Dome, primarily because it is bigger and will require more to heat, cool, clean, staff, maintain, insure and generally operate.
The board won't have a firm grasp on the extra costs until it has a full year of operations under its belt.
Today, a year before the new stadium opens, the city still doesn't know where the money will come from in future years.
Fred Glass, the head of the Capital Improvement Board, said the issue won't prevent the stadium from opening on time or cause a problem the first year.
The board won't take over the stadium until sometime around August, and there shouldn't be any maintenance costs at first. As a result, the board expects the new stadium to add $2 million to $4 million to its 2008 budget, and that money is expected to come from the board's reserves, Glass said.
The Capital Improvement Board also should have enough in its reserves to cover the extra operating costs for 2009 and possibly longer, though eventually it would run out of money, Glass said.
The city wanted to pay for increased operating costs with money left over after construction loans are paid, but lawmakers who approved the stadium financing package instead ordered that excess cash be used to pay down debt early. The stadium is primarily being funded by restaurant, hotel and car-rental taxes in Marion County, and restaurant taxes in surrounding counties.
Glass expects to bring the issue to the General Assembly in 2009 -- the next time the legislature takes up the state budget. He declined to say exactly what solution he would push for but said he hopes the problem can be solved without new taxes.
"My belief and hope is that we can sit down and sort out some things that can make this work in a way that everybody's comfortable with," Glass said.
Whether the state is inclined to listen is unclear.
State Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, the author of the stadium financing legislation, said he has not had any conversations with representatives of the Capital Improvement Board.
"It has to start with the CIB," he said.
Great, thanks for posting this man. I was too lazy to post it my damn self.

The more I see this stadium, the more I like the design. I've always been a bigger fan of ultra modern architecture, but the location of this structure and the way it complements it's surroundings is just fantastic. I can't imagine I'd be nearly as enthused if a huge spaceship looking thing were rising on the skyline.

The Luke is like great sculpture in that it looks like it's always been there, as if it grew naturally up from the ground. It simply belongs where it is.

The more I see this stadium, the more I like the design. I've always been a bigger fan of ultra modern architecture, but the location of this structure and the way it complements it's surroundings is just fantastic. I can't imagine I'd be nearly as enthused if a huge spaceship looking thing were rising on the skyline.

The Luke is like great sculpture in that it looks like it's always been there, as if it grew naturally up from the ground. It simply belongs where it is.

yah, I'm worried that the very old brick warehouses/industrial structues its designed to mimick, will be demolished for parking or facilities, in which, could affect the way the luke fits in.
But the design does fit in quiet well with the brick gritty feel of that area.

I am concerned about how the CIB will fund the annual maintenance costs of the stadium. What good is a stadium if it is not maintained?

Here are a few pics I took in July

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/indy%20photos/S4300771.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/indy%20photos/S4300773.jpg

Poor RCA Dome, sitting there oblivious to the troubles that await it.

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/indy%20photos/S4300774.jpg

the stacks, LOS, @ Victory Field

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/indy%20photos/S4300776.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/indy%20photos/S4300777.jpg

^^ great pictures, the LOS really looks like an old warehouse structure.
I wish the stacks building could be converted into condos and the stacks removed.
I like that brick section of it, the los goes with it lol.

^^^^ No, unionstation. Have the stacks be converted into apartements and condos with an espnzone on ground level and light the stacks up at night. Those stacks could be very valuable and add a very unique look to dt if done properly.

I used to hate the stacks cause they were dirty and, well plain nasty looking lol. But, Cory made the statement that they added context to the area and made it unique. After I read that I thought, your right! SO now I do not mind the stacks. I just wish they would be converted and cleaned up, while also being lit at night. They would offer amazing views on all four sides at that!!!

The stacks are the shit. And yes, they should be converted into living space.

The stacks are the shit. And yes, they should be converted into living space.
Those stacks are only 16 feet or so in diameter.

Although, if large enough, they would be cool to live in.

^^^^ No, unionstation. Have the stacks be converted into apartements and condos with an espnzone on ground level and light the stacks up at night. Those stacks could be very valuable and add a very unique look to dt if done properly.

I used to hate the stacks cause they were dirty and, well plain nasty looking lol. But, Cory made the statement that they added context to the area and made it unique. After I read that I thought, your right! SO now I do not mind the stacks. I just wish they would be converted and cleaned up, while also being lit at night. They would offer amazing views on all four sides at that!!!

your right. :)
I think though, it would be cool if they were painted like candy-cains with red and white. :banana:
It is one of the few major old industrial structures downtown, and the stacks do give a sort of industrial gritty feel. :)

This whole area beyond the wall will be much nicer with the love me-love me not, JW Marriott in the picture..

Wow, it seems like just yesterday they announced this thing, it's goin up fast. Will it be done by next season?
BTW, I say keep the stacks and convert the factory into lofts, that is an awesome building.

Unless I'm mistaken, that building is a heating plant that is connected to virtually all buildings in downtown Indianapolis. It's not being converted into condos anytime soon, if ever.

That's not to say I don't wish they could....

Unless I'm mistaken, that building is a heating plant that is connected to virtually all buildings in downtown Indianapolis. It's not being converted into condos anytime soon, if ever.

That's not to say I don't wish they could....

it wouldent kill them to clean it up and make its street level section a little more tolerable.

Since we're on the subject of converting the stacks, I've always thought that would be a great site for a museum, especially a modern art museum.

Since we're on the subject of converting the stacks, I've always thought that would be a great site for a museum, especially a modern art museum.

I think a modern museum along the river front would be pretty awesome.
I think that if they removed the stacks and turned the old brick part into condos would be cool.:cheers:

You do realize if that sweet ass plant caught on fire that would be some gnarly shit to put out... (Just one of the insane thoughts that race thru my head before bed) I do like it however. Without Indy would be SO like Columbus, Ohio. How unflattering. :lol:

You do realize if that sweet ass plant caught on fire that would be some gnarly shit to put out... (Just one of the insane thoughts that race thru my head before bed) I do like it however. Without Indy would be SO like Columbus, Ohio. How unflattering. :lol:

hmm, I'm sure they have emergency stuff for that, they wouldent take such a risk to have every structure downtown burn to the ground.
"the great Indianapolis fire!" They probably have emergency shut down even for drills, or owners downtown would be pissed.

Since we're on the subject of converting the stacks, I've always thought that would be a great site for a museum, especially a modern art museum.

If they did that and it turned out even half as well as Tate Modern did that would be really cool, but I doubt it's going to be anything but a steam plant for the foreseeable future. I hated that building when I was younger, but now it's one of my favorites.

I was going to take some pics of the luke yesterday from weird places like New York and WRP, and Bluff and Wisconsin, but it was just too damn hazy. But it really does add a lot of visual interest to the skyline. It's going to look great when it's done, I think.

I just took this a little bit ago. I am testing the picture quality of my new phone, and I must, I am pleased!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/LOS.jpg

I just took this a little bit ago. I am testing the picture quality of my new phone, and I must, I am pleased!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/LOS.jpg

Why is it so hard to get a fix on how large this thing is? It's close to 300' foot tall, but those trucks in the foreground make it look smaller than a 10 story building... wtf?

Why is it so hard to get a fix on how large this thing is? It's close to 300' foot tall, but those trucks in the foreground make it look smaller than a 10 story building... wtf?
You know, I was looking at the renderings yesterday and it occured to me that there is a ton of brick that still needs to be added to the ends of the stadium. That may help give it the mass it needs to "feel" really tall in shots like this.

For comparison:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/AerialNE2_final.jpg

^^ I am still loving the LOS.

Does anyone know why they are starting to rip up the North parking lot between LOS and the RCA Dome? Did some plan fall thru for this space?

Does anyone know why they are starting to rip up the North parking lot between LOS and the RCA Dome? Did some plan fall thru for this space?

I have no idea... weird.. It's a rather inopportune time to lose a parking lot isn't it? That lot is slated for future convention center expansion and I'm not aware of any current plans for it.

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/pc/?id=222480&aid=19&sro=1&yr=2007&mt=9

Some nice pics of "Da Luke" :)

I just walked the dog around The Luke... The Hurst buildings have been torn down, except for the nice brick one, and a lot of foundation work is being done on the Hurst site.. I think I may have seen a caisson.. wtf is going on there?

I just walked the dog around The Luke... The Hurst buildings have been torn down, except for the nice brick one, and a lot of foundation work is being done on the Hurst site.. I think I may have seen a caisson.. wtf is going on there?

Who knows. We shall investigate it though! :lol:

I have no idea... weird.. It's a rather inopportune time to lose a parking lot isn't it? That lot is slated for future convention center expansion and I'm not aware of any current plans for it.

Maybe it is part of the underground connection between the Luke and new CC. Maybe that is a starting point.

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/pc/?id=222480&aid=19&sro=1&yr=2007&mt=9

Some nice pics of "Da Luke" :)

Hey, I can't seem to inlarge any of those pics on the site. Is anyone else having this problem? Maybe it's just my computer.

I just walked the dog around The Luke... The Hurst buildings have been torn down, except for the nice brick one, and a lot of foundation work is being done on the Hurst site.. I think I may have seen a caisson.. wtf is going on there?

maybe the hurst building has been purchased and will be restored(I hope!)?
The Hurst building isnt the exchange block, but I found a gritty industrial charm to it!
Hell, if that area starts seeing development, maybe more of the brick industrial buildings down there will be converted into commercial and warehouse condos.

Does anyone know why they are starting to rip up the North parking lot between LOS and the RCA Dome? Did some plan fall thru for this space?

They're ripping up the section where the Convention Center Connector will be. It follows Capital south to South Street, passing under the bridge, then heading underground to connect to The Luke. There will be a two story glass cube across the street from The Luke on the NW corner of South and Capital.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t206/ablerock/ICCLukeconnector.jpg

http://oxblue.com/archive/8252a53cdf135347c0dd1d16228b6ff2/1024x768.jpg

Found this in the Star. Talks about some of the new technology that will be in the Luke: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007709160461

When fans stream into Lucas Oil Stadium next year, they'll be able to pay for hot dogs and beer with credit cards, use WiFi to surf the Web and watch replays on bigger, better video boards.

Multitasking: One future possibility for Colts fans is Kangaroo TV, which provides rented hand-held televisions that fans -- like this one in Miami -- can use to watch other NFL games live. - Photo provided by Kangaroo TV

TECH TALK

A look at how technology is changing the game-day experience at other sporting venues:

Dolphin Stadium
(Home of the Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins)

In 2006, the stadium installed a wireless point-of-sale system that allowed it to begin accepting credit cards at concession stands, stores and in seating areas. The new system also has allowed baseball fans in premium seats to order, pay for and have food delivered to their seats without ever getting up. That service is not currently offered during football games.

Lucas: Lucas Oil Stadium will accept credit and debit cards, but the Colts have no plans to offer in-seat service.

