Portland’s Providence Park is getting its planned upgrade.
The club’s privately financed plan to add 4,000 seats on the east side of the stadium has been approved by local authorities and construction should begin this winter, according to Next Portland.
The plan will add three new tiers of seats above the existing east concourse in a design inspired by London’s Globe Theater and La Bombanera in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A translucent roof will cover the expansion, which will extend over the sidewalk next to the stadium, creating a covered walkway on SW 18th Ave. about 11 feet wide.
When completed, the stadium will hold over 25,000 fans. The project is expected to take about two years and cost about $50 million.
Here’s a closer look at the expansion:
Put on real grass. Football is meant to be played on real grass. Get rid of that fake turf abomination at every stadium in the league, please.
beautiful
I wonder if they could recycle the roof. Re-install it at the training center. Or wherever T2 plays after Providence Park.
I keep urging teams building soccer specific stadium to think bigger. Soccer is taking off. Just look at crowds in Atlanta. New stadiums, if financing is available, should be more in the 35 to 40 thousand range, not 20 to 25 thousand. If you build it they will come.
A reasonable point; however, part of the allure of Providence Park is that is always at capacity. There is something depressing about a half-full stadium that can translate to on-the-bubble fans not always wanting to come back for more. I agree with your optimism, and agree that crowds will grow. But to overshoot the mark and build a cavernous, soulless megastadium (read: CenturyLink Field) detracts from the experience of the 20,000 people who really want to be there now, not 10 years from now. I think Orlando read its fan base well in designing that stadium, and BC Place has a great, intimate feel and no bad seats. I watch a lot of televised games — DC, Dallas, Houston…great fan bases, I’m sure, but it just looks so sad and janky, that look doesn’t do much to sell the product.
Portland is not that large of a city. 2.3 metro area including Washington’s second largest city. Site location works extremely well and I could see 35,000 to 38,000 in ten years, especially if all Californians keep moving north to Soccer City, USA. I don’t know of a stadium where the game day atmosphere starts the day before!
I second real grass
Looks great tho. And adding 4K of fans is good.
how about real grass?
When are they going to expand grass onto the playing surface from a nearby lawn, or Rose Test Garden?
On a less real note… solid roof design…. should make for good noise containment. Will be fun to visit.