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61-666: By the start of the 1980s, increased use of containers in shipping made some of the older riverfront wharves less useful, so the Poydras Street Wharf and the Julia Street Wharf were demolished, and the land was used as part of the 1984 World's Fair . After the fair, this section was redeveloped by the Rouse Company as the Riverwalk, an upscale mall intended to attract both tourists and locals. It opened on August 28, 1986. On

122-685: A Michael Koenen punt that the Saints recovered for a touchdown early in the first quarter of the team's first post-Katrina game in the Superdome. The Superdome hosted the Super Bowl XLVII football game on February 3, 2013. A partial power failure halted game play for about 34 minutes in the third quarter between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers . It caused CBS , who was broadcasting

183-503: A central area circulator for vehicular traffic and host of modern high-rise construction. The street currently accommodates a Spaghetti Junction near the Superdome that provides access to U.S. Route 90 , Interstate 10 and U.S. Route 90 Business . The Street hosts various stops for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority streetcar lines: Riverfront , Rampart–St. Claude and St. Charles . According to

244-444: A 13-acre (5.3 ha) expanse and the 273-foot (83 m) dome is made of a lamellar multi-ringed frame and has a diameter of 680 feet (207 m), making it the largest fixed domed structure in the world. The Superdome has routinely hosted major sporting events; it has hosted seven Super Bowl games (and will host its eighth, Super Bowl LIX , in 2025), and five NCAA championships in men's college basketball. In college football,

305-466: A dome diameter of 680 feet (207.3 m), and a total floor area of 269,000 square feet (24,991 m ). The Superdome has a listed football seating capacity of 76,468 (expanded) or 73,208 (not expanded) and a maximum basketball seating capacity of 73,432. However, published attendance figures from events such as the Super Bowl football game have exceeded 79,000. The basketball capacity does not reflect

366-529: A pre-cast concrete deck and moved the seating closer to the field, creating 3,500 new seats in the lower bowl. This made the bowl more suitable for football, but less accommodating for baseball. The first baseball game in the Superdome was an exhibition between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros on April 6, 1976. Superdome officials pursued negotiations with Oakland Athletics officials during

427-608: A six-lane 132-foot (40.2 m) wide street. Many factors combined to give Poydras Street its prominent place in urban transit, including the erection of the Louisiana Superdome at one end and the Rivergate Exhibition Hall at the Mississippi River end in the late 1960s and the construction of One Shell Square in 1972. Subsequently, more than a dozen skyscrapers were erected along the street that has become

488-457: A successful season, reaching their first ever NFC Championship Game . In 2008, new windows were installed to bring natural light into the building. Later that year, the roof-facing of the Superdome was also remodeled, restoring the roof with a solid white hue. Between 2009 and 2010, the entire outer layer of the stadium, more than 400,000 square feet (37,000 m ) of aluminum siding, was replaced with new aluminum panels and insulation, returning

549-819: The Arena Football League New Orleans VooDoo played their last six home games of the season at the stadium. From 1991 to 1992, the New Orleans Night of the AFL played at the stadium. The annual Louisiana Prep Classic state championship football games organized by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association have been held at the Superdome since 1981, except in 2005 following the extreme damage of Hurricane Katrina (moved to Independence Stadium in Shreveport ) and 2020 due to

610-565: The COVID-19 pandemic (moved to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana ). The first state championship game in the stadium matched New Orleans Catholic League powers St. Augustine and Jesuit on December 15, 1978. The Purple Knights won their second Class AAAA title in four seasons by ousting the Blue Jays, 13–7, in front of over 42,000 fans. Since the Superdome's reopening in

671-700: The Port of New Orleans , the Canal and Poydras Street Wharves hosts a 300 feet (91.4 m) long and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep berth used for river boat harbor excursion tours. Below are buildings with Poydras Street addresses that are notable based on their height (listed by height). The buildings and districts below are recognized as historic by the National Park Service . Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome ), commonly known as

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732-743: The Sugar Bowl has been played at the Superdome since 1975, which is one of the "New Year's Six" bowl games of the College Football Playoff (CFP). It also traditionally hosts the Bayou Classic , a rivalry game played between the historically black colleges and universities Southern University and Grambling State University . The Superdome was also the long-time home of the Tulane Green Wave football team of Tulane University until 2014 (when they returned on-campus at Yulman Stadium ), and

