U.S. Bank Stadium

Years before construction began on the stadium, local and national conservation groups - including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Audubon Society - requested a "bird-friendly" design of the stadium's exterior using slightly less transparent bird-safe glass.[19] Designers ignored the advice and instead used highly reflective glass for aesthetic reasons. The reflective glass, combined with the stadium lying along the Mississippi Flyway migration route, has resulted in a large number of bird deaths, double any other building in Minneapolis.[19] A "bird fatality study" being financed by the Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is expected to be completed in 2019. If changes are made, it will now cost about $10 million to replace the existing glass with bird-safe glass rather than the $1 million it would have added to the original construction.[20]

The design for U.S. Bank Stadium has been compared to the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, which was created by architect Philip Johnson.[21][22][23] Opened in 1980, the then-named Crystal Cathedral was previously considered America's largest glass-dominated building. The stadium, which likewise sports transparent roofs, walls, and giant rotating doors, has the world's five largest pivoting doors.[24]

Dark facade side of stadium

The seating capacity is 66,860 for most games, slightly more than the Metrodome, and can be expanded to 73,000 for soccer, concerts, and special events, such as the Super Bowl.[25][2]

Example of Nordic vernacular architecture, the style used for the design of the stadium roof

On April 19, 2007, the MSFC and the Vikings unveiled their initial plans for the stadium and surrounding urban area, with an estimated opening of 2012.[34] The plan included substantial improvements to the surrounding area, including an improved light rail stop, 4,500 residential units, hotels with a combined 270 rooms, 1.7 million square feet (160,000 m²) of office space and substantial retail space.[34]

As of 2007, the stadium would have held approximately 73,600 people and was to have been complete by August 2011. The initial proposal did not have the final architectural design renderings, but did include key features that were to have been included in any final plan, including the plans for neighboring urban development. These included demands for a retractable roof, an open view of the surroundings (particularly the downtown skyline), a glass-enclosed Winter Garden alongside the already-existing adjacent Metrodome light-rail stop, leafy urban square with outdoor cafés and dense housing around its edges, aesthetic improvements to roads connecting the stadium to nearby cultural institutions, and adaptive reuse of neighboring historic buildings.[35] The roof would have allowed Minneapolis to remain a potential venue for the Super Bowl and Final Four, both of which had been held at the Metrodome. The proposed urban plan itself was received with cautious welcome.[36]

The 2007 proposed cost estimate for the downtown Minneapolis stadium was $953.916 million.[37] The total broke down to $616.564 million for the stadium, $200.729 million for a retractable roof, $58.13 million for parking, $8.892 million for adjacent land right-of-way, and $69.601 million to take into account inflation by 2010.[37] The estimate compared to then-upcoming stadiums in Indianapolis at $675 million (retractable roof, completed 2008), Dallas at $932 million (retractable roof, completed 2009), and New York at $1.7 billion (open-air, completed in 2010).[37] In addition, according to Wilf, taking into account the costs for the surrounding urban developments put forth in the proposal would have brought the estimated total to $2 billion.[33] The estimated costs were based on projected 2008 construction and material costs, so it would have been possible that the stadium costs could have hovered near $1 billion if the Minnesota State Legislature had not approved the project in the 2008 session.[38]

No proposals were made, at that time, for paying for the stadium.[34] The MSFC and Vikings made initial pitches to the Minnesota State Legislature during the end of the 2007 session, but expected to make serious efforts during the 2008 legislative session.[39] The Vikings proposed creating a Minnesota Football Stadium Task Force, which they expect would take 24 months to plan the stadium.[39]

Following the September 2008 MSFC vote to start feasibility studies for re-using the Metrodome, an unrelated study released for 38 U.S. cities[40] found that "when a [NFL] team wins, people's moods improve,"[41] and that personal income for residents of a city with an NFL team with 10 wins increases about $165 per year.[41] While true for NFL football, for comparison, professional baseball and basketball gain no personal income for residents.[41]