Safeco Field
(Home of the Seattle Mariners)

The Nintendo Fan Network, a pilot program offered by Nintendo, allows fans to bring their Nintendo DS hand-held game consoles to the ballpark and pay $5 per game to access live video feed and replays of the game, trivia contests, statistics and scores of other games.

Fans also can order food and have it delivered to their seats using the device. Nintendo is only piloting this program at Safeco. Through a separate partnership with Verizon, fans can order food from their seats by text messaging, play games, and text photos, some of which appear on a video board.

Lucas: No such plans at present.

AT&T Park
(Home of the San Francisco Giants)

The ballpark has offered free wireless Internet service throughout the stadium -- and even into nearby McCovey Cove -- since the 2004 season. Fans can access the Internet using laptops, iPhones and other wireless devices, and can play games and compete against other fans on interactive devices such as the Sony PlayStation Portable.

Lucas: Plans to offer free WiFi.

Kangaroo TV
Offered at Reliant Stadium (Houston), Qwest Field (Seattle), Dolphin Stadium (Miami) and FedEx Field (Washington)

Fans of the Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins can rent hand-held devices that allow them to watch other games live on DirecTV and their home team's action as it is happening. Viewers also have access to fantasy football statistics, score updates and other features. It costs $24.95 per game, or fans can buy a season pass.

Kangaroo TV hopes to expand to other NFL stadiums.

Lucas: The Colts are keeping an eye on the technology but have not decided whether the benefit is worth the cost.

Sources: Dolphin Enterprises, Seattle Mariners, Nintendo of America, San Francisco Giants, Kangaroo TV

Just as high-definition TVs, TiVo and surround sound have revolutionized the way sports fans watch games from the comfort of home, technology is also enhancing the game-day experience at ballparks and stadiums across the country.
Lucas Oil Stadium, scheduled to open in August 2008, will be no exception.
"It's certainly not your grandfather's fieldhouse," said Fred Glass, head of the Capital Improvement Board, which will run the stadium for the city once it is built. "We want this building to be viable for the next 30 years. We want to be on the cutting edge of the next series of buildings."
To that end, those in charge of building the stadium say it is being wired with miles of fiber optics and other infrastructure that should let the city and Colts introduce tech-based features and services down the road, including some that may not have been dreamed up yet.
Officials are watching as other stadiums experiment with such things as hand-held devices that fans can rent to can watch other games live, and access scores and statistics.
"We're planning for the future, not the past," said John Klipsch, executive director of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority, the state agency building the new stadium.
Klipsch couldn't provide a cost for all the technology, saying it is spread out among many contracts and that some purchases haven't been made yet. The tab is included in the total price of the stadium, which is estimated to cost from $695 million to $720 million.
Paying with plastic

Unlike at the Dome, where fans either need to carry cash or wait in line at ATMs, concession stands at Lucas Oil Stadium will accept credit cards.
Fox said the RCA Dome could have been retrofitted to accept credit cards, but it would have cost too much.
Elsewhere, such changes have helped to reduce wait times.
"It's a huge guest-service improvement," said George Torres, a spokesman for Dolphin Enterprises, which recently upgraded technology at Dolphin Stadium, allowing food stands and other retail points to accept credit and debit cards.
"Before we had a lot of ATM machines, and the lines were long. Now people don't have to do that."
Pete Ward, senior executive vice president for the Colts, said the team has no plans to offer in-seat food service, as some stadiums and ballparks are doing. He noted the success of such programs has been limited so far.
"It's a social event, and there is probably something to be said for wanting to get up and move around at timeouts and halftime to socialize," Ward said.
But if team officials change their minds down the road, the point-of-sale credit card system being installed would give the club the option to do so, Klipsch said.
The system would enable attendants in certain seating sections to take and submit orders in the stands, then run credit cards remotely using portable, wireless devices.
TV upgrades

Officials say the feature fans are most likely to appreciate is the new video boards, used for replays, highlights and entertainment throughout the game.
At 96 feet wide and 27 feet high, the two video boards will be more than three times the size of those in the RCA Dome. One will be in the northwest corner, the other in the southeast.
The image will also be better.
"The resolution is going to be greatly enhanced, and you're going to see a lot more detail," Klipsch said. Another 1,500 feet of narrow "ribbon board" will hang from the club level and ring the stadium, allowing the Colts to post messages, entertain and light up the arena.
That's compared to only 40 feet of ribbon board at the Dome, and that was primarily put in place for use as scoreboards during basketball games, said Mike Fox, stadium director of the Dome, who will hold the same position at the new stadium.
About 1,100 additional flat-screen TVs and monitors will dot the building in places such as concourses and suites, making it easier for fans to keep up with the action no matter where they are.
Going wireless

Klipsch said the stadium building authority is looking to make the entire venue a free wireless hotspot, allowing the public to access the Internet. That is still in the planning stages, and those in charge of construction must make sure it will not interfere with other systems or else they would have to scale back the area where WiFi is available.
Surfing the Web while watching a football game may seem unusual, but a growing number of stadiums and ballparks are making the service available, in part to accommodate the growing number of fantasy sports fanatics who want instant statistics about how players involved in other games are doing.
AT&T Park, home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, has offered free wireless service since the 2004 season.
Bill Schlough, senior vice president and chief information office for the Giants, said people use iPhones or other wireless devices to get online, and kids compete in interactive games against each other using Sony PlayStation Portable consoles. Others bring laptops.
Planning ahead

Exactly what other new tech-related features will be offered at Lucas Oil Stadium in coming years is unclear, but officials say the important thing is the stadium has been designed to accommodate an array of options without undergoing an expensive overhaul.
One possibility: Ward said the Colts are interested in technology that would allow fans to watch replays on-demand using personal devices.
It would have been too expensive to retrofit the Dome with such technology, but the new stadium opens the door to the possibility, he said. Even if such technology were made available, it likely would be only in suites, and possibly club seats, because of the cost.
The Colts are also keeping an eye on other technology that is being piloted or put in place elsewhere but want to see what's cost-efficient and what really adds to the fan experience.
For instance, four NFL stadiums -- Reliant Stadium, Qwest Field, Dolphin Stadium and FedEx Field -- are offering Kangaroo TV. For $24.95 per game, fans can rent hand-held televisions that allow them to watch other NFL games live.
And at Safeco Field in Seattle, fans can take pictures on their cell phones and text them to the stadium. Some are displayed on video boards.
While Ward couldn't say whether either of those programs would ever be put in place at Lucas Oil Stadium, he said the Colts will develop amenities over the next year aimed at helping fans have a good time.
But while gadgets and gizmos may be interesting, Ward said, fans are ultimately drawn to the stadium because of the gridiron action.
"We're fortunate to be in the business of professional football, because that's the primary form of entertainment, and it handles itself," he said.

I love the wifi idea. I'll probably have to buy a new ipod for next season.

Cladding is going in on one of the Dora Hotels along West Street located on the right hand side of the webcam image.

She is a beauty.

If only all projects in Indy went this smoothely and timely.

A photo tour is up on Circles and Squares:

http://circleandsquares.blogspot.com/2007/09/lucas-oil-stadium-photo-tour.html

A photo tour is up on Circles and Squares:

http://circleandsquares.blogspot.com/2007/09/lucas-oil-stadium-photo-tour.html

I like em, i like em A LOT! :lol:

Wow. It looks as though the interior enterance areas will look like the interior of a 1930's stadium aswell.
I wonder if any new development in downtown Indy will use the same kind of brick(and method).

Awesome video up at the Indy Star. Stadium Tour (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/VIDEO01/70919056)

The dry weather Indy had this summer should have expedited the construction of the stadium.

Mon. September 24 - 2007

IBJ Staff

The Indianapolis Colts today announced a sponsorship deal with Ohio-based Huntington Bank that includes sponsorship of the new Lucas Oil Stadium’s west gate, which will be named and themed for the bank.

Terms of the deal were not released, but sources close to the deal said it was a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal.

In September, 2006, Colts officials told IBJ that the gate sponsorships would be sold for $1.4 million per year. The gate sponsorships were part of a plan to raise about $10 million annually by allowing companies to sponsor and theme 12 distinct parts of the $675 million stadium that is set to open in 2008.

The naming rights deal with California-based Lucas Oil will bring in about $6 million annually over the life of the 20-year deal.

As part of the most recently announced deal, Hunington Bank also will be the official bank of the Indianapolis Colts. This fall, Colts officials said, Huntington Bank will start offering a debit card with the Colts logo that will get patrons a 10-percent discount at the team’s gift shop.

Colts owner Jim Irsay said the sponsorship is one more step in keeping the team at the top of the National Football League.

“When you are in a smaller market and you see … the sort of revenue generated by the Redskins for instance, it’s really competitive,” Irsay said. “Last year we had the highest payroll in the league above anyone, and that includes the Redskins which outgross us by $100 million or more.”

Mon. September 24 - 2007


Colts owner Jim Irsay said the sponsorship is one more step in keeping the team at the top of the National Football League.

“When you are in a smaller market and you see … the sort of revenue generated by the Redskins for instance, it’s really competitive,” Irsay said. “Last year we had the highest payroll in the league above anyone, and that includes the Redskins which outgross us by $100 million or more.”

Am I the only one who DID NOT feel sorry for Irsay when he was on the news last night making this quote?

Am I the only one who DID NOT feel sorry for Irsay when he was on the news last night making this quote?

I might have sympathy for him, if I wasn't laughing at his gangster get-up every time I see him.

I might have sympathy for him, if I wasn't laughing at his gangster get-up every time I see him.

LOL! What's up with those zoot suits???

Looks like they have put up the third of five trusses this past Sunday.

Also, if you look on the live feed cam: http://iccrd.com/stdm/index.aspx, pan in to the SE corner. They are putting up the support for the 2nd giant video replay board. They said it will be at least 3 times larger than the one in the RCA dome.

I just can't get over how massive this thing is. The giant "window" facing the skyline itself is 10 stories tall!

I just can't get over how massive this thing is. The giant "window" facing the skyline itself is 10 stories tall!

I wonder how many bricks they are using! :nuts:

Has any one notice that the top part (on the westside) brick has a different style and a lighter color than the bottom? I thought that someone had made a huge mistake, but according to the renderings this is how it is suppose to be. Check the media center under the LOS site. Click on one of the renderings and it will give you a poster like pic. Great detail on the final product.

http://www.in.gov/iscba/

Boy did The Luke look AMAZING on the tube today! And now we're 4-0, you cant help but smile with that in mind! :)

http://oxblue.com/archive/8252a53cdf135347c0dd1d16228b6ff2/1024x768.jpg

I attended a function in the dome the other day, and it just occured to me that the Hoosier/RCA Dome and LOS are really opposites, in terms of design, functionality, and overall feel.

The dome itself is unrecognizable to the dome built in 1984, and this is how it will probably look just prior to demoltion:
http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Invent/Hoosier.jpg

The biggest difference is that the Dome has absolutely no character. The Luke will be unique to the city.

