FC Cincinnati unveils Populous-designed West End Stadium
By David Malone, Associate Editor
West End Stadium, the future home of FC Cincinnati, was recently unveiled by the team’s ownership group. The $250 million, Populous-deigned stadium will feature “an interpretation of Cincinnati on the rise.”
The stadium will have a final seating capacity of between 26,000 and 26,500 with a 360-degree canopy roof that will cover every seat in the stadium. The stadium’s exterior will feature 513 vertical fins that form a wave-like external structure and enclose the stadium. Custom LED lighting on each fin will help the stadium appear to glow when lit for evening events.
The fins will each have custom LED lighting and a lighting system that will allow for unique motion sequences to be displayed on the stadium’s east-facing façade. The western façade will have a more traditional glass aesthetic to smooth the transition into the surrounding neighborhood.
The 26,000+ seats will be arranged around a 110-yard by 75-yard field, with 4,500 of the seats being labeled as “premium” and another 3,100 will be safe-standing seats. There will be a total of 59 suites, including two party suites and three field-level suites, which will be the most in any MLS venue that does not also host an NFL team. The upper mezzanine is pitched at 34 degrees, so the farthest seat in the stadium is only 130 feet from the field (with the closest seat being 15 feet from the field).
A total of six entrances will usher fans into the stadium and The Grand Staircase, which rises 30 feet from Central Parkway, will be the main entrance. Mercy Plaza, located in the southeast corner of the stadium, will provide an acre of visible, accessible community programming space between the West End and Over-the-Rhine neighborhoods.
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The stadium is slated to open in March 2021.
