A tour of U.S. Bank Stadium last week shows that "everything good that has been said about the new Vikings stadium is true and then some," according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The concourses "are amazing, the scoreboards will rank with the best in any stadium or arena, the sight lines will be the best." Hartman: "You can go on and on and sing the praises of the Vikings’ future home. Take your hat off to the Wilf family for already contributing an extra $95 million to the project, and that’s before the escalators and other features will be added. I expect the Wilfs will continue adding additional money to make it a first-class stadium." They recently "got some good news" when Dallas-based HKS Architects, which "designed the stadium, also was hired to design the plaza outside the stadium for $400,000, half the firm’s original $800,000 estimate." Vikings Exec VP/Public Affairs & Stadium Development Lester Bagley said of HKS, "They’re going to generate some significant fees in this project, but they should because this is one of the beautiful designs of stadiums in the league." He added, "We’re trying to change the street name to Vikings Way in front of the stadium." Hartman writes the stadium "is going quite a bit over budget in order to fulfill everything the team wants out of the building." When it comes to the Wilfs’ financial contribution, Bagley said that the team "isn’t sure if those additional fees have come to an end or not."
CENTER OF ATTENTION: The STAR TRIBUNE's Hartman notes the Pohlads, owners of the Twins, "have improved Target Field every year since it opened" in '10 and "plan to enhance the center field concourse for next season." K.C.-based architecture firm Populous, which originally designed the ballpark, "will assist in planning a new multilevel gathering space for fans that will include new amenities, signature concession offerings and enhanced technology." Minneapolis-based firm Mortenson Construction "has been retained to handle the construction" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/6).
