Major Gillette renovations planned

[XLIX]

Yeah, kinda surprised, the video shows people walking around rather than more seats.

Front view was a huge video screen very blurry (maybe intentionally?), the rear was:

View attachment 38656

I did predict they'd move the lighthouse outside the bowl, now a newer bigger one with an observation deck.

I don't see how this makes money, maybe selling ads on the huge screen?

There something seriously wrong with that artist rendition.... the club seats actually have people in them....

 

[Ring 6]

Can they change the stadium so that there isn’t always a different fat guy sitting next to me that takes away half of my space?

We had a fat guy next to us for years. My son and I used to make bets and the loser had to sit next to the fat guy.

 

[Bill Lee]

Press release with stills:

Transformational Enhancements Coming to Gillette Stadium 2023

New construction beginning in 2022 will create the largest video board for an outdoor stadium, new hospitality and function spaces and a completely reimagined north entrance to the stadium by 2023.

www.patriots.com

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The transformation of the north end of Gillette Stadium will be defined by 75,000-square feet of glass-enclosed year-round hospitality and function spaces that bridge the gap between the East and West Putnam Clubs, the Dell Technologies Suite Levels and the upper concourse. ​

...​

In addition, the renovation will include the largest outdoor stadium high-definition video board in the country, measuring 370' x 60'. The 22,200 square feet of video board space will be nearly double the size of the new south end zone video board. The curved radius HD video board will provide game action, replays, statistics and fantasy football updates (edit: and sh!tloads of ads!).​

​

The architectural bridge and lighthouse have served as the stadium's signature view. This new development will feature a much bigger, more prominent lighthouse, standing 218-feet high, complete with a 360-degree observation deck at the top, providing sweeping views of the stadium, the game field, Patriot Place and beyond. This one-of-a-kind observation deck will be accessible to fans visiting Gillette Stadium year-round and available for private events.​

​

The fan entrance into the north end of Gillette Stadium will also be revitalized. Plans for this area include relocating the entry gates to create a new fan-activation area upon entry to the lower plaza. A landscaped staircase will lead guests up to the main concourse, where fans will have a view of the field looking toward the south end zone video board and the New England Patriots' six Super Bowl banners.​

So I think it was mentioned earlier, a big push was to get the 'glass enclosed year round hospitality and function spaces' i.e. they can make money bringing in groups for various events all year round. It looks like Kraft's great-grandkids will have some pretty cook bar mitzvahs.

 

[Gator Mike]

I don't see how this makes money, maybe selling ads on the huge screen?

I read an article from the Globe that indicates that the real motivation is meeting a few key hospitality and infrastructure benchmarks in time for the 2026 World Cup.

I believe this goes hand-in-hand with the Krafts' comments regarding changing the playing surface back to Natural Grass.

If they can grab a couple of knockout round games, this could very well be worth the expense.

 

[Patjew]

I am hurt to hear you say that. I thought we were really bonding this season.

We have been! I meant the fat guy on the OTHER side of me!

 

[stephens44]

Hopefully all this is just meant to make more room for Championship banners.

 

[patsfan7983]

I don't like the design at all. The open end with the lighthouse and the bridge in front of those curved upper levels are kind of iconic. The new design may have some improvements, but looks terrible. A little more characterless like Metlife Stadium.

 

[StrawHatPatriot]

I'll add that this isn't like adding wildcard games or 17th/18th game to the schedule just to pad the pockets.

He's going to have to spend real money to make this happen.

Sure, he'll get it back over time, but presumably because people like the new amenities and additional seats.



I remember reading at the time it was built that it was a good not great stadium.

You can still see some evidence of this, one example is the number of seams in the glass of the luxury suites shown in my photo above.

Larger panes of glass were available but they and the structure to support them cost more.

Bob was spending his own money and he ain't as rich as Jones or Kroenke, so that's what you get.

Late reply but I love reading little tidbits of history like this. Thanks for the post.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

If we get better crowd acoustics, I'm all for it.

Acoustics are terrible

 

[n6249c]

One day having breakfast, I struck up a conversation with a union pipefitter from Connecticut.

He told me on a government project that his boss told him to put this one piece of pipe up and take it down until he told him not to. So, thats what he did. Put the section of pipe up in the morning, have lunch, take it down in the afternoon. Knock off around 3:30.

That should have been reported to the OIG of whatever agency funded that project. Might even get the whistleblower a reward check, depending on circumstances. But the odds are he was happy to keep doing his part in ripping off the taxpayer dollars, it’s easy money for simple work and he gets to boast about it to strangers.

 

[FCB02062]

the tower will include an "observation deck".... The proposed new Tower does not look that much taller than the existing tower. not that the existing tower has said observation deck, but what are we observing from this new tower? The apple orchards at the Big Apple to the West? Great Woods to the Southeast? or maybe we can observe The Walpole Mall to the north?

 

[denverpatsfan]

Lipstick on a pig. Not a fan of this stadium, giant jumbotrons, difficult access, long bathroom lines, cub scout troops running the fecking concessions, artificial turf and crappy acoustics. At least the old stadium was loud.