Feasibility studies for Dallas-based design and local construction of a new stadium were expected in early 2009.[42] Roy Terwilliger, a former Republican state senator from Edina, Ray Waldron, an AFL-CIO leader, and the Dome engineering expert and CEO, Bill Lester and Steve Maki of the MSFC selected architectural firm HKS of Dallas and construction manager Mortenson of Minnesota over the objections of Paul Thatcher and Timothy Rose of Minneapolis-St. Paul, who preferred Ellerbe Beckett and Kraus-Anderson, both of Minnesota. Loanne Thrane of St. Paul, the sole female member of the commission, voiced opposition and later voted with the majority.[43]

In December 2009, commission chairman Terwilliger said, "We know what the art of the possible is at this particular location." A new proposal for 65,000 seats with a sliding roof was unveiled at $84 million less than the previous proposal, but with $50 million per year more scheduled for each year that construction is delayed.[44] Vikings officials boycotted the presentation which estimated the total cost at $870 million, or $770 million if the sliding roof were omitted.[44]

The 2010 Vikings stadium proposal was dealt a setback on May 5, 2010, when a Minnesota House panel defeated the proposal by a 10–9 vote.

The stadium debate was revived in the aftermath of the Metrodome's roof deflation on December 12, 2010, which forced the relocation of the Vikings' final two home games of the 2010 season and led to more calls for a new stadium from various sources in the local and national media.[45][46] Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton discussed the matter with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but said "any new stadium must first benefit the people of Minnesota".[47]

After Hennepin County stopped their pursuit of a Vikings stadium,[48] the city of Minneapolis submitted a plan for a Vikings' stadium at the downtown Metrodome site. The Minneapolis plan was for a fixed-roof stadium costing an estimated $895 million. The proposal also included funding solutions for $95 million in renovations to the Target Center. The team reacted with skepticism to the proposal and did not want to play at nearby 50,000-seat capacity University of Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium during the three years of construction.[49] Because the Minneapolis dome site was a less expensive option, football fans were expected to return to the Minneapolis plan if the shortfall in the Ramsey County plan were not realized.[50]

In May 2011, Ramsey County officials announced they had reached an agreement with the Minnesota Vikings to be the team's local partner for a new stadium, subject to approval by the Minnesota Legislature and to approval of a sales tax by the Ramsey County Board.[51] The site of the stadium would be the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant in Arden Hills, which is about 10 miles (16 km) from the Metrodome in Minneapolis and is a Superfund clean up site. The agreement called for an $884 million stadium and an additional $173 million for on-site infrastructure, parking and environmental costs.[52]

Ramsey County said the Vikings would commit $407 million to the project, which would have been about 44% of the stadium cost and 39% of the overall cost. The county's cost would have been $350 million, to be financed by a half-cent sales tax increase.[52] The state of Minnesota's cost would have been $300 million.[51] This totalled about $1.057 billion, leaving at least a $131 million shortfall.[50]

On March 1, 2012, Governor Dayton announced an agreement for a new stadium to be built on the site of the Metrodome, pending approval by the state legislature and the Minneapolis city council.[53] The $975 million project, half of which would be publicly funded, would be patterned after Lucas Oil Stadium. It would utilize part of the footprint of the Metrodome and would only require the Vikings to play at TCF Bank Stadium during the final year of construction.[54] The agreement met with mixed reaction, and some criticized the proposal as being unfair to taxpayers and a giveaway to team owners.[55]

On May 10, 2012, the Minnesota Legislature approved funding for a new Vikings stadium on that site. The project is projected to have a $975 million price tag, with the Vikings covering $477 million, the state covering $348 million, and $150 million covered by a hospitality tax in Minneapolis. The city of Minneapolis must pay a total of $678 million over the 30-year life of the deal, including interest, operations, and construction costs.[56] The bill was signed by Gov. Dayton[57] and received the approval of the Minneapolis City Council on May 25, 2012.[58][59] The Vikings played in the Metrodome through the 2013 season, as construction did not require the dome's immediate demolition. Under the leadership of Vikings COO Kevin Warren, the team moved to TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus until the new stadium was completed.[60]

On May 13, 2013, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), the Minnesota Vikings, and HKS Sports & Entertainment Group together unveiled the new stadium's design.