The biggest difference is that the Dome has absolutely no character. The Luke will be unique to the city.
Would you say that the Dome itself is a clone of various other anonymous domes? The Metrodome, Superdome, Astrodome, Kingdome etc all come to mind.

Would you say that the Dome itself is a clone of various other anonymous domes? The Metrodome, Superdome, Astrodome, Kingdome etc all come to mind.

Lucas Oil Center as a football, and I guess for basketball, and such, maybe Indoor baseball, since winter ball is getting popular, is a stadium of it;s own character.

Would you say that the Dome itself is a clone of various other anonymous domes? The Metrodome, Superdome, Astrodome, Kingdome etc all come to mind.

Exactly. The Metrodome is the most like an exact clone of the RCA Dome.

Metrodome:
http://www5.pharmacy.umn.edu/kappapsi/metrodome.gif

Where as, no other football stadium in the NFL is built in a fieldhouse style. Also, I can't think of any other NFL stadium that will have a brick exterior. Truly unique.

^^Ford Field in Detroit has a brick facade too, but the thing that differentiates LOS from the rest in my mind is the fact that LOS is essentially the world's biggest gym.

I don't particularly like the design but I will say that the context couldn't be more appropriate. The building reminds you of a high school gym, or a barn, or possibly both. Conservative design with not too much going on.

I've never understood the fascination people from Indiana have with gyms. It's ironic because most of the metro area's high schools are suburban in nature with very little emphasis on the gym.

^^Ford Field in Detroit has a brick facade too, but the thing that differentiates LOS from the rest in my mind is the fact that LOS is essentially the world's biggest gym.

I don't particularly like the design but I will say that the context couldn't be more appropriate. The building reminds you of a high school gym, or a barn, or possibly both. Conservative design with not too much going on.

I've never understood the fascination people from Indiana have with gyms. It's ironic because most of the metro area's high schools are suburban in nature with very little emphasis on the gym.

The fascination is based on history in basketball and the pride that went with it. Butler Fieldhouse, Hoosiers, and high school gyms from the past.

Exactly. The Metrodome is the most like an exact clone of the RCA Dome.

Metrodome:
http://www5.pharmacy.umn.edu/kappapsi/metrodome.gif

Where as, no other football stadium in the NFL is built in a fieldhouse style. Also, I can't think of any other NFL stadium that will have a brick exterior. Truly unique.

Haha, theres also a clocktower where ours would be. :lol:

^^Ford Field in Detroit has a brick facade too, but the thing that differentiates LOS from the rest in my mind is the fact that LOS is essentially the world's biggest gym.

I don't particularly like the design but I will say that the context couldn't be more appropriate. The building reminds you of a high school gym, or a barn, or possibly both. Conservative design with not too much going on.

I've never understood the fascination people from Indiana have with gyms. It's ironic because most of the metro area's high schools are suburban in nature with very little emphasis on the gym.

The LOS is trying to recreate the 1930s gym style(and to an extant it does)
but lack of ornaments makes it look more-so fake than it has to be.
Even a few plaster peices on the front and back would do this structure wonders.

Is it me or are the new molds they are putting up on the North end today starting to look like a checker board. I know the are all suppose to be one color, but the white parts are starting to go white, dark white (gray), white, like a checker board. Hopefully every other molds are just very dirty. They are right behind the crane, and you can see it better if you zoom in. Check out the site:

http://iccrd.com/stdm/index.aspx

P.S. Let me know if I'm not the only one that sees this.

I attended a function in the dome the other day, and it just occured to me that the Hoosier/RCA Dome and LOS are really opposites, in terms of design, functionality, and overall feel.

The dome itself is unrecognizable to the dome built in 1984, and this is how it will probably look just prior to demoltion:
http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Invent/Hoosier.jpg

How is the current dome so different than the original one?

Some before/after pictures would be great! :)

Well, the dome just looked so cold and bland back then.
Compare this
http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Invent/Hoosier.jpg
to this
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Indianapolis-indiana-rca-dome.jpg/800px-Indianapolis-indiana-rca-dome.jpg

The Colts have added some superficial touches to the Dome- the big player pictures and banners- but other than that is pretty much the exact same as it was in 1984.

The Convention Center also has been redesigned and is much more inviting and there is more street life along Capital Avenue now than in 1984 as well.

The Colts have added some superficial touches to the Dome- the big player pictures and banners- but other than that is pretty much the exact same as it was in 1984.

The Convention Center also has been redesigned and is much more inviting and there is more street life along Capital Avenue now than in 1984 as well.
Yeah...that was my point.

There've been a few changes to the exterior of the RCA Dome.

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsapp/BT/PAPERS/hou04.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1184/1207202446_aba209eba0.jpg?v=0

In the pics already posted you can also see the suite level addition along Capitol. Not a whole lot of change, of course, but a nice excuse to post that sweet mid-80s aerial shot.

^^ Indy's skyline was so shitty back then.

That's an awesome shot pig!:cheers:

If you find anymore historical photos of the Dome please post them!:)

Aavmarine: Regarding the checkerboard look of the white panels - I agree - and I don't like it. I looked at the architectural drawings for the finished stadium however (from the April 23, 2006 Indianapolis Star) and saw a different look for that area. They do not show white stripes running up between those brick panels. They show brick columns continuing up to about half way through the height of the huge, retractable window. The version in the drawings looks much, much better. I think (hope) the white stripes you see are just temporary pieces that are holding the "pseudo brick" panels together that are currently going up. I think that once they are in place, the extensions of the brick columns will continue up and on top of those white stripes. As soon as I saw the web-cam views of the stadium today - I thought the same thing - that those panels really look ugly. Hopefully I'm right and the white stripes will be covered up with much better looking brick columns.

Your right, after looking at the cam, I then went to the renderings and saw the same thing you did. I probable should have done that before I posted the above. I'm sure what you said is right. They are following the renderings very close.

I was just thinking how different the westside of downtown is going to feel without the RCA dome.
Once the new convention center is complete, that area of downtown will feel more walkable, urban, tasteful, sleek, etc(insert other random words here).

There was a nice article in the Star the other day about the tour given on Tuesday for the architects and local tv stations. This is it: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007710170479

The architects behind Lucas Oil Stadium hoped to design a building unlike any other sports arena.

65% DONE: Architects and the media get ready to tour Lucas Oil Stadium. "It looks magnificent. It's one thing to have 3-D models of what the stadium is going to look like, but it's always better in person," John Hutchings of HKS architects said.

WHAT'S NEXT

>>December: Structural steel work will be completed.

>>February: Retractable roof panels on the stadium's west side will begin to move.

>>April: Retractable roof panels on the stadium's east side will begin to move.

>>Summer: Retractable roof will be finished; north window will be completed; field turf will be installed.

>>August: Stadium scheduled to open.

Source: Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority

After touring the project Tuesday, they said it looked as if they had pulled it off.
"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 it's Indianapolis."
The stadium is about 65 percent complete.
Crews have begun to install the blue supports for hundreds of seats in about 20 sections on the stadium's west side. Work continues on the steel trusses that will support the stadium's one-of-a-kind retractable roof. Work also continues on concourses, concession stands and the tiling of stadium suites.
In all, more than 1,000 workers are on the site daily, trying to achieve the vision drawn up by HKS architects.
"It looks magnificent. It's one thing to have 3-D models of what the stadium is going to look like, but it's always better in person," said Hutchings. "I think the fans of the state of Indiana are going to be quite pleased with the results."
As the construction of retractable-roof stadiums has become more prevalent across the country, architect Bryan Trubey said many have fit into the same cookie-cutter mold. In his firm's pitch to design Lucas Oil, Trubey said it placed aerial pictures of four retractable-roof stadiums side by side.
"You couldn't tell them apart," he said. "That's become a big challenge in our business."
Lucas Oil Stadium's roof, though, will be unique.
Trubey said it will 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.
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.
"We wanted a building that would be recognizable worldwide. We wanted to create something unique," said Trubey, also a principal with HKS. "For more than half a billion dollars, you should get that."
Lucas Oil Stadium, which is estimated to cost from $695 million to $720 million, is scheduled to open in August.

There is also a nice video link: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071017/VIDEO02/310170005

I have also notice, that in the last 1 1/2 weeks they seem to be rushing to get the exterior brick molds into place. I quess they thought this great weather we are having can't last much longer. I haven't been down to the stadium this week, but I know we still have to do the steps for the party deck and lower bowl seats (which they are building now). Once the huge cranes move out, and the lower bowl is finished, I think then we will start on the concrete slab for the field. (97,000 sq ft)

I was just thinking how different the westside of downtown is going to feel without the RCA dome.
Once the new convention center is complete, that area of downtown will feel more walkable, urban, tasteful, sleek, etc(insert other random words here).

Boring, cold, ugly. Unless they invest a lot of time and creativity into a good solution the new stadium will create a gulf in downtown. Frankly, the way it's situated the RCA Dome is one of the best feats of urban design in the country. There's nothing like being part of the hoards of people walking through Pan Am Plaza and the streets of downtown on a game day. All parts of every city can't be that busy every day, but the stadium is one day when the city becomes alive, and when tens of thousands who rarely visit the city come and experience it! We will lose that when the stadium moves across the gulf of railroad tracks. Unless we get a creative design for that 100-200' of railroad underpass, people will park next to the stadium and never cross South street again. Fine you say, but when that happens, Indy has lost part of it's charm. Look at the following pictures.

Now:

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/_ttam_/IMAGE_00085.jpg

A view from the railroad viaduct that will divide the city and ruin the great downtown stadium feel that we have now...

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/_ttam_/IMAGE_00083.jpg

And a closer view of the walk:
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/_ttam_/IMAGE_00084.jpg

And a closer view of the walk:
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/_ttam_/IMAGE_00084.jpg

Thanks for sharing the photos. I think the tracks are a great urban element that gives character to downtown. The underside could be enhanced by simply getting creative with the lighting and installing a few art exhibits or painting murals on the walls.

In addition, it cannot be underestimated how important the tracks will be in bringing mass transit to downtown (picture people riding a train from the northside to Union Station to attend events at The Luke or coming from the airport to attend conventions). As the area south of the tracks continues to re-develop and urban neighborhoods take root, the tracks will be centrally located and convenient for both visitors and residents.

Boring, cold, ugly. Unless they invest a lot of time and creativity into a good solution the new stadium will create a gulf in downtown. Frankly, the way it's situated the RCA Dome is one of the best feats of urban design in the country. There's nothing like being part of the hoards of people walking through Pan Am Plaza and the streets of downtown on a game day. All parts of every city can't be that busy every day, but the stadium is one day when the city becomes alive, and when tens of thousands who rarely visit the city come and experience it! We will lose that when the stadium moves across the gulf of railroad tracks. Unless we get a creative design for that 100-200' of railroad underpass, people will park next to the stadium and never cross South street again. Fine you say, but when that happens, Indy has lost part of it's charm. Look at the following pictures.

