Browns break ground on new 'Super Bowl quality' stadium in Brook Park
The Cleveland Browns broke ground on their new $2.6 billion domed stadium, promising a 'Super Bowl quality' venue by 2029.
A bit of Cleveland sports history was made at 6:01 p. m. Thursday, April 30, when the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Browns stadium in Brook Park officially took place.
Truth be told work has already started to transform the former site of a Ford plant into the NFL's newest stadium and future home for the Cleveland Browns . Large earth-moving equipment has begun work on the $2. 6 billion project that is expected to be completed by the start of the 2029 season.
A lot of words were tossed like football passes from the stage like "transformative" and "historic" but in the end a few words mattered. Browns great and NFL Hall of Famer Joe Thomas told the hundreds of dignitaries and fans gathered simply: "Cleveland deserves this. " Gone will be the days of the bone-chilling winds and snow whipping off of Lake Erie challenging not only the players on the field but also the fans in the stands.
The new Huntington Bank Field will be domed with a transparent roof where fans can look up at the wintry weather outside but stay warm and cozy in their seats. The stadium when complete promises to be a record breaker with the widest concourse in the NFL, along with the closest seating to the field, the biggest home locker room and biggest screen in the end zone. Some 6,000 construction jobs are expected to be created over the next three years as the massive stadium and year-round amenities like restaurants and entertainment venues, retail and other business space and a 10,000-space parking lot are built from the ground up.