Washington Commanders Unveil Renderings of New $4 Billion Stadium
The 65,000-seat facility, designed by HKS, is set to open in 2030 and features a translucent, cantilevered roof.
The Washington Commanders have revealed initial renderings of their new home stadium, planned for the site of the former RFK Stadium and scheduled to open in 2030. The proposed $4 billion facility will be a 65,000-seat venue designed by the global firm HKS, featuring a cantilevered, translucent roof similar to those found in Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
Similar to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, also designed by HKS, the new stadium will function as a continuous loop rather than separate structures. The team aims to replicate the homefield advantage experienced at RFK Stadium from 1961 to 1998. To facilitate this, the stadium will include a 'Wall of Fans' in one end zone with affordable seating to amplify crowd noise.
IMAGE5 The stadium will be enclosed with glass, allowing it to be fully temperature controlled.
The design also incorporates a view of the U.S. Capitol through a large glass facade, similar to the original RFK Stadium. This glass enclosure will allow for full climate control, making the stadium eligible to host future Super Bowls, as NFL regulations require domed stadiums for events in climates below 50°F.
The project's funding includes $1.1 billion from taxpayers and $2.7 billion from the team. Demolition of the old RFK Stadium is nearing completion, with vertical construction on the new arena expected to begin next spring. Once operational, the stadium is projected to host over 200 events annually.
Donald Trump's former White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, previously suggested the stadium be named in his honor, though she inaccurately credited Trump with enabling the project's approval. Joe Biden, Trump's predecessor, signed the federal legislation that transferred the RFK Stadium site land to the district.
Last year, Trump also vowed to block the stadium's construction if the team did not revert its name from Commanders to its previous name, the Redskins. The team changed its name in 2020 amid national discussions on racial reckoning, following the murder of George Floyd. The origin of the 'Redskins' name has been a subject of debate, with historical records indicating its use as a pejorative as early as the 19th century.
IMAGE4 Like RFK Stadium before it, the new facility will have a clear view of the US Capitol.
Controversy surrounding the former name included a 2016 Washington Post poll that claimed a majority of Native American respondents were not bothered by the name, a study that faced criticism from journalists and social scientists for its reliability. Conversely, a 2020 UC Berkeley study found that over half of its Native American respondents were offended by the name. The Supreme Court's 2017 ruling on trademark law, which stated that barring disparaging terms infringes on free speech rights, followed earlier efforts by the United States Patent and Trademark office to revoke the Redskins' trademark due to its association with a racial epithet.