Pacer Pride by Kyle Jones

Bankers Life Fieldhouse: Home of the Indiana Pacers

Memorial Stadium in in Bloomington, Indiana

by Luv 4 Fam

Lucas Oil Stadium: Home of the Indianapolis Colts and site of Super Bowl XLVI

by Brandon M. Noble

Parkview Field: Home of the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps

Submitted by eleyj

Serious Business

A sniper rifle overlooks Lucas Oil Stadium prior to Super Bowl XLVI. 

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At the Ready by Ron Wise

Lucas Oil Stadium: Site of Super Bowl XLVI

I didn’t like it at first, but over time I’ve come to appreciate the classic urban design and the thought that went into Lucas Oil Stadium. Unlike other cities, Indianapolis is as much a basketball town as a football one, and Lucas Oil was built with that in mind. Eric Angevine of Bus Leagues Baseball spoke with Mike Williams, Design Principal on Lucas Oil Stadium for HKS Architects, about what makes it unique to Indy, and how it’s changing large stadium design for the better.

Though it’s not as tall as the other buildings in downtown, Lucas Oil still seems to dominate the skyline. Was that a concern? Would you rather it blend in more?

We think, and I hope others agree, that it’s a great thing for Indianapolis. The number of people who come into town from the airport, across (interstate) 70, and all the vehicles that run across that major interstate, we think it’s really great that Lucas Oil is a prominent feature as you approach downtown.

The roof and the windows would seem to be two of the biggest design and building challenges for Lucas Oil. How did those come together finally?

You always see the blimp shot – the aerial shot – and it’s usually, right out of the box, one of the first images people see. We want people to be able to look at this building and immediately know, from the first shot, that this is Lucas Oil Stadium.  We don’t want them to have to wait until they see a picture of Peyton Manning, we want the building to be as strong a brand as the horseshoe on the side of the helmet. 

The windows opening was a similar type of gesture. But that also was coupled with where we started, which was that we cranked the building on an angle and pointed it back toward Monument Circle downtown. Lucas Oil respects the old city plan and city layout. That’s why we positioned the building to look back at Monument Circle because if the building was built when the city was first laid out, that’s what would have happened. 

Stadiums are becoming very identifiable public structures. Like you say, they help define the cities they’re built in. Is that something you really have to think about when you’re designing?

We try to discover the DNA of the Indianapolis Colts, the city of Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and what sports means to them. We worked with the NCAA to figure out the Final Four setup is done. If you look at pre-Lucas Oil venues, the court is running the short way across the football field, there are black curtains everywhere, and you’re only using about 70% of the venue. We looked at that and thought we could do it better. We use the whole space, we have optimal sight lines for everybody, there’s no curtains blocking off the councourses throughout the bowl.  The NCAA is 100% behind this now.

Photo by Colin Roney

Lucas Oil Stadium, a Fan’s Look by the Numbers - Yahoo Sports

• 720 million: The number of dollars estimated to have cost to build the stadium during its initial construction.
• 82 million: The number of dollars estimated cost to build the RCA Dome in 1984.
• 16,000: The number of tons of steel used in constructing Lucas Oil Stadium.
• 130,000: The number of cubic yards of concrete poured on site to construct the venue.
• 39,649: The number of parking spaces within a six-block radius of the venue.
• 137: The number of luxury suites at Lucas Oil Stadium.
• 1: The number of Super Bowls hosted by Indianapolis.

Photo by Jim Wallace

I haven’t covered Super Bowl XLVI preparations nearly has much as last years. So here at a few things worth noting:

• Major in “Turf Grass Sciences” go to the Super Bowl
• Beware the Super Bowl food safety score - ESPN
• Super Bowl XLVI Gets Full-Body Scanners
• Peyton is all over Indianapolis, except the place he really wants to be - CBSsports
• LEGO replica of Lucas Oil Stadium - More photos

Lucas Oil Stadium: Home of the Indianapolis Colts and site of Super Bowl XLVI

by Laura Bly

Lucas Oil Stadium: Home of the Indianapolis Colts and site of Super Bowl XLVI

by Carl Van Rooy

Members of the Armed Forces hold an American flag over the field at Lucas Oil Stadium prior to kickoff.

(via texaslivin-soonerreppin)

Outside Lucas Oil Stadium after the Indianapolis Colts first win of the season versus the Tennessee Titans.

Submitted by hopelessfanatic

Greenery by Robert Saucier

Photo taken at Victory Field in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Fans and players celebrated on the court after the Indiana Hoosiers beat the Kentucky Wildcats 73-72 at Assembly Hall on December 10, 2011 in Bloomington, Indiana.