]

I don't consider the RCA dome to be an urban dream. It is cold, depressing, and bland. I understand your point though about it attracting thousands of people, but the convention center attracts alot more people. Indianapolis is known for its live downtown, and most people who come for the games come for what is downtown aswell, and most people arent going to give up a day of fun for a two second walk under a dark bridge. They just need to light it up better, like k2h stated. The Luke will spread downtown southward. Though the tracks are a factor, how do places like the Slippery Noodle do so well then? I see people going under the tracks all the time to get to it.
I agree with k2h, the tracks are a great urban asset, could you imagine downtown without it?!
Once a lightrail(or in my dreams a bullet train) comes in, the area will be used alot more, infact I think our beloved Historical Unionstation could become the trainstation for that area. There is a part of the tracks that is actually quiet interesting, the early 20th century section is an interesting part.
Once the new convention center expansion comes in, it will probably be alot nicer(especially street level wise, since people have the tendancy to keep focused at their level). Once the JW Marriott(sp?) is finished, it will add an interesting shot aswell.
BTW, does anyone think its possible that a highrise could be included in the convention center expansion?

An underground people mover is being built to connect the Luke with the Convention Center so people won't have to cross under the railroad tracks to get to the new stadium.

I view the RR tracks debate as a "which came first, the chicken or the egg" situation. Are the tracks really a barrier or is it the simple fact that there's nothing there (other than the Noodle)? I'm inclined to believe the latter. Make something worth going to and people will go to it, tracks or no.

Of course, making the walk more pleasant certainly couldn't hurt.

I view the RR tracks debate as a "which came first, the chicken or the egg" situation. Are the tracks really a barrier or is it the simple fact that there's nothing there (other than the Noodle)? I'm inclined to believe the latter. Make something worth going to and people will go to it, tracks or no.

Of course, making the walk more pleasant certainly couldn't hurt.

They should widen up the sidewalks underneath and pave them with brick or some sort of pleasent patterning, then paint the interior bright colors, maybe make an art project out of it.

I was just thinking how different the westside of downtown is going to feel without the RCA dome.
Once the new convention center is complete, that area of downtown will feel more walkable, urban, tasteful, sleek, etc(insert other random words here).

Any changes in design for the convention center? Even though I am not a big fan of the surfboard overhang in the front, it is still at least something different. I thought there was a possible leave out of that or something cosmetic that may not happen. The dome, was always small, my only time in it was for a dirt ralley of sorts in 1984. But the dome was with the team a big drawing card, but its time has come. To be honest, I liked Market Square, and I liked its design for a number of years. Again....

Any changes in design for the convention center? Even though I am not a big fan of the surfboard overhang in the front, it is still at least something different. I thought there was a possible leave out of that or something cosmetic that may not happen. The dome, was always small, my only time in it was for a dirt ralley of sorts in 1984. But the dome was with the team a big drawing card, but its time has come. To be honest, I liked Market Square, and I liked its design for a number of years. Again....

True, it does seem awfully large(the surfboard thing).
Market square was interesting, though I hope something interesting can fill its place.

los is really taking shape, im more amazed with the progress each day. if you havent seen the stadium webcam in a while, go take a look.

http://oxblue.com/archive/8252a53cdf135347c0dd1d16228b6ff2/1024x768.jpg
Just magnificent.

^^ :cheer:

It's really cool to see the lights on inside the stadium at night. Just imagine it during Monday night games.

The facade work is proceeding very quickly!!:cheers:

Love that huge window. Its great how you can see into the stadium. Can't wait for the MNF aerial cameras to peek down in through the top and through the big window with the place packed with fans in blue!!

Found out last week that I get the lovely skyline as a backdrop during games. I'm gonna love looking out that window. I'm getting more and more excited. Especially about those nice wide concourses and ground level entry. Too bad we can't get World Cup games until at least 2018. That'd be a ton of fun.

Hi-def highlights 'showroom' part of Lucas Oil sponsorship
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071210/BUSINESS/71210031

Star report

All that will be missing is the cash register.

hhgregg today announced that as part of being a sponsor of Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indianapolis-based electronics and appliance retailer will create a showroom-like interactive media center at the southern entrance. Lucas Oil Stadium opens in 2008.

The area will be known as the “hhgregg South Gate” and will feature flat-panel, high-definition televisions.

Officials with hhgregg and the stadium's main tenant, the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, will reveal more details about the partnership after a news conference this afternoon.

But hhgregg President Dennis May couldn't contain his enthusiasm about the media center.

“When fans come through the gate they aren’t going to believe their eyes," May said in a prepared statement. "In the next few months we’ll be creating a spectacular environment where fans can interact with the latest products, get real-time scoring and check their fantasy results.

"The hhgregg Gate will be a destination within a destination, with staff on hand to answer questions and provide support, with comfortable seating for our guests to sit and enjoy pre- and post-game festivities."

While no design was immediately available, May said fans should think of it as the "coolest hhgregg showroom you’ve ever seen, multiplying it by ten."
hhgregg was founded in the city in 1955 and began publicly trading stock this year. The collaboration with the Colts will involve the company's most innovative and aggressive sports-marketing program in hhgregg history, officials said.

While no design was immediately available, May said fans should think of it as the "coolest hhgregg showroom you’ve ever seen, multiplying it by ten."


Now THAT'S Cool!












...for an, um, hhgregg showroom. :nuts:

Looks as if they've finished the roof just in time.

http://oxblue.com/archive/8252a53cdf135347c0dd1d16228b6ff2/1024x768.jpg

I am LOVING this!!

Have they started installing the sliding roof yet?

A co-worker of mine pointed out a missed marketing opportunity of sorts a few weeks ago:

Lucas Oil Field (get it? :) ) instead of Lucas Oil Stadium.

It's clever, and makes sense. I'm surprised that none of the powers that be thought of it, or if they did, went with it.

Any thoughts?

A co-worker of mine pointed out a missed marketing opportunity of sorts a few weeks ago:

Lucas Oil Field (get it? :) ) instead of Lucas Oil Stadium.

It's clever, and makes sense. I'm surprised that none of the powers that be thought of it, or if they did, went with it.

Any thoughts?

I love the idea (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=14673007#post14673007)! :D

The LOS is huge. I'm suprised they were able to pull off a classic look on such a massive structure.

I love the idea (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=14673007#post14673007)! :D

I remember reading that!

New pis of LOS!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They are not my pics, but I thought you guys should see what the future of what a stadium is. I'm not talking about the design, but how the fan will experence the game, and how they will see it. Great skyline view thou..

http://www.pacersdigest.com/apache2-...ad.php?t=36125
__________________
American soldiers in battle don't fight for what some president says on T.V., they don't fight for mom, apple pie, the american flag.....
they fight for one another.

-Lt General Hal Moore

Does anyone know what these two stacks are going to be? Maybe information centers?

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/GetOneShot.jpg

You can see them both on the rendering, but I have know idea.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/north_plaza_aerial_large.jpg

Here is a better rendering.

http://www.in.gov/iscba/images/LOS_(1).jpg

they are the restrooms silly!

they are the restrooms silly!

I don't think so..lol. Maybe they are ticket booths.

I was joking. :lol:
they seem to be in a pretty odd location for ticket booths.

I was joking. :lol:
they seem to be in a pretty odd location for ticket booths.
Actually, if you look at the larger rendering, those blocks are right in front of the "Ticket Office". I think it's a safe bet that those are ticket booths.

I'm wondering if they may be ventilation for the tunnel from the convention center. They could serve dual-purposes as information kiosks and vents.

I didnt see someone already posted the photo tour, so I took it off and cant change the headline. BUT! I noticed the giant window facing the skyline is having its frame installed, also I heard there was a worker that fell and was injured. I think thats the first injury since construction began in 2005 if I remember right.

Indianapolis going for 2012 SB

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Dallas out of the picture, the odds of Indianapolis landing the 2012 Super Bowl are significantly better.

IS INDY READY FOR THE BIG GAME?

THE PROS

• New publicly financed stadium with retractable roof and up to 70,000 seats.

• Compact Downtown, allowing fans to walk to events.

• Experience in hosting big events, such as the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

THE CONS

• Cold-weather city with average February temperatures at least 24 degrees below those of rivals.

• Never hosted a Super Bowl.

• Small-market city with limited hotel capacity.

NEXT STEPS

• April 1: The city's preliminary bid for 2012 game is due.

• May: NFL owners make a decision at meeting in Atlanta.

• September: Lucas Oil Stadium hosts first regular-season game.

• 2010: Expanded Indiana Convention Center scheduled for opening.

• 2011: 1,000-room JW Marriott Hotel scheduled to open near stadium.

• 2012: The NFL's 46th Super Bowl in February.


HAVE AN IDEA?
Go to www.our2012sb.com to submit ideas on how to make the Super Bowl a true community event.

That, at least, is how Colts owner Jim Irsay saw it Tuesday as he joined Mayor Greg Ballard to formally announce the city would try once more to win over NFL team owners and land hosting duties for the 46th Super Bowl.
Owners last year gave the 2011 game to Dallas, in part because that city's $1 billion stadium will be the biggest in the NFL when it opens next year.
Irsay, who again pledged $1 million toward the bid, said several owners told him last year that the city's two-vote loss was due simply to Dallas' larger stadium, which could draw $23 million more in ticket sales.
Neither of the potential competitors this year, Houston and Glendale, Ariz., would be able to overwhelm Lucas Oil Stadium, which can expand from 63,000 seats to about 70,000 for the big game.
What Indy has to offer

Mark Miles, who is leading the effort to solicit $25 million in corporate donations for the event, said Indianapolis can win this time for many of the same reasons organizers cited in 2007:
• Its compact Downtown, with facilities connected by indoor walkways.
• Experience in handling big events, such as the Indianapolis 500.
• A strong NFL franchise in the Colts.
• The community spirit needed to pull together for big events.
But your help is needed

City leaders want your input on how to make the Super Bowl a true community event.
"We want to step back and get ideas from people in this community about how to hold a 50,000-person party and how to build a Super Bowl village Downtown," Miles said.
That "village" will be a place for fans to go when they're not at the game. Last year, the Indy bid committee signed contracts with nearly 100 venues, many Downtown, that said they could host parties and other events.
The 2012 bid will build on the 2011 submission, with enhancements to be added.
Preliminary bid documents will be submitted to the NFL by April 1; the final bid is due May 9.
Indianapolis representatives will then travel to the league meeting in Atlanta to make the city's presentation to the NFL team owners. A final decision is expected by May 21.

I did not take these. These pics came with the article.
New seats with Colts emblem on each row. There will be 63,000 seats.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/FEB.jpg
View from the upper seats of the South endzone looking towards to the Norh retractable windows and view of downtown Indy.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/FEB1.jpg
Finishing up the air ducts.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/FEB2.jpg
Looking towrds to the South endzone. One of the four mammoth roof columns.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/FEB3.jpg
This is on the party deck (upper North endzone). Looking at the track system for the retractable windows.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/FEB4.jpg
Party deck looking towards the South seats.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/FEB5.jpg
1/3 of the fields concrete slab is done.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/FEB6.jpg
My favorite pic. Looking North from the massive Quarterbacks suite. What an awesome view.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/FEB7.jpg

That view from the South endzone is priceless!!

