Dallas Cowboys New Stadium is the working title of a new stadium being built in Arlington, Texas for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. It will replace
Texas Stadium, which opened in 1971. It is scheduled to open before the 2009 NFL season and will accommodate 80,000, with the possibility for
expansion to 100,000.
New Cowboys Stadium was designed by the Dallas-based architectural firm HKS. In addition to the Cowboys, it is possible the new stadium will
be used by college football teams and other organizations for other sporting and non-sporting events; the AT&T Cotton Bowl will move its annual
game to the stadium once it opens.
Originally estimated to cost $650 million, the stadium's current construction cost is in excess of $1 billion, which will make it one of the most
expensive sports venues ever built. To aid Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones in paying the construction costs of the new stadium,
Arlington voters approved the increase of the city's sales tax by one-half of a percent, the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent, and car rental tax by
5 percent. The City of Arlington will provide $325 million in funding, and Jones will cover any cost overruns. Also, the NFL will provide the
Cowboys with an additional $150 million, as per their policy for giving teams a certain lump sum of money for stadium finance.
As with many recently built sports venues, it is possible that when opened, the naming rights to New Cowboys Stadium will be sold to a large
corporation. However, in reference to Jones, many fans have taken to referring to the project as "Jerry World."
A nearly 300-foot-tall arch will span the length of the stadium dome, anchored to the ground at each end. The stadium also will have a
retractable roof as previously announced, and doors will allow each end zone to be opened. When the design was officially unveiled on
December 12, it showed that the roof would look exactly the same as Texas Stadium's roof, with its trademark hole. However, it would be covered
by the retractable roof panel should it rain or else if the heat conditions are unbearable.
A Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame is planned for the appropriately named Hall of Fame level. The drawings also include a site for a large sculpture
northeast of the stadium, close to Randol Mill Road.
Excavation work at the stadium site began in May 2006 near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Until it opens, the Cowboys will continue to play in
Texas Stadium.
Timeline
1994: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he wants to expand the 65,000-seat Texas Stadium by up to 40,000 seats, add retractable roof panels
and install a climate-control system to make the stadium a year-round venue for sporting events, including the Super Bowl, concerts and
conventions.
1997 - 2000: The Cowboys hold preliminary talks with Arlington officials about building a stadium there. The team also publicly discusses a
$260 million plan to upgrade Texas Stadium. In 2000, the Cowboys compile a list of potential stadium sites, which include Grapevine, Coppell
and Arlington. The team continues negotiating with Irving to renovate Texas Stadium.
2001: Jones says Arlington is a leading contender for a $500 million stadium. The primary site being considered is the 2,000-acre Lakes of
Arlington tract on Farm Road 157. Other cities in the running include Grapevine and Grand Prairie. In October, Jones discusses the new
stadium with the mayors of Arlington, Irving, Grapevine and Dallas.
2003: The Cowboys ask the Irving City Council to extend their lease at Texas Stadium, which expires at the end of the 2008 season, on a
year-to-year basis. They narrow their search to sites in Las Colinas and Dallas, and state legislators file bills that would allow Dallas County to
increase its hotel-occupancy and car-rental taxes to pay for a new stadium.
2004: In April, the Cowboys announce plans to build a $650 million stadium at Fair Park in Dallas. The deal requires $425 million in public
financing from a 3 percent hotel-occupancy tax and a 6 percent car-rental tax. The deal falls apart in June when Dallas County commissioners
say they cannot justify asking voters to approve the team's request for $425 million in public funding. In July, the Cowboys and Arlington
announce they are negotiating to locate the stadium near Ameriquest Field (now Rangers Ballpark in Arlington). In August, the City Council
agrees unanimously to put before voters a tax increase that would fund the city's $325 million portion of the project. Voters approve the tax
increase on November 2.
2005: Arlington and the Cowboys choose the site south of Randol Mill Road and east of Collins Street for the new stadium. The city begins
notifying residents and property owners of its plans to acquire their property. The Cowboys hire the HKS architectural firm to design the
stadium. Early blueprints show 414 luxury suites and a two-panel retractable roof. The city completes its sale of $297.9 million in bonds to pay
for its portion of the construction. Demolition of houses begins November 1.
2006: The Cowboys hire Oklahoma-based Manhattan Construction as the general contractor for the stadium and announce alliances with two
minority-owned general contractors: Rayco Construction of Grand Prairie and 3i Construction of Dallas. The city completes its land purchases,
although it still faces a number of lawsuits over land acquisition. Excavation begins in April, and the two primary construction cranes are raised
in August. In October, the grass amphitheater on Randol Mill Road is leveled to make way for the extension of Baird Farm Road. The stadium's
structure begins to go up in December. Also on December 12, the Cowboys and Jerry Jones unveil in-depth plans and designs of the stadium
to the public.
2007: Masonry work began in February, and placing of the structural precast concrete commenced in April. Work on the retractable roof,
designed by Uni-Systems, will start in June. exterior facade and enclosure work will begin in July.
2008: Work on the parking lots will begin in March. The steel roof will be in place and completed by June. Installation of the scoreboard and
sound system will begin in September. Later in the year, the seats will be installed and landscaping will begin.
2009: The artificial-turf field will be brought into the stadium. The stadium is scheduled to be completed in August, and the Cowboys will play
their first home game there in September.
2010: On January 1, the AT&T Cotton Bowl will be played at the new stadium, as was announced on February 27, 2007.
