Gensler/Trahan Architects
Caesars Superdome Renovations Aim to Modernize Stadium Without Losing Its 50 Year History
Written by djfrosty on April 25, 2023
New Oreleanians traveling along US Route 90 may not suspect that the revered Caesars Superdome is on the cusp of a renaissance.
Since 2020, the nearly 50-year-old stadium has been going through a $450 million renovation, scheduled to conclude by the end of next year. According to Evan Holmes, general manager at Caesars Superdome, Smoothie King Center and Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District (LSED) Properties for ASM Global, as the Louisiana State University Tigers exited the building having clinched their fourth national football championship earlier this April, contractors were making their way in to pop off old ceiling tiles and get to work.
The multi-phase, multi-year renovation has been moving forward since then — with minimal impact on events at the nearly 75,000-capacity venue — as the Superdome’s managers look to improve the guest experience and modernize amenities, without replacing the building’s architectural characteristics.
“A lot of communities would kill to have something like [the Superdome], let alone something like this, for 50 years,” says Holmes.
The exterior of the Superdome will remain unchanged, while the interior concourse is being expanded. Roughly 80,000 sq. ft. of ramps on each level – previously used for ingress and egress – are being pulled out and replaced with staircases to make wider concourses, with enhanced food and beverage options, more restrooms and better merchandise stations. The building has new field level suites that open to the endzone — “If [New Orleans Saints running back] Alvin Kamra scores a touchdown, he’s liable to jump on your lap,” says Holmes — and a field level club for games and private events, eight viewing decks with standing room overlooking the field with up-to-date ADA accommodations. So far, the East side of the building has undergone its renovations — and, by the 2024 Saints season, the West side will be completed, with new grab-and-go concessions and a new atrium.
Working behind the walls for four years is a herculean task, but pales in comparison to the cost of a new NFL stadium. (The NFL’s newest stadiums, Allegiant in Las Vegas and SoFi in Los Angeles — both opened in 2020 — have cost roughly $2 billion and $5 billion, respectively). The $450 million renovations are being funded by the State of Louisiana, the LSED and the New Orleans Saints, subsequent to the team’s new lease agreement. By not closing the venue for renovations, the Superdome will hold on to valued college football events like the Sugar Bowl and the Bayou Classic, as well as Essence Fest, which brings half a million attendees to New Orleans.
If you’re building a new stadium, “you’re missing those big, high-impact events in the market. So, the hotels aren’t having that content, the restaurants don’t have [that content],” says Holmes. “There’s a cascading list of reasons why it makes sense for us not to take the building down.”
In addition to keeping tenants and established events, updating the building means hanging on to “the skin,” as Holmes calls it, of the storied venue. The Superdome has hosted seven Super Bowls, as well as concerts from The Jacksons, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffet, Willie Nelson, Al Green, The Temptations, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Whitney Houston, KISS, Paul McCartney, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and many more legendary artists.
Holmes explains that the renovation is not to change the look of the Superdome or generate exorbitant amounts of money for the team, but to make a better overall experience for fans. “You’re competing for these big events and we think the Superdome, especially after this renovation, can do all the things that these other buildings can do operationally,” he says. “It may not have all the brand-new bells and whistles that they may have, but functionally we can do it all. We’ve got character that other buildings wish they had.”
Caesars Superdome will once again host the Super Bowl in 2025 (it was originally scheduled to host the 2024 Bowl, but the schedule conflicted with New Orleans’ world-renowned Mardi Gras), just as the building celebrates its 50th anniversary. “It’s not just a football stadium,” says Holmes. “It means a lot of things to a lot of people, so we want to celebrate that.”