In January 2014, a lawsuit was started by former Minneapolis mayoral candidate Doug Mann and two others to block the construction of the new stadium. The suit questioned the constitutionality of the stadium's funding plan and delayed a $468 million bond sale. Officials warned the delay could stall the project's timeline and add costs.[61] The lawsuit was later dismissed by the Minnesota Supreme Court.[62]

Six months later, the first budget estimate from the Minnesota Office of Management and Budget was released, revising the projected revenue from the electronic pulltab games. This first revision cut the estimated revenue from the game for 2013 by 51%, to $16 million (versus the legislation's estimate of $34 million).

From page 15 of the Minnesota Management and Budget Complete Forecast, November 2012: "For FY 2013, the projected reserve balance has been reduced from $34 to $16 million. Projected new gambling revenues from stadium legislation are expected to be $18 million (51%) below end of session estimates." "The forecast reduction reflects a slower than expected implementation of electronic gaming options and reduced estimates for daily revenue per gaming device."[63]

In March 2013, the Minnesota Office of Management and Budget released another updated budget forecast for fiscal years 2013 to 2017. Included in this forecast was another revision in the projected revenue from charitable gambling sources, from the previous estimate of $16 million, down to $1.7 million, a further 90% reduction in the estimate for 2013 revenue. This total was a 95% reduction from what was estimated in the stadium bill passed in May 2012.

From page 12 of the Minnesota Management and Budget Complete Forecast, February 2013: "The forecast for lawful gambling revenue has been reduced $15 million in FY 2013 and $46 million in FY 2014–15. Slower than expected implementation of electronic gambling options and a reduction in estimates for daily revenue per gambling location were the reasons for the revenue reduction".[64]

As a result of the projected shortfall, members of the Minnesota Legislature and the Governor's office began discussing ideas to fix the shortfall.[65] The legislature decided to impose an inventory tax on cigarettes to make up for any shortfall over the next year of construction and closing of a corporate income-tax loophole for the following years.[66]

The state reported in July 2016 that pulltab revenue is "soaring" and that there is optimism in Minneapolis about its continuing to rise.[67]

The Vikings said the design includes a soccer field measuring 115 by 74 yards to accommodate a potential Major League Soccer expansion team.[81] In 2012, the Vikings received a five-year window to host a Major League Soccer team in the state's legislation to finance the stadium, and the Vikings ownership launched a bid to own an expansion franchise.[82] In December 2014, Vikings Vice President Lester Bagley presented rendering of the stadium configured for a potential Major League Soccer team, with tarps and curtains covering the upper deck to bring the capacity down to 20,000. He said the stadium was "being built specifically with soccer in mind" and drew a contrast with Gillette Stadium, New England Revolution's home field, which he called "a football stadium".[83]

On March 16, 2015, the Vikings announced they ended their expansion bid after MLS informed them that they preferred the bid by Minnesota United with its own plan for a smaller, outdoor stadium in Saint Paul.[84]

The first soccer match at U.S. Bank Stadium was between AC Milan and Chelsea FC on August 3, 2016, as part of the 2016 International Champions Cup.[85]

On October 23, 2016, the United States women's national soccer team played an international friendly against Switzerland, winning 5–1.

Date	Winning Team	Result	Losing Team	Tournament	Spectators
August 3, 2016	Chelsea FC	3–1	AC Milan	2016 International Champions Cup	64,101
October 23, 2016	United States women	5–1	Switzerland women	Women’s International Friendly	23,400
July 31, 2018	Tottenham Hotspur	1–0	AC Milan	2018 International Champions Cup	31,264

As with the Metrodome, U.S. Bank Stadium has the capability to host baseball games in the winter months. The University of Minnesota plays selected games, primarily during February and March, including hosting the College Classic, a non-conference series of games featuring top NCAA teams in Minnesota that was suspended during stadium construction.[86]

The stadium's first baseball game was between Century College and Iowa Central on February 24, 2017. The University of Minnesota were scheduled to play the first baseball game at the new stadium, but converting it from Supercross to baseball took stadium officials longer than projected. Minnesota ended up playing Seattle University later on that same day as the third game at the stadium, first indoor home game for the university since the Metrodome.[87]

As part of the opening weekend festivities for the stadium, two concerts were held: country artist Luke Bryan on August 19, 2016,[88] and heavy metal band Metallica performing the following night, August 20.[89] Prince, a Minneapolis native, was in preliminary talks to perform the first concert at the new stadium in August 2016, but he died on April 21.[90]