793-796: The Superdome , is a domed multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans , Louisiana, United States. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Plans to build the Superdome were drawn up in 1967 by the New Orleans modernist architectural firm of Curtis and Davis and the building opened as the Louisiana Superdome in 1975. Its steel frame covers

854-527: The United States Football League in the 1980s) conceived of the Superdome while attempting to convince the NFL to award a franchise to New Orleans. After hosting several exhibition games at Tulane Stadium during typical New Orleans summer thunderstorms, Dixon was told by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle that the NFL would never expand into New Orleans without a domed stadium. Dixon then won the support of

915-592: The Yankees played the Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers and late in 1982, the Yankees considered opening the 1983 regular season at the Superdome if Yankee Stadium would not be ready yet after renovations. The 1983 New York Yankees also played the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays in the Superdome that year. The Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals closed the 1984 spring training season with two games at

976-559: The governor of Louisiana , John McKeithen . When they toured the Astrodome in Houston, Texas in 1966, McKeithen was quoted as saying, "I want one of these, only bigger", in reference to the Astrodome itself. Bonds were passed for construction of the Superdome on November 8, 1966, seven days after commissioner Pete Rozelle awarded New Orleans the 25th professional football franchise. The stadium

1037-737: The 1978–79 baseball off-season about moving the Athletics to the Superdome. The Athletics were unable to break their lease at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum and remained in Oakland. Superdome officials met with the Pittsburgh Pirates in April 1981 about moving the club to New Orleans when the Pirates were unhappy with their lease at Three Rivers Stadium . In the mid-1990s, the Superdome

1098-532: The 2010 NFL season against the Saints, Brett Favre , reflecting on the Vikings' loss to the Saints in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, said of the Superdome: "That was, by far, the most hostile environment I've ever been in. You couldn't hear anything." It was during that loss that some of the Vikings players elected to wear earplugs, including Favre. It was the first game of the season that they had chosen to do so. When

1159-591: The Dome, and replaced them with permanent steps. Installation of express elevators that take coaches and media from the ground level of the stadium to the press box were also completed. New 7,500-square-foot (700 m ) bunker lounges on each side of the stadium were built. The lounges are equipped with flat-screen TVs, granite counter tops and full-service bars. These state-of-the-art lounges can serve 4,500 fans, whose old plaza seats were upgraded to premium tickets, giving those fans leather chairs with cup-holders. The plaza level

1220-511: The Louisiana Kickoff. Florida State was victorious 24–23 over LSU in the first matchup of the inaugural kickoff. The Superdome also hosts the Bayou Classic , an annual rivalry classic between the state's two largest historically black colleges and universities , Grambling State and Southern . Tulane University played their home games at the stadium from 1975 to 2013 (except 2005) before moving to on-campus Yulman Stadium . In 2013,

1281-722: The Louisiana State Senate , and Delegate from the Territory of Orleans to the United States House of Representatives , Eleventh Congress (March 4, 1809 — March 3, 1811). The street traces back to 1788 when it was first laid out, but its prominence traces back to its transformation that began in the 1960s. In the 1890s, Poydras Street and Canal Street were early hosts of municipal lighting when gigantic spotlights in steel light towers were erected upon them by Muller Co. In 1927, when its width measured 74 feet (22.6 m),

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1342-514: The NCAA's new policy on arranging the basketball court on the 50-yard line on the football field, per 2009 NCAA policy. In 2011, 3,500 seats were added, increasing the Superdome's capacity to 76,468. The Superdome's capacity was 78,133 for WrestleMania 34 . In 2021, 4,300 seats were removed, with the goal of improving the fan experience by widening concourses, adding quick-service concessions, and building larger elevators and escalators. The chronology of

1403-502: The NFL contributed $ 15 million. After being damaged from the flooding disaster, a new Sportexe MomentumTurf surface was installed for the 2006 season. On Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, the NFL announced that the Saints would play their home opener on September 24, 2006 in the Superdome against the Atlanta Falcons . The game was later moved to September 25. The reopening of

1464-421: The NFL's 26th annual all-star game. The Bowl Championship Series National Championship Games were played at the Superdome four times. The College Football Playoff semifinal game is played every three years in the stadium. The CFP national championship game was played at the stadium once . Two other bowl games are also played there annually: the Sugar Bowl and New Orleans Bowl . The stadium also now hosts

1525-546: The Philadelphia Bicentennial '76 exhibition. New Orleanian Norman J. Kientz built the model with 2,697 pennies and donated it to the Superdome Board of Commissioners in April 1974. It was hoped the stadium would be ready in time for the 1972 NFL season , and the final cost of the facility would come in at $ 46 million. Instead, due to political delays, construction did not start until August 11, 1971, and