In the article it says, "Neither of the potential competitors this year, Houston and Glendale,Arizona, would be able .....". What about New Orleans? I had heard they were bidding. I was most concerned about them being in the competition because they would get the sympathy vote. If they are out, I feel our chances are pretty decent - because both Houston and Arizona have just recently hosted the Super Bowl - and I think the team owners will feel Indy deserves the opportunity to host the event. I think the downtown setup is really ideal too. If we're lucky we might have a decent day with temps in the forties or maybe even the fifties. A few years ago a good friend of mine got married in mid February and it was amazing - it was sunny and the temps were in the 60's! I'm not counting on that though - but with everything so close together downtown - it will be a great party.

In the article it says, "Neither of the potential competitors this year, Houston and Glendale,Arizona, would be able .....". What about New Orleans? I had heard they were bidding. I was most concerned about them being in the competition because they would get the sympathy vote. If they are out, I feel our chances are pretty decent - because both Houston and Arizona have just recently hosted the Super Bowl - and I think the team owners will feel Indy deserves the opportunity to host the event. I think the downtown setup is really ideal too. If we're lucky we might have a decent day with temps in the forties or maybe even the fifties. A few years ago a good friend of mine got married in mid February and it was amazing - it was sunny and the temps were in the 60's! I'm not counting on that though - but with everything so close together downtown - it will be a great party.

I never heard about N.Orleans, but who knows. IMO, I think N. Orleans will have a hard time from now on in ever get the SB again. I think maybe the owners will always resort back to Katrina, and what would happens if it happens again. Could they take that chance? I know there is always that "what if" out there. Even here in Indy. But something like that, especially if it happens again within the next four years, it would be devastating not just to the city, but to the whole state...again.

So is this beauty on schedule?

What about New Orleans?

New Orleans has bowed out already.

So is this beauty on schedule?

So far, yes. IMO, I think they wil start to work on the weekends to make up for all the days they missed during this winter.

Currently, i am working on a project in San Diego and have had the opportunity to experience living in downtown San Diego. Like Indianapolis, San Diego has a great downtown revitalization story. There are also similarities between the two cities when it comes to downtown redevelopment strategies. For example, the major the catalyst for downtown redevelopment in San Diego was a regional mall, which opening in 1985. In addition, the City of San Diego has invested millions in the convention center facilities, which has proven a very effective strategy to lure major conventions and tourist dollars.

Whether Indianapolis decision-makers consider San Diego successes when analyzing redevelopment ideas/strategies for Indianapolis is unknown to me, but i would hope someone is taking notice of the Stadium District in San Diego (see photos and links to additional information below).

The City of San Diego has done an incredible job of capitalizing on the public investment in a baseball stadium by creating master plan for area in and around the stadium. The decision to implement a master plan and set a vision for the stadium area has spurred millions in private investment and essentially created a new neighborhood that is a highly desirable place to live these days.

Indianapolis could certainly learn a lot from San Diego when it comes to capitalizing on the public investment in Lucas Oil Stadium.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos002.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos007.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos008.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos009.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos012.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos013.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos016.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos017.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos019.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos020.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos021.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x320/kehughes1/SDBaseballStadiumPhotos023.jpg


http://www.jmirealty.com/about/ballpark/
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/sdobpk.htm

New Orleans has bowed out already.

Actually, I just read an article that indicated that New Orleans is making a bid.

Per the IBJ Daily email:
New Orleans jumps into Super Bowl mix
Indianapolis seemed to be the front-runner to host the 2012 Super Bowl until New Orleans announced last week that it would shoot for the game. The hurricane-battered city could prove a sentimental favorite over Indianapolis as well as Houston and Phoenix, which have also said they will bid. To read more and weigh in, go to IBJ's new sports business blog, The Score.

The decision to implement a master plan and set a vision for the stadium area has spurred millions in private investment and essentially created a new neighborhood that is a highly desirable place to live these days.

Indianapolis could certainly learn a lot from San Diego when it comes to capitalizing on the public investment in Lucas Oil Stadium.


Great advice k2h. I'll poke around and see if I can spread the word a bit. Have fun on the Left Coast!

Actually, I just read an article that indicated that New Orleans is making a bid.

Per the IBJ Daily email:
New Orleans jumps into Super Bowl mix
Indianapolis seemed to be the front-runner to host the 2012 Super Bowl until New Orleans announced last week that it would shoot for the game. The hurricane-battered city could prove a sentimental favorite over Indianapolis as well as Houston and Phoenix, which have also said they will bid. To read more and weigh in, go to IBJ's new sports business blog, The Score.

Nutty. Maybe they were waiting to see how the NBA All-Star game turned out. I don't know how far sentiment will carry them. Before Katrina New Orleans was having trouble landing both Super Bowls and Final Fours. But who knows....

The SuperDome is over 30 years old. The NFL should have the SB in new stadium.

As for creating a masterplan around LOS, there is none in existence to my knowledge. I think it best to let developments spring up when the market is right and land values are high enough. There has already been a surge of projects proposed around LOS- Merrill Tower, SoDo, and Ralston to name a few.

Notice that the one in San Diego also keeps its gritty brick warehouses instead of knocking them down. This is why I think SODO should keep the Old winery building. Many people would kill their grandmother for a loft in an old industrial building.

The SuperDome is over 30 years old. The NFL should have the SB in new stadium.

As for creating a masterplan around LOS, there is none in existence to my knowledge. I think it best to let developments spring up when the market is right and land values are high enough. There has already been a surge of projects proposed around LOS- Merrill Tower, SoDo, and Ralston to name a few.


Hoosier - a master plan doesn't necessarily dictate what actually gets built, it simply serves as a blueprint for a desired development pattern. Think of it more as a tool to encourage potential developers to invest in the area. Haphazard development will guarantee you a negative outcome when it comes to creating an urban neighborhood or district.

Notice that the one in San Diego also keeps its gritty brick warehouses instead of knocking them down. This is why I think SODO should keep the Old winery building. Many people would kill their grandmother for a loft in an old industrial building.

Unionstation13 - you would be very impressed by all the historic buildings that were restored and incorporated into the new developments, including the actual stadium. By doing so, the City ensured the area kept its historical uniqueness and mitigated the chances that the area would turn into some disneyesque, baseball wonderland environment. They were in fact, trying to utilize the stadium to spur neighborhood-oriented development, not another cheesy tourist destination. Keepin' it real!

I agree. I was in San Diego about three years ago - and the area around the Padre's stadium was really looking good - and it was just getting started then. I'm sure it is continuing to fill in with more great developments - as can be seen from your pictures. Indy would do very well to try to get similar developments in the area around LOS. The area going west toward the River really offers some great potential. They could bring Pogue's Run back up to the surface and have a nice little stream through the area along with a great riverside greenway / park that would connect in with all the other bike/ped trails in the center city. What a great place to live. Hopefully they could keep the remaining older brick buildings and fit the new buildings in along with them so we have excellent density along with good, natural feeling streetscapes. It would be fantastic to add another 7,000 or more residents in that corner of downtown! Over ten - 15 years, I don't see why that wouldn't be possible.

Also - Can't wait to see those inside shots of the dome once they finish putting all of the blue and white seats in and they have the green rug down. And then when they open the big window for the clear view of the skyline!! ---and you know they will put blue seats in the shape of a horse shoe into that center section of white seats right under the window. Talk about the perfect view.

The first event at the LUKE is the Drum Corps International World Championship in August (I think its on the 8th). Even if I didn't like Drum and Bugle Corps stuff, I'd still try to buy a ticket to be in there for the first view of the stadium in person. Yea:)

I'm not sure we'd want to see what's running through Pogue's Run these days, but nice creative thinking!

Unionstation13 - you would be very impressed by all the historic buildings that were restored and incorporated into the new developments, including the actual stadium. By doing so, the City ensured the area kept its historical uniqueness and mitigated the chances that the area would turn into some disneyesque, baseball wonderland environment. They were in fact, trying to utilize the stadium to spur neighborhood-oriented development, not another cheesy tourist destination. Keepin' it real!

Yeah, I think its important that we reuse the high density brick structures around the LOS. They have so much gritt and charm! I love what San Diego has done. Its blended old with new so tastefully.

For all you that are interested, and to the ones that aren't. The company that is designing and building the roof is called "Uni-systems". I thought this site was interesting which talks about building the most sophisticated and one-of-a-kind roof in the world. It will be the only stadium in the world where the roof will meet at a peak and slide open toward the sidelines. There is also a 20 sec video on how the roof will open and close and how it will be the most leak proof stadium in the world:

http://www.uni-systems.com/Projects/FeaturedProjectDetails.aspx?ProjectID=11&PN=Lucas%20Oil%20Stadium

Here is another link about everything you wanted to know about our new stadium:

http://lucasoilstadium.9f.com/

I think it would be a great idea for someone to post some of these more distant pictures which show the stadium's impact and relation to the downtown skyline. I have a hard time visualizing how this looks in relation to the rest of the skyline now that I don't live nearby anymore.

Ask and you shall receive :) I'm not a professional photographer, so they're a little rough, but:

First from the Airport Expressway at the I-70 east ramp:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh32/holtr727/downtown003.jpg

Next from I-70 just east of Holt Rd. interchange:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh32/holtr727/downtown005.jpg

Ask and you shall receive :) I'm not a professional photographer, so they're a little rough, but:

First from the Airport Expressway at the I-70 east ramp:

Next from I-70 just east of Holt Rd. interchange:
I just tried doing the exact same thing on Wednesday after dropping someone off at the airport. My shots all ended up hazy garbage. Glad someone was able to capture something you can actually see!

270' in all it's glory! Dwarfs the dome. I am not sure if the dome will have much of a fill in look with the convention center, height that is. But the JW will be jutting upwards this time next year for some skyline pleasure.

I love the drive east on I-70 heading toward DT. The skyline has so much depth from that angle and at one point on I-70, LOS is dead ahead- a very impressive site.

LOS has a definite positive impact on the skyline.

I love the drive east on I-70 heading toward DT. The skyline has so much depth from that angle and at one point on I-70.

I agree. I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like once the Dome is gone. I hope it's an improvement.

I love the brief moment when Luke totally swallows the whole skyline when you're driving by!

I agree. I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like once the Dome is gone. I hope it's an improvement.

It'll be nice to maybe see St. John's again, but I fear we're going to lose filled look and LOS would look set off, but that's quite fixable. The Merril project will help if it makes it. Who knows, though, maybe it'll be better without the distraction of the dome even before anything new gets built.

I think the visibility of St.John's will add a lot of charm to the skyline again. The RCA dome filled in a gap but it wasn't anything interesting.

