[Chicago2020]

Hole in roof remains
Cowboys taking distinctive design to new home

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- The Dallas Cowboys are taking their distinctive hole-in-the-roof design with them to their $1 billion new stadium.

Only this time, the playground will feature a sliding lid to keep the elements out. That's a must considering there's going to be a 60-yard-long, 50-foot-high scoreboard hanging over the football field.

With a glowing, glass facade, sliding doors on both ends and 80,000 seats -- 100,000, if necessary -- the Cowboys sure are aiming for the kind of showplace you'd expect from a club that bills itself as "America's Team."

"I'm convinced it's a building that will be a classic when it comes to looking at its design," team owner Jerry Jones boasted following a Tuesday night unveiling that was more like an Oscars-esque event.

Complete with a red-carpet entrance that actually was the team's shade of blue, the party featured 10 members of the team's Ring of Honor and, of course, a performance by the Cowboys cheerleaders.

Bob Costas was the master of ceremonies and his hyperbolic-filled introduction included calling the stadium "the most extraordinary athletic facility every conceived ... a 21st century, supersonic setting." A video leading to computer-generated shots of the interior referenced many architectural greats, such as the Pyramids in Egypt and the Colosseum.

The unnamed facility is scheduled to open in 2009. The club already has begun lobbying to host the 2011 Super Bowl, and probably won't have a problem luring more major events if it lives up to its billing as the largest pro sports venue in the country.

The building is certainly impressive, with the glass exterior its most eye-catching feature. Jones said the glass is made to glow blue and silver during the day, then the colors will reverse at night.

"It's basically a changing color scheme, but all within the traditional colors of the Cowboys," he said.

The retractable glass doors on the ends will provide an open-air feeling on days when weather permits. Jones said he expects most games will feature the roof closed but the ends open.

Outside each end are visible two steel arches that run all the way through the playing field, peaking around the hole in the roof 320 feet above the playing field. However, from the inside, they are somewhat obscured by everything else going on.

Arlington voters agreed in 2004 to pay for $325 million of this stadium, with the Cowboys paying the rest of a projected $650 million pricetag. The skyrocketing tab is likely worth every penny to Jones, a former oil wildcatter-turned-billionaire who loves making a splash as much as he loves winning championships.

"No doubt about it, I want our fans to have the pride in a building that is recognized in a quality way," Jones said.

The Cowboys raised the bar on facilities -- and ushered in the era of grand privilege for the high-dollar fan -- when Texas Stadium opened in 1971. It featured a then-whopping 176 luxury suites and was paid for through personal bonds, a concept that has since morphed into "personal seat licenses," a cover charge fans must pay to be allowed to buy season tickets.

Texas Stadium's most distinct feature is the strange top, jokingly said to be "so God can watch his team play," but really a result of financial and structural problems.

The new place retains the iconic partial roof as a nod to the past. Everything else will be futuristic.

Start with the humongous TV screen that stretches between the 20-yard lines. With four sides, it will be visible to fans on both sides and in both end zones. More giant monitors will be featured outside the building.

Then there's the next step in luxury suites: Field-level boxes, including an area that also will serve as the team's entry point to the field, letting fans personally wish players good luck before kickoff.

The Cowboys kept the average fan in mind, too, minimizing the distance between fans and the field. Team officials claim the upper deck will be closer to the action than any other NFL stadium.

Most of the end-zone area will be standing-room only, but seats could be added. That's how the capacity could jump by 20,000.

With so much to cram in, the new stadium will certainly live up to the saying that everything is bigger in Texas. At 2.3 million square feet, it's more than 21/2 times the size of Texas Stadium.

Considering the Cowboys are guaranteed only 10 home games a year (eight regular season, two preseason), the team will be seeking other uses. College football's Cotton Bowl and the annual Texas-Oklahoma game may be lured from Dallas and the stadium could host national and international events in all sorts of other sports.