Anyone interested in nose bleed seats?

 

[Triumph]

That should have been reported to the OIG of whatever agency funded that project. Might even get the whistleblower a reward check, depending on circumstances. But the odds are he was happy to keep doing his part in ripping off the taxpayer dollars, it’s easy money for simple work and he gets to boast about it to strangers.

Its customary.

Look at the Big Dig.

 

[VectorPrime]

I was hoping there would be more seating.

 

[Bill Lee]

the tower will include an "observation deck".... The proposed new Tower does not look that much taller than the existing tower. not that the existing tower has said observation deck, but what are we observing from this new tower? The apple orchards at the Big Apple to the West? Great Woods to the Southeast? or maybe we can observe The Walpole Mall to the north?

If you pause the video at the right places you can do an old vs new comparison. The new lighthouse actually is a lot more substantial in order to support the observation deck. It seems more centered than the old one was. The light now has to be visible above the newly enclosed spaces so it's somewhat taller.

I suppose people will go up there once just to take in the view. Seems to be a big expense, but I guess Krafty Bob was OK with coughing up the money. As someone mentioned it is iconic, and he'd catch a lot of grief if it got lost in the renovation.

Lipstick on a pig. Not a fan of this stadium, giant jumbotrons, difficult access, long bathroom lines, cub scout troops running the fecking concessions, artificial turf and crappy acoustics. At least the old stadium was loud.

Anyone interested in nose bleed seats?

Naw, I'm good. I went to Foxborough once in the aluminum seats era, once in the dynasty era, maybe I'll go one more time before I end up pushing up daisies. An occasional taste of the experience is enough for me. The money I'm saving by not going more often and by using an antenna instead of cable tv has bought me a big tv, nice couch and plenty of munchies.

To me the killer of the live experience is the huge pauses for tv timeouts. The action finally gets the place rocking, then everything stops just to pay the bills. It's as frustrating as being interrupted during intimate times...

 

[Tunescribe]

I need to take a closer look at this but these "improvements" appear largely more oriented toward corporate functions vs. the fan experience. I could not care less about "biggest outdoor video board," that seems more distraction than enhancement. I want to focus my attention on the field of play, not a damn screen.

 

[FortressX]

Lighthouse was brought down

Iconic Gillette Stadium feature comes down as part of massive makeover

The lighthouse in the north end zone of Gillette Stadium has been torn down, as construction for major renovations is well underway.

www.wcvb.com

What Gillette Stadium looks like without its iconic lighthouse

The lighthouse in the north end zone of Gillette Stadium has been torn down, as construction for major renovations is well underway.

www.wcvb.com

 

[GreenCow]

I'll add that this isn't like adding wildcard games or 17th/18th game to the schedule just to pad the pockets.

He's going to have to spend real money to make this happen.

Sure, he'll get it back over time, but presumably because people like the new amenities and additional seats.



I remember reading at the time it was built that it was a good not great stadium.

You can still see some evidence of this, one example is the number of seams in the glass of the luxury suites shown in my photo above.

Larger panes of glass were available but they and the structure to support them cost more.

Bob was spending his own money and he ain't as rich as Jones or Kroenke, so that's what you get.

Kudos to Kraft for spending his own money (seriously). The Bills owners reportedly got NYS to pony up a billion dollars on our new stadium.

 

[borg]

Kudos to Kraft for spending his own money (seriously). The Bills owners reportedly got NYS to pony up a billion dollars on our new stadium.

And Pats fans have been reimbursing Bob at a hefty premium ever since.

Fun with math

Gillette Stadium is 20 yrs old (19 seasons with in-stadium fans for Pats games)
8 regular season Pats home games x 19 seasons = 152 games
152 games X 65,878 tickets/game = 10,013,456 admissions
In 2021, the NEP charged $125 more per average Pats ticket ($245 average) than the #10 highest priced team ($120) and even more than the median priced NFL ticket

Note: NEP's have consistently been top 3 and more often than not highest priced ticket in NFL (not to mention concessions and parking)

For this exercise, I am reducing price/ticket above NFL median price over past 20 years to +$100

10,013,456 x $100 = $1,001,345,600 additional revenue above median ticket prices (conservative math based on only 8 stadium events each year)

Note 2.0: Not including preseason tickets, concerts, soccer, NCAA football, lacrosse, special events, World Cup, etc
Note 3.0: Not including parking $$$, luxury suites, promotional endeavors, concessions including $5 cups of tap water
--------------------------
Can't fault Bob for charging highest prices, his product has been tremendous.
And Bob, like every owner who personally funded their stadium, has created tremendous franchise value compared to teams with municipal stadiums.
And frankly, Bob has been slow to maximize value by not expanding seating (average NFL capacity is 70,000)

Note 4.0: Reportedly, NEP have been middle of the pack in actually $$$ spent on roster this past decade
------------------------------------------
Conclusion:
Gillette is a massive

cash cow

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

Is Gillette in the bottom half of stadiums in the league?