Everything is set but the groundbreaking for the new Huntington Bank Field in Brook Park, next home of the Cleveland Browns.
The team and its architect, HKS, which is headquartered in Dallas, released new renderings of the stadium.
What should fans know about the new covered stadium?
Here are several variables courtesy of new renderings from HKS:
There will be a new approach to the Cleveland Browns’ legendary Dawg Pound
Think soccer. The enthusiasm. The joy. And, yes, the rowdiness. Think new perspective for the iconic Dawg Pound.
HKS has purposely and purposefully reimagined what the infamous fan section, created by defensive backs Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield at training camp in 1985 at Lakeland Community College in Mentor, can be.
Sloping seats that are a hallmark of soccer stadiums are planned. Those sloped seating arrangements help to improve sightlines for fans regardless of where they’re seated. They also can provide a competitive advantage for home teams in covered venues, as sound is reflected back into the building.
Will it be an improvement? Gee, let’s see. The original Dawg Pound at the old Cleveland Stadium didn’t have individual seats. It had benches. It was raucous, rowdy, uncomfortable and at the closed, east end of the stadium. Seating at the current Huntington Bank Field is better, but there is a feeling of isolation in some regard.
The concourse will be far roomier by current standards of Huntington Bank Field
According to reports, the concourses inside the stadium will cover 377,000 square feet, which provides plenty of room to mingle for fans.
Having been in the old Cleveland Stadium, which survived well into my 20s, it’s not difficult to attest to the fact that it will be nice to not feel as if you’re being packed like a sardine in a can or to not have to smell beer and assorted spirits on an individual’s breath as you walk around shoulder-to-shoulder.
Expansive video boards will greet fans on the exterior and interior at Huntington Bank Field
It’s clear the Haslams have a grand vision of a palace to welcome its fans.
One shot from a rendering shows an enormous video screen at the entrance to the building signaling that the building is a home away from home — at least for an afternoon.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dawg Pound gets a revamp in renderings of new Cleveland Browns stadium
Reporting by George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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