Progress, Punctuality Highlight Stadium Construction
Lucas Oil Stadium Will Be Done On Time, Builders Say

POSTED: 6:49 am EDT March 19, 2008
UPDATED: 6:55 am EDT March 19, 2008


INDIANAPOLIS -- Lucas Oil Stadium will be done on time, builders said Tuesday.

Construction continues at a feverish pace. Builders said the building is already 80 to 85 percent complete, 6News' Renee Jameson reported.

"(We're) doing handrails, carpet, tile and kitchen equipment," said Bob May, Hunt Construction contract manager. "I could go on and on with all the things that are going on."

About 22,000 seats are already installed. Plenty of concrete work is ongoing, as well as work on the playing field and glass wall.

Builders said the initial move of the retractable roof is set to happen by next month.

Bill Benner, of the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association, toured the stadium on Tuesday.

Along with a dramatic future expansion of the convention center, the city will also be able to use stadium space to attract business.

"Of course, it will be connected to the existing convention center via a walkway," Benner said. "There's a buzz about Indianapolis and what's going on here."

City officials hope that buzz translates to a 2012 Super Bowl bid win. Soon after Indianapolis announced it will try again to attract the NFL championship game, Hoosiers began giving their opinions on the bid committee's Web site.

There's been plenty of talk so far about a proposed downtown Super Bowl village.

"We're going to create a space that will be a big section of the downtown area. You won't be able to miss it," said Mark Miles, of the Super Bowl bid committee. "It will be organized and decorated in a way that will be spectacular."

Indianapolis narrowly lost winning the 2011 Super Bowl bid, so there's plenty of reason for optimism this time around.

"The fact that we came as close as we did last year indicates that's the case. We just have to get a couple more votes," Miles said.

The stadium is set to be completed in mid-August.

Here is the video link to the story:
http://www.theindychannel.com/video/15638868/index.html

^^Good to read that the stadium is on schedule.

Driving home yesterday afternoon, I noticed they've erected the structure that will hold the Lucas Oil Stadium signage on the east and west facades. As of yesterday, there was one lone S on the west! The structure that supports the letters is quite prominent. It's looks like giant steel heavy-duty scaffolding. It's very industrial, which obviously fits with the rest of the building.

Sorry I didn't snag a picture, use your thinkin'-box to draw yerself a mind-paintin', k? :-)

Drove by today. They now have the S.T.A.D. on the West side. By the way, did everyone here that the new stadium will host the first Sunday nite football game of the season on prime time (NBC). It will be the rematch of the SB. Da Bears...

Drove by today. They now have the S.T.A.D. on the West side. By the way, did everyone here that the new stadium will host the first Sunday nite football game of the season on prime time (NBC). It will be the rematch of the SB. Da Bears...

Chicago radio people are already cutting the name down, and using cowboy talk about the stadium, nothing happening in Indy,Naptown. Maybe one day the talk will change, but up here, Indiana period, we are backwoods hicks to alot of Chicagoans...:ohno:

Chicago radio people are already cutting the name down, and using cowboy talk about the stadium, nothing happening in Indy,Naptown. Maybe one day the talk will change, but up here, Indiana period, we are backwoods hicks to alot of Chicagoans...:ohno:

Well, we got the SB trophy, but they're right about the name. It's dumb. MetroNapolitan residents paid, what $600 million for this, and Lucas Oil pays a tenth of that and gets to slap their unimaginative name on that palace? I wish one of Indy's corporations had ponied up some cash - Eli Lilly Field, or..wait...that's it. Maybe someday we can christen it Peyton Manning Stadium...?

Chicago radio people are already cutting the name down, and using cowboy talk about the stadium, nothing happening in Indy,Naptown. Maybe one day the talk will change, but up here, Indiana period, we are backwoods hicks to alot of Chicagoans...:ohno:
Typical. I know it's wrong to generalilze, but it's amazing how many Chicagoans have their heads up their asses when it comes to things like this.

Chicago radio people are already cutting the name down, and using cowboy talk about the stadium, nothing happening in Indy,Naptown. Maybe one day the talk will change, but up here, Indiana period, we are backwoods hicks to alot of Chicagoans...:ohno:

This isn't against you IndyYeah, but I could care less. And no offense to anyone from Chicago, but they get made fun of by people in NYC for being a lesser city. It's how it goes. I'm not a backwood hick and I'm pretty sure no one else here is except the Urbanophile ;), but there are a lot of 'billies in this city. There are a lot of them in Chicago/Illinois too. As a matter of fact, they're all over the Midwest. Probably more than 50% of the population in the Midwest is hickish. They're decent hard-working people. They may not be up on the most recent Matthew Barney film, but they're nothing to be ashamed of.

The truth is, there is a lot going on in Naptown. That's what I choose to focus on. We've got so much potential and our future looks brighter everyday. 10 years ago, there wasn't much going on downtown. Look at it now! We're not quite world-class, but give us another 10-15 years of good planning and we'll be sittin' pretty.

so the letters on the side of the stadium are huge! LUC in big red letters is up on the west side, Lucas Oil is definitely getting their moneys worth.

I'm just glad that they're not plastering Lucas Oil's logo on the side of the building. That thing is super-ugly.

http://www.cradin.com/images/Site_Images/Lucas%20Oil%20Logo.jpg

Whoever talked them out of that is a godsend for the city. I'm sure it will be all over the inside, which will be bad enough, but at least I won't have to look at it everyday on my way to work. The typeface they chose for the exterior signage is nice and simple. It's very conservative and classy looking.

This isn't against you IndyYeah, but I could care less. And no offense to anyone from Chicago, but they get made fun of by people in NYC for being a lesser city. It's how it goes. I'm not a backwood hick and I'm pretty sure no one else here is except the Urbanophile ;), but there are a lot of 'billies in this city.

What can I say? I am from Laconia, population 29. And I did live in a trailer on a gravel road. I guess I resemble that remark.

This isn't against you IndyYeah, but I could care less. And no offense to anyone from Chicago, but they get made fun of by people in NYC for being a lesser city. It's how it goes. I'm not a backwood hick and I'm pretty sure no one else here is except the Urbanophile ;), but there are a lot of 'billies in this city. There are a lot of them in Chicago/Illinois too. As a matter of fact, they're all over the Midwest. Probably more than 50% of the population in the Midwest is hickish. They're decent hard-working people. They may not be up on the most recent Matthew Barney film, but they're nothing to be ashamed of.

The truth is, there is a lot going on in Naptown. That's what I choose to focus on. We've got so much potential and our future looks brighter everyday. 10 years ago, there wasn't much going on downtown. Look at it now! We're not quite world-class, but give us another 10-15 years of good planning and we'll be sittin' pretty.
I understand what you say, and I switch stations alot, however I like sports, and talk radio, and That is the way it is with Indy and Chicago, and alot of these people rarely talk about their state. Chicago is the state to them, it is not a hick state, and flat farmland area cannot exist in the state of Chicago. So I change channels,hear it again, and cannot believe only boring things happen in Indiana, Iowa, and the rest of the midwest except the whole place that Chicago is. I do like the city, but I can think of many more American and European cities that are happening as much or than Chicago in the state of Illinois. Done with my soapbox, because I love Indy!

...because I love Indy!

That's the spirit!


What can I say? I am from Laconia, population 29. And I did live in a trailer on a gravel road. I guess I resemble that remark.

29? That's crazy small! I spent the first few years of my life in Clermont, IN. It's about as podunk as it gets. It's out near the IRP drag strip, before Brownsburg. I don't know how I ended up going to art school and getting into design, but it happened. I think it's a lot like the techno scene in Detroit. You just see how crummy things are in your neighborhood, and hope and try to make things get better. Even if it's just the way you dress and what you eat.

I have to issue a correction on the data. I just checked the Census Bureau estimates for Laconia, and they are now saying it has 30 people. Somebody must've had a baby. Of course, I didn't live in the city, I was four miles outside of town in the suburbs.

I guess I always thought I would go off to college and leave the town, but I never thought growing up that it was a bad place. I actually still don't. While I recognize its problems and don't have a strong desire to go back there, I think it was a good place to grow up and recognize its attraction for others. When I lived there, I just never knew anything different. It was like growing up in a bubble. It only occurred to me later in life, for example, that we were ridiculously poor when I was a kid. It wasn't something that registered for me.

My brother Luke and I both left, which is unusual. Harrison County is the kind of place people don't leave, and don't want to leave. Though a few people migrated north. In addition to my brother in Indy (now Chicago), I know three people out of my graduating class of 50 who now live in Indy. I just met a guy downtown last week who also graduated from my high school, albeit in a different year.

Well all the crap Chicagoans are espouting on talk radio just means they are covering for how scared they are of da Bears getting blown out by the Colts on opening weekend.

Indy pounded da Cubs in SB XLI and the hairy mammals have fallen off the face of the earth since then while the Colts actually improved their regular season record in 2007 and are poised to challenge for the SB again in 2008.

Anyone who says that there is nothing going on in DT Indy is either: a) incredibly ignorant, b) or has never been to Indianapolis.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Drum Corps International World Championships is moving this summer's competition to Indiana University's Memorial Stadium because the new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis won't be completed in time.

About 40 drum and bugle corps from around the world will participate in the three-day event, Aug. 7-9.

...

The Indianapolis Colts are scheduled to open the new stadium with a preseason game against Buffalo on Aug. 24.

...

link (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008804080385)

^^ Here is the full article:

Lucas Oil Stadium not ready for major summer band event

Star and news service reports

Drum Corps International is moving its World Championships to Bloomington this summer because Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis won’t be ready in time.

About 40 drum-and-bugle corps from around the world will compete at Indiana University's Memorial Stadium, Aug. 7-9. The competition is expected to draw about 35,000 people.

The Indianapolis Colts are scheduled to open the new stadium with a preseason game against Buffalo on Aug. 24. A state official involved with the construction said today that the plan was always to open the stadium in mid-August -- too late for the marching bands event.

Drum Corps International, in a statement released Friday, said it began planning the championships two years ago and knew that Lucas might not be ready by early August.

Still, the group said, it was surprised to finally learn last week through a news report that the stadium wouldn’t be available.

“We’re a bit frustrated that we were ‘scooped’ on learning of this development, as we had no direct knowledge prior to the announcement that a change of venue was imminent,” said Dan Acheson, Executive Director and CEO of Drum Corps International.

“The notification occurring in this manner was not what any of those directly involved with our World Championships events had intended.”

Dave Frick, chairman of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority, said today that Lucas Oil Stadium is on schedule to be completed Aug. 15.

"We will be done," Frick said. "We have always had the countdown clock and the clock was always set for Aug. 15. That has always been our completion date."

Frick explained that the Drum Corps International championship was to have been held at the new stadium only if the construction could be completed early. The event will still be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2009, he said.

Drum Corps International says it has had contingency plans to ensure a “seamless process” of moving the competition this summer.