1586-576: The Superdome in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. The Yankees hosted the Baltimore Orioles on March 15 and 16, 1980. 45,152 spectators watched the Yankees beat the Orioles 9–3 on March 15, 1980. The following day, 43,339 fans saw Floyd Rayford lead the Orioles to a 7–1 win over the Yankees. In 1981, the Yankees played the New York Mets , Philadelphia Philles and Pittsburgh Pirates in the dome. In 1982,

1647-541: The Superdome occurred on April 3–4, 1999, when the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins played a two-game series dubbed the "New Orleans Major League Baseball Classic." The Busch Challenge/Winn-Dixie Showdown was a college baseball tournament held in the Superdome from 1987 to 1999. LSU , Tulane and University of New Orleans played an in-state team and out-of-state teams from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas in

1708-408: The Superdome, and was named "Mardi Grass". The Superdome replaced the first generation "Mardi Grass" surface to the next-generation FieldTurf surface midway through the 2003 football season on November 16. The Superdome was used as a "shelter of last resort" for those in New Orleans unable to evacuate from Hurricane Katrina when it struck on August 29, 2005. During the storm, a large section of

1769-479: The Superdome. After a National Guardsman was attacked and shot in the dark by an assailant, the National Guard inside the Superdome used barbed wire barricades to separate themselves from the other people in the dome. On September 11, New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass reported there were "no confirmed reports of any type of sexual assault." United States Navy sniper Chris Kyle claimed that during

1830-548: The afternoon of Saturday, December 14, 1996, the MV Bright Field freightliner/bulk cargo vessel slammed into the mall. No one was killed in the accident, although approximately 66 were injured; fifteen shops were damaged. Damage to the mall, including the pier, condominium properties, shops, and hotel totaled an estimated $ 15 million (US). Physical damage to the Bright Field was calculated at $ 1,857,952 (US). The Bright Field

1891-434: The blaze that initially started when a pressure washer caught fire. Firefighters brought the fire under control within an hour. No structural damage occurred to the building, and future events were not impacted. The Superdome is located on 70 acres (28 ha) of land, near the former Girod Street Cemetery . The dome has an interior space of 125 million cubic feet (3,500,000 m ), a height of 253 feet (77.1 m),

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1952-436: The building to its original champagne bronze colored exterior. An innovative barrier system for drainage was also added, allowing the dome to resemble its original facade. In addition, escalators were added to the outside of the club rooms. Each suite includes modernized rooms with raised ceilings, leather sofas, and flat-screen TVs, as well as glass brushed aluminum and wood-grain furnishings. A new $ 600,000 point-of-sale system

2013-399: The capacity for football is as follows: The Superdome's primary tenant is the NFL's New Orleans Saints . The team regularly draws capacity crowds. The NFL has hosted seven Super Bowls at the Superdome, most recently Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. The Superdome is scheduled to host Super Bowl LIX in 2025. The 1976 Pro Bowl was held at the Superdome on Monday, January 26, 1976. It was

2074-417: The city of New Orleans' and the state of Louisiana's tallest buildings have been built on the street since it was widened in the mid 1960s. The street also hosts several historic structures and is the boundary between two United States National Register of Historic Places districts. The street is named for Julien de Lallande Poydras , who helped Louisiana achieve statehood, served as the first President of

2135-786: The dome on March 31, 1984, and April 1, 1984. In what was a preview of the 1989 World Series , the Oakland A's played the San Francisco Giants in two games on March 28–29, 1989. In 1991, the Los Angeles Dodgers played the Oakland A's in two games on March 22–23, 1991. The A's also played the New York Mets in two contests on March 26–27, 1993. In 1994, the Boston Red Sox played the New York Yankees in two games on April 1–2, 1994. The last professional baseball games played in

2196-529: The dome was celebrated with festivities including a free outdoor concert by the Goo Goo Dolls before fans were allowed in, a pre-game performance by U2 and Green Day performing a cover of the Skids ' " The Saints Are Coming ", and a coin toss conducted by then-President George W. Bush . In front of ESPN 's largest-ever audience at that time, the Saints won the game 23–3 with 70,003 in attendance, and went on to

2257-467: The facility Mercedes-Benz Superdome . Mercedes-Benz did not renew the contract, and in July 2021 it was announced that the naming rights would be sold to Caesars Entertainment , under which it was renamed Caesars Superdome . On July 27, 2012, a statue was unveiled at a plaza next to the Superdome. The work, titled Rebirth , depicts one of the most famous plays in Saints history— Steve Gleason 's block of

