U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is only seven years old, but the home of the Minnesota Vikings is already considering additional funding to keep the NFL stadium in top-notch condition.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the stadium will require $280 million in maintenance over the next decade, including $48 million next year. The stadium’s leadership came about those numbers through a facility assessment for the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority.
The facility assessment was conducted in December of last year and was found to be in “very good shape.” The $280 million number includes an anticipated 4 percent annual escalation. The assessment places good, fair or worn to the inspected areas.
Areas that were labeled in fair condition means signs of wear were recognized and need work soon. Worn conditions means needing replacement.
Areas of the building considered in fair condition include the service corridor in the main concourse, directional signage, floor tile and grout in some restrooms, chipping on outdoor walkways and a bent hand railing.
Areas in poor conditions include weather stripping on doors, damaged concession displays and the in-house stadium TV distribution system.
While the price tag for maintenance seems astounding for a building that opened in 2016, the sports authority drew praise from an architect for doing the assessment so early in the history of the building to fend off even higher maintenance assessments. Typically, the architect said, such evaluations are brought in after 15 years.
“It’s hard to catch up,” says Brady Spencer, senior principal architect for Populous, which conducted the assessment.
U.S. Bank leaders have invested $18 million in maintenance since the building opened.
Dave Lubach is managing editor of the Facility Market.