Drum Corps International posted answers to “frequently asked questions” at its Web site, http://www.dci.org/, and said free transportation will be available for fans who booked rooms in Indy expecting the competition to be there.

“Clearly, there are many issues that we’re moving quickly to address, and we’re appreciative of our loyal fans who continue to be patient as we work to create a championship experience,” Acheson said.

Well, Indy's fuckup is Bloomington's gain. Maybe the economic loss of not having the stadium ready by early August will inspire the general contractor to pull their head out of their ass and get the fucking stadium built.

Actually, if you read the article it says that the plan was always mid-August, which is too late for the Drum Corps. The stadium is 85% complete and on-time(maybe slightly ahead of schedule) and under budget. So I don't think the general contractor needs to get his head out of anything. This is nothing like the mess that was Circle Center Mall. I think we should all be applauding these contractors for a job well done, it seems like we receive such so rarely in the central city.

Can't wait to see the Speed Blue and White in action, hopefully I can get back up to Indy for the opener.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/LOCAL18/804160438/1304/frontpagecities

Above is the link for the story, heres a link on that same page with a gallery of the stadium, pretty nice pics.

http://www2.indystar.com/autofocus/galleries/slides/1545/1

Does anyone know why they are tearing up the north parking lot of the stadium? Are they expanding South St, or are they moving it closer to the RCA Dome? Maybe South St won't even run in front of the new stadium.

I'm absolutely certain that South will run in front of the stadium. Are you talking about the parking lot that abuts the elevated tracks? My mom works right there on South so I'll ask her if she can get any info from her boss.

Does anyone know why they are tearing up the north parking lot of the stadium? Are they expanding South St, or are they moving it closer to the RCA Dome? Maybe South St won't even run in front of the new stadium.

I'm not sure about why they're tearing up the whole parking lot, it could be a solution to the land they lost to the bean company on the south side.

That lot was pretty haggard. The ramps, entrances, etc. are now obsolete because the RCA Dome is coming down.

Part of that lot (the east side) will be a connector to the convention center. They're probably just making it all nice again. It would not leave a good impression to walk out of the new connector seeing a an obviously long-neglected parking lot.

This is a picture of it from the ICC video:
http://www.in.gov/iscba/2490.htm

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t206/ablerock/Connector.jpg

Lucas Oil Stadium from the Kentucky Ave. bridge.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/Lucas%20Oil%20Stadium/04-20-08/2008-04IndyDev002.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/Lucas%20Oil%20Stadium/04-20-08/2008-04IndyDev003.jpg

I bet you could get some amazing shots of the stadium on a less hazy day. I've also got some new shots of the Lucas Oil Stadium sign up on my blog.

http://dig-b.blogspot.com/2008/04/photos-lucas-oil-stadium.html

^^What a shame how Indy has neglected the White River. It is so polluted and ignored by the city. It could be a wonderful asset, fostering mid/high rise development near its shores but for now it is a glorified storm water channel with unkept foliage and graffiti lining its banks.

Strongly Agreed. Perhaps Indy should look at White River more closely and capitalize on it's potential. Oklahoma City has, and has an article about the success of it's river in the NY Times on 4.21.08
http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1242132_r2llk/22oklahoma.1.600.jpg

In Oklahoma, a River Alters a City’s Course.

OKLAHOMA CITY — As the nation’s top kayakers and canoeists dipped their paddles in the Oklahoma River over the weekend while competing for a spot on the United States Olympic team, it was possible to imagine that a few city leaders had something else on their minds.

Like, take that, John Steinbeck.

Almost 70 years after Steinbeck popularized the plight of Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl refugees in “The Grapes of Wrath,” residents here still chafe at the city’s reputation as a barren place. As recently as a decade ago, the river was a scar through the city’s heart, at times a trickle of water in a ditch so overgrown it had to be mowed three times a year.

Civic leaders and politicians gambled millions that a rejuvenated river would attract investors to an economically struggling city known for its love of football and rodeo. But to the surprise of even those behind the effort, the river has spawned something else.

The city has become a mecca for elite water sports. Last fall, a crowd of 50,000 showed up for a rowing competition that drew Olympic athletes from Australia and the Czech Republic. Three local universities have begun varsity rowing programs, and a fourth is considering one.

“We completely did it by accident,” Mayor Mick Cornett said.

After a series of floods devastated the area in the 1920s, Oklahoma City and the United States Army Corps of Engineers sought to prevent future catastrophes by straightening, widening and redirecting a stretch of the North Canadian River away from the population center.

“They said, ‘That will never happen again,’ ” Mr. Cornett said. “And sure enough, they took all the water out of our river.”

Talk of bringing the river back persisted for decades, especially as civic leaders and planners searched for ways to turn the city around after the oil bust of the 1980s left the local economy reeling. In 1993, taxpayers narrowly approved a sales tax dedicated to an ambitious redevelopment, including the creation of a ballpark, an arena, a library and a trolley system. The tax also included money for the river.

In 1999, engineers began erecting a series of dams and locks that transformed the ditch into a bona fide waterway. Along with the Corps of Engineers, the city planted thousands of trees and added wetlands and walking trails along the banks.

By the time the corridor opened to the public in December 2004, the city and the federal government had spent a combined $54 million. State legislators renamed a seven-mile stretch the Oklahoma River, and private investors built a futuristic boathouse.

The city has since attracted an estimated $700 million in new development. A Dell office complex is on the riverfront, and a multimillion-dollar American Indian Cultural Center is under construction.

Renaming the river was the idea of Ray Ackerman, an advertising executive from Oklahoma City who said he cringed whenever he flew over the ditch on his way home. Mr. Ackerman argued that the name North Canadian River would confuse out-of-towners, but the change drew grumbles from many longtime residents who worried history was being erased.

People like Mr. Ackerman saw economic opportunity in the river. Mike Knopp’s view was more elemental — the newly filled waterway could now float a boat. Mr. Knopp, a rowing enthusiast, looked at one 2,000-meter stretch that was perfectly straight and realized the Army Corps of Engineers had unwittingly created an ideal location for a boat race.

“It’s very spectator-friendly,” he said. “And that is pretty unique, to have an urban venue like this.”

In 1998, Mr. Knopp invited Pat Downes, a consultant to the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, to a regatta on a nearby lake. It was a cold, rainy day, Mr. Downes recalled, but he saw opportunity. “The sight of those long, graceful rowing shells on a body of water is truly a remarkable sight,” he said.

The river’s potential as a sporting site has become an integral part of city leaders’ dreams for the future. Of course, the city continues to pursue other sports projects. Last week, for example, N.B.A. owners approved the relocation of the Seattle Supersonics to Oklahoma City. Still, little has captured the community’s imagination more than boating.

Mr. Knopp quit his job as a lawyer and became the head rowing coach at Oklahoma City University, one of the three local universities that offer rowing as a varsity sport with athletic scholarships.With the help of corporate donors, like the locally based Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Mr. Knopp set about building a state-of-the-art boathouse. It filled almost immediately after opening in 2006.

Jim Abbott, the athletic director of Oklahoma City University, said he was skeptical when Mr. Knopp approached the institution.

“This is Oklahoma — we’re football, we’re rodeo,” he said. “So rowing five years ago was nowhere on the minds of the average Oklahoman.”

But he quickly saw the benefits. Since September 2003, when the team began, 70 athletes have enrolled at the university because of the rowing program.

“The four largest events in the history of our university are the four regattas that we’ve hosted,” Mr. Abbott said. Those events now draw the nation’s top rowing teams, including Harvard, and attendance has quintupled since the first regatta was held in 2004, Mr. Abbott said.

The sport’s popularity has grown so fast that the three university teams are planning to build boathouses along the river, and another university is considering erecting a fourth. There is even talk of constructing a white-water course near the new boathouses.

Kayakers at the weekend Olympic trials, which drew between 10,000 and 15,000 spectators, said they had heard about Oklahoma City through their friends in rowing. Aside from some concerns about the city’s ferocious winds, the athletes said they were pleased.

“I think they’ve definitely proven that they can provide a solid race course and event,” said Carrie Johnson, who earned a spot on the Olympic team in the 500-meter single kayak event on Friday.

Ms. Johnson was the only athlete over the weekend to be definitively selected for the United States team; the rest will be selected after races in Montreal and Szeged, Hungary.

“The actual boathouse is one of the best that I’ve seen,” she said.

The Oklahoma River has also won over Norman Bellingham, the chief operating officer of the United States Olympic Committee and a gold medalist in kayaking.

“I was a little bit in disbelief,” he said, recalling his initial reaction to rowing in Oklahoma City. “I had to come out and see it myself.”

Then, at the USA Rowing World Challenge held in Oklahoma City last October, Mr. Bellingham spotted a top competitor from New Zealand. He said he knew the site had been accepted.

Perhaps the best test, he said, was that he got few questions when he told people where the Olympic trials were being held. In the boating world, “it seems like a very natural, logical statement to make,” he said. “You don’t get that second look like, did I hear that correctly

Most cities used their rivers for industrial or waste disposal purposes. It is easy today to say it shouldn't have been done. But 50, 100 years ago, maybe it was the right answer. The challenge is to reorient urban rivers now that the previous uses are largely obsolete and/or significantly cleaner.

I don't think it will be done, there seems to be to much to do by the end of May. But here is the article on it:

Lucas Oil Stadium just 4 weeks from deadline

Posted: April 15, 2008 05:48 PM EDT

Lucas Oil Stadium just 4 weeks from deadline

Starting Monday, crews will focus on the west roof. A computer will move the retractable metal panels along five tracks.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The completion date for Lucas Oil Stadium is just four weeks away. One of the top priorities for construction crews right now is the stadium's retractable roof.

The stadium roof has an opening that's more than 176,000 square feet. The goal next week is to close it up.

Starting Monday, crews will focus on the west roof. A computer will move the retractable metal panels along five tracks.

"This is probably the largest moving panels of any stadium I am aware of to open and close on an NFL stadium," said Bob May of Hunt Construction.

Testing is expected to take days. Crews will move the panels at the slowest speed possible to ensure everything is aligned. The ability to open and close the roof will be a big selling point for the city.

"It makes band competitions, open air concerts...it makes certain opportunities that never existed with the RCA Dome come to fruition," said Bob Schultz of the Convention and Visitors' Association.

Down on the ground, the stadium's floor is now concrete. Just last month half of it was mud.

Over the past four weeks crews completed putting in the lower bowl. All that's left now is to put in the seats.

And where the concrete castings stop, crews are now in the process of adding retractable seating down to the ground level.

Several stories up, crews build the steel structure that will hold one of the stadiums massive 90 feet-wide video screens.

Outside the facility, large letters let the public know the building is Lucas Oil Stadium.

Once up and running, it will take nine to 11 minutes to open or close the roof. During the testing process they expect it will take between 5-7 hours.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=8171364

There is also a video to go along with it.

I thought 4 weeks was a misprint and it was actually closer to 4 months? They said theres a mid august deadline..