2318-516: The first regular-season game in the facility. Tulane Stadium , the original home of the Saints, was condemned for destruction on the day the Superdome opened. The first Super Bowl played in the stadium was Super Bowl XII in January 1978 , the first in prime time . The original artificial turf playing surface in the Superdome was produced and developed by Monsanto (which made the first artificial playing surface for sports, AstroTurf) specifically for

2379-401: The game, to lose some of its cameras as well as voiceovers by commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms . At no point did the game go off the air, though the game had no audio for about two minutes. While the lights were coming back on, sideline reporter Steve Tasker reported on the outage as a breaking news situation until power was restored enough for play to continue. On February 8, 2013, it

2440-409: The hurricane, he and another sniper climbed to the top of the dome and killed 30 armed looters during the chaos following the event. This claim has never been independently verified, and there is no evidence of dozens of people being slain by a sniper or gunman, with commentary noting that it would be unlikely that 30 people would have been killed without anyone noticing it or reporting it to the media or

2501-630: The mall from the Howard Hughes Corporation for $ 34 million. 29°56′52″N 90°3′45″W  /  29.94778°N 90.06250°W  / 29.94778; -90.06250 Poydras Street Poydras Street ( French : Rue Poydras ) is a street that serves as the main artery of the New Orleans Central Business District , in New Orleans , Louisiana . The street is named for Julien de Lallande Poydras . Many of

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2562-663: The movement to widen it was begun by consultants for the City Planning Commission. The street hosted the Poydras Market from 1838 to 1932. As urban planning evolved, Poydras became the logical 4-lane connection between Expressways. It took until 1964 for a bond issue to pass that would acquire the properties to widen the street as had been recommended in 1927. From November 23, 1964 until August 16, 1966, demolition, drainage installation, utility connection, paving, sidewalk construction and landscaping occurred, resulting in

2623-457: The next several years, eventually bringing the mall back to near 100% occupancy. In 2014, the mall closed temporarily and underwent an $ 82 million renovation. It reopened in May 2014 as The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, becoming a outlet center , with shops which include a Coach, Inc. , outlet and Neiman-Marcus Last Call Studio outlet. In 2022, Houston-based investment firm RockStep Capital bought

2684-544: The outer covering was peeled off by high winds. The photos of the damage, in which the concrete underneath was exposed, quickly became an iconic image of Hurricane Katrina. A few days later, the dome was closed until September 25, 2006. By August 31, there had been three deaths in the Superdome: two elderly medical patients and a man who is believed to have committed suicide by jumping from the upper-level seats. There were also unconfirmed reports of rape, vandalism, violent assaults, crack dealing/drug abuse, and gang activity inside

2745-421: The plaza level seats remained moveable, the capacity for baseball was 63,525 and the field size was as follows: 325 feet (99 m) to both left field and right field, 365 feet (111 m) to both left-center field and right-center field, 421 feet (128 m) to center field, and 60 feet (18 m) to the backstop. The bowl was reconfigured in a renovation from 2006 to 2011, which replaced the moveable seats with

2806-535: The police. Kyle's story had been reported in a number of publications, including the New Yorker , with Kyle relating the story to other military personnel. The Superdome cost $ 185 million to repair and refurbish. To repair the Superdome, FEMA put up $ 115 million, the state spent $ 13 million, the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District refinanced a bond package to secure $ 41 million and

2867-403: The possibilities of staging simultaneous high school football games side by side and suggested that the synthetic surface be white. Blount International of Montgomery, Alabama was chosen to build the stadium. As the dome was being constructed, various individuals developed eccentric models of the structure: one was of sugar, another consisted of pennies. The so-called "penny model" traveled to

2928-399: The ramp system, improved concourses, and field-level end zone boxes. The first phase of work began January 2020 and includes installing alternative exits and constructing a large kitchen and food-service area. On September 21, 2021, thick black smoke was seen rising from the top of the Superdome while renovations and maintenance were underway by workers on the roof. One person was injured in

2989-479: The stadium skyrocketed to $ 165 million. Along with the state police , Elward Thomas Brady, Jr. , a state representative from Terrebonne Parish and a New Orleans native, conducted an investigation into possible financial irregularities, but the Superdome went forward despite the obstacles. The New Orleans Saints opened the 1975 NFL season at the Superdome, losing 21–0 to the Cincinnati Bengals in

3050-472: The stadium will have a more vibrant and naturally pleasing system resembling natural daylight. In November 2019, phase one plans were approved by the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, commonly known as the Superdome Commission, for a $ 450 million renovation. The renovation, designed by Trahan Architects (founded by Victor F. "Trey" Trahan III, FAIA ), will include atriums that will replace

3111-449: The synthetic turf system for the Superdome. The Superdome has, as of 2017, the largest continuous synthetic turf system in the NFL. Beginning in 2011, demolition and new construction began to the lower bowl of the stadium, reconfiguring it to increase seating by 3,500, widening the plaza concourse, building two bunker club lounges and adding additional concession stands. Crews tore down the temporary stairs that led from Champions Square to

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3172-543: The wake of Hurricane Katrina and the increased success of the New Orleans Saints, the Superdome has developed a reputation for having a very strong home field advantage. While all domed stadiums possess this quality to some degree, the Superdome is known to be extremely loud during games, especially during offensive drives by the visiting team. During a pregame interview before the Minnesota Vikings' opening game of

3233-551: Was also installed, allowing fans to purchase concessions with credit cards throughout the stadium for the first time. During the summer of 2010, the Superdome installed 111,831 square feet (10,389.4 m ) of the UBU Speed S5-M synthetic turf system, an Act Global brand. In 2017 Act Global installed a new turf in time for the NFL season. For the 2018, 2019, and 2020 NFL seasons, Turf Nation Inc located in Dalton, Georgia, have supplied

3294-437: Was conceptualized to be a multifunctional stadium for football, baseball and basketball—with moveable field level stands that would be arranged specifically for each sport and areas with dirt (for the bases and pitchers mound) covered with metal plates on the stadium floor (they were covered by the artificial turf during football games)—and there are also meeting rooms that could be rented for many different purposes. Dixon imagined

3355-470: Was extended, closing in space between the concourse and plaza seating, adding new restrooms and concession areas. The renovations also ended the stadium's ability to convert to a baseball configuration. The renovations were completed in late June 2011 in time for the Essence Music Festival . Naming rights to the Superdome were sold for the first time in 2011 to automaker Mercedes-Benz , renaming

3416-533: Was never compromised. During the 2016 off-season, the smaller videoboards formerly located along the end zone walls above the upper seating bowl were replaced with two large Panasonic HD LED displays that stretch 330 feet (100 m) wide and 35 feet (11 m) tall that are much easier to see throughout the bowl. Other upgrades included a complete upgrade to the Superdome's interior floodlighting system to an efficient LED system with programmable coloring, light show effects, and instant on-off; in normal mode

3477-409: Was not finished until August 1975, seven months after Super Bowl IX was scheduled to be played in the stadium. Since the stadium was not finished in time for the Super Bowl, the game had to be moved to Tulane Stadium , and was played in cold and rainy conditions. Factoring in inflation, construction delays, and the increase in transportation costs caused by the 1973 oil crisis , the final price tag of

3538-567: Was planned to be the home of the yet-to-be named New Orleans team, a charter franchise of the United League (UL) which was a planned third league of Major League Baseball (MLB) that never came to fruition. The American Association New Orleans Pelicans played at the Superdome during the 1977 season. The Pelicans' season attendance was 217,957 at the dome. The Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros played an exhibition game on April 6, 1976. The New York Yankees played exhibition games at

3599-422: Was reported that a relay device intended to prevent an electrical overload had caused the failure. The device was located in an electrical vault owned and operated by Entergy , the electrical utility for the New Orleans area. That vault is approximately one quarter mile away from the Superdome. A subsequent report from an independent auditor confirmed the relay device as the cause. The Superdome's own power system

3660-605: Was the home venue of the New Orleans Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1975 until 1979. In 2005, the Superdome housed thousands of people seeking shelter from Hurricane Katrina . The building suffered extensive damage as a result of the storm, and was closed for many months afterward. The building was fully refurbished and reopened in time for the Saints' 2006 home opener on September 25. Local businessman David Dixon (who later founded

3721-473: Was unable to be removed from the crash site until January 6, 1997. The spot where the Bright Field collided with the Riverwalk is marked on site with a plaque . The mall closed for a few months after Hurricane Katrina , due to extensive wind and looting damage. It reopened in early December 2005, in hopes that Christmas shopping would jump-start the area's recovery. Only a small number of shops were able to open at first. Additional businesses slowly opened over

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