I don't think it will be done, there seems to be to much to do by the end of May. But here is the article on it:

Lucas Oil Stadium just 4 weeks from deadline

Posted: April 15, 2008 05:48 PM EDT

Lucas Oil Stadium just 4 weeks from deadline

Starting Monday, crews will focus on the west roof. A computer will move the retractable metal panels along five tracks.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The completion date for Lucas Oil Stadium is just four weeks away. One of the top priorities for construction crews right now is the stadium's retractable roof.

The stadium roof has an opening that's more than 176,000 square feet. The goal next week is to close it up.

Starting Monday, crews will focus on the west roof. A computer will move the retractable metal panels along five tracks.

"This is probably the largest moving panels of any stadium I am aware of to open and close on an NFL stadium," said Bob May of Hunt Construction.

Testing is expected to take days. Crews will move the panels at the slowest speed possible to ensure everything is aligned. The ability to open and close the roof will be a big selling point for the city.

"It makes band competitions, open air concerts...it makes certain opportunities that never existed with the RCA Dome come to fruition," said Bob Schultz of the Convention and Visitors' Association.

Down on the ground, the stadium's floor is now concrete. Just last month half of it was mud.

Over the past four weeks crews completed putting in the lower bowl. All that's left now is to put in the seats.

And where the concrete castings stop, crews are now in the process of adding retractable seating down to the ground level.

Several stories up, crews build the steel structure that will hold one of the stadiums massive 90 feet-wide video screens.

Outside the facility, large letters let the public know the building is Lucas Oil Stadium.

Once up and running, it will take nine to 11 minutes to open or close the roof. During the testing process they expect it will take between 5-7 hours.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=8171364

There is also a video to go along with it.

^^ what??? it isn't supposed to be completed until early august and was never supposed to be completed in may.

^^ what??? it isn't supposed to be completed until early august and was never supposed to be completed in may.

It probable was a mistake. The only way I see this happening in 4 weeks is if they have 2000-2500 workers on site daily. One thing I did see is that it looks like they have some of if not all of the 1700 ft of LED ribbon on the 2nd level. If you watch the video at the :42 and :55 sec mark (guy with white hard hat and sunglasses), look behind him at the glasses level and you see what looks like a black ribbon board. IMO, I would think most of those workers would have to work on the seats, field and outside, while the rest work on the inside (press box, scoreboards and suites). And by week 3, the sponsors would have to start moving in.

It should say 4 months.

Once again, the Indianapolis Star proves that its editorial staff consists of high school yearbook editors.

This is from the other misleading article they ran about the Drum Corps International Championships:

Dave Frick, chairman of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority, said today that Lucas Oil Stadium is on schedule to be completed Aug. 15.

"We will be done," Frick said. "We have always had the countdown clock and the clock was always set for Aug. 15. That has always been our completion date."

It should say 4 months.

Once again, the Indianapolis Star proves that its editorial staff consists of high school yearbook editors.

This is from the other misleading article they ran about the Drum Corps International Championships:

Dave Frick, chairman of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority, said today that Lucas Oil Stadium is on schedule to be completed Aug. 15.

"We will be done," Frick said. "We have always had the countdown clock and the clock was always set for Aug. 15. That has always been our completion date."

It wasn't the Star that wrote the article. It was WISHTV Channel 8 that wrote the article and video.

http://oxblue.com/archive/8252a53cdf135347c0dd1d16228b6ff2/1024x768.jpg

Just wanted to point out that the roof was closed this afternoon. If you start about 6pm you can watch (http://lucasoilstadium.oxblue.com/) it close.

It wasn't the Star that wrote the article. It was WISHTV Channel 8 that wrote the article and video.

I am a tool. :lol:

I guess all the news outlets in Indianapolis are going down the toilet. :ohno:

just watched something about the dome demolition on wthr, they said Lucas Oil Stadium is on track for an August 15th deadline, no earlier.

Damn, was the parking lot painted white?:lol:

As for Indy and its utilization of its waterways, the city completely cleaned up and renovated the canal which is now a big tourist and residential hot spot DT. The White River is large enough that is has a constant flow and doesn't dry up, so there is a lot of potential to build marinas and residential or mixed use complexes along its banks along with new parks and trails.

The stretch of the White River shown in the picture (with the grafitti) is probably the worst looking half mile stretch of the entire 30 or so miles that the river flows through in Marion County. I believe that will change fairly soon though. The area between Lucas Stadium and the River will begin filling in with new developments and a cleaned up river with walkways and bike paths will undoubtedly be part of those plans. From Washington St, (a few blocks north of the view in that picture) the River has been taken care of pretty well as it runs through White River State Park, South Grove Golf Course, Riverside Park, Coffin Golf Course, alongside the Indpls Museum of Art, past Butler and CTS campuses, past Broad Ripple Park, Holiday Park and on out to the north. To the south it generally looks pretty good too - as there isn't much development of any kind along it. It passes Southwestway Park down there also and looks very nice down in that area. It would be great to see some nice mid-rise developments put up along side it though. That area near downtown would work well for that. The culvert emptying into the River is where Pogues Run meets White River after being put underground for a mile or so. It would be great for it to be "unroofed" where it passes Lucas Oil Stadium and then turned into a nice water amenity for the area southwest of the stadium. (One time (mid 80's) when they were renovating Union Station, I snuck in and was exploring and came across a place where the water from Pogues Run ran through a brick waterway through the basement. Very cool.)

Man, I wish I could see that brick waterway you mentioned. I love that kind of old-school engineery stuff.

As for the LOS shots above, I'm a little surprised by the reaction here! Honestly, I thought it looked kinda cool. Not that I'm going to miss it if some developer wants to clean up the area, but a little industrial grit and some graffiti can be cool sometimes.

Man, I wish I could see that brick waterway you mentioned. I love that kind of old-school engineery stuff.

As for the LOS shots above, I'm a little surprised by the reaction here! Honestly, I thought it looked kinda cool. Not that I'm going to miss it if some developer wants to clean up the area, but a little industrial grit and some graffiti can be cool sometimes.

My sentiments exactly.

I was driving past the stadium yesterday and noticed they have the outside steps put in on the east side of the building. The day-to-day progress is mind boggling.

new pics of the inside/outside:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alxconn/sets/72157604651135731/

Here is the latest video tour of the stadium:

http://www.our2012sb.com/

Thanks for posting the photo link and the video link. Great stuff. I can't wait for August.

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/indy%20photos/S4300032.jpg

These are not mine, but I thought you would like them. One Colts fan took a tour of the stadium yesterday and posted them on one of the Colts forum.

One of the suites
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit1.jpg

Colts locker room
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit38.jpg

Example of locker
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit39.jpg

Carpet through out the building
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit2.jpg

Main concourse
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit32.jpg

South endzone
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit13.jpg

Retractable roof closed. The space between them is normal. Here is a link and video of what it will look like once the very top will be put on and how it will be waterproof from the weather: http://www.uni-systems.com/Projects/FeaturedProjectDetails.aspx?ProjectID=11&PN=Lucas%20Oil%20Stadium
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit17.jpg

Windows will be placed at the top of the stadium (skywindows). They already have the West side done
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit15.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit36.jpg

See all the wooden crates at the bottom left? Those are pieces of the Jumbotron. There's a worker standing next to one of the crates. Each "chunk" is 1/12 of the total TV, so if that guy is 6ft tall, you can see how damn big those TV's are going to be. Also, in the top, center of the photo, you can see the mounting brackets for the jumbotron. Look how big it is compared to about 50 rows of seats!
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/ccvwalker/5-5-08LucasOilVisit5.jpg

does anyone know where the giant pictures of peyton and marvin on the dome will be going once the dome is torn down? i always thought theyd lookneat on the outside of the new stadium on each side of the retractable window

does anyone know where the giant pictures of peyton and marvin on the dome will be going once the dome is torn down? i always thought theyd lookneat on the outside of the new stadium on each side of the retractable window

I'm pretty sure they won't be putting up giant pictures of Marvin until his legal troubles are sorted out.

cool-lookin' stadium. LOVE that carpet throughout the building!:okay:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/indy%20photos/S4300032.jpg

Wow, that shot really exposes the stadium's very Gothic design influence. Perhaps that makes sense as sports stadiums are our modern day cathedrals.

In a week and a day - we should find out if this building will be the site of a little football game during the first week of February, 2012 that a billion people will have their t.v. sets tuned to!! Can't wait to hear the news from Atlanta. Keep your fingers crossed!

Its official. Feb. 5th, 2012! Great job Indy.

Congrats to Indy!

Looks very industrial. I wonder if that's the idea?

Looks very industrial. I wonder if that's the idea?

Wikepedia does not mention the design decision. I think it is a compliment to indoor Indiana stadiums. Wikepedia does need the superbowl update added, even though there is a mention of the stadium being under construction, etc...

From what I have come to understand, the design is based on a combination of ideas. The brick matches very well with many of the older, 1920's era industrial warehouse buildings on the south side of downtown Indy. There is a great big industrial coal generated power plant about 1 1/2 blocks away that has a very similar brick and steel style, with three or so huge smoke stacks. Also - the general brick and limestone look is supposed to exemplify the typical older Midwest College football stadiums - stadiums built like those at places like the Univ. of Notre Dame, in nearby South Bend, IN; the Univ. of Michigan's huge football stadium ("The Big House") in Ann Arbor; the Univ. of Illinois' Memorial Stadium in Champagne / Urbana and similar huge, older stadiums. (Although Ohio State's huge "Horseshoe" is an amazing stadium and has the same historic, "industrial, cathedral" style - it has less brick on the exterior so in my opinion, it fits into a different style than Lucas Oil Stadium's brick, industrial look. It's more of a real cathedral look - even having stained glass in one of the main entry ways.) The big old "barn" style also is typical of many of the big basketball field houses - also built in that 1920's - 1930's era - with a similar brick and stone style - like nearby (ie 5 miles away) Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse (where the final basketball championship scenes from the movie "Hoosiers" were shot); The University of Minnesota's Williams Arena; St. John's Arena in Columbus, OH; and other big, older stadiums. The inside of the stadium exposes a large amount of the huge, steel beams and girders, showing thousands of giant rivets. Leaving the huge steel support girders exposed above the roof is meant to add to the industrial look of the stadium. I think there is a great appreciation in the Midwest - home of the Big Ten Conference - for these huge old, historic stadiums. Lucas Oil Stadium is meant to give some of that feeling to people as they walk in through the many brick and limestone arched entryways, then into the expansive brick and cement outer concourses - before stepping into the massive expanse of the interior of the stadium. I think you'll get that great, awesome feeling walking into the seating part and looking down onto the beautiful green playing field. Whether the roof is open or closed, I think it will be an amazing place to experience a football game.

I think it's a fantastic design in most midwestern cities.

I think it's a fantastic design in most midwestern cities.
I honestly do not see how this design would work in anywhere but Indianapolis.