Gillette Stadium officials on Tuesday gave the media an update tour of the $250 million renovation of the sports venue, which includes a “completely reimagined” plaza and grand staircase leading to the stadium, a new 22-story signature lighthouse with a 360-degree observation deck, the largest outdoor curved-radius video board at a sports venue in the country, and more.
Workers have 60 days to complete the renovation, which began in January 2022.
Jim Nolan, chief operating officer of Kraft Sports + Entertainment, said he expects the job will be complete by Sept. 10, the date of the New England Patriots home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The $250 million project, the largest since the opening of the stadium in 2002, brings the total investment in the facility to over a half a billion dollars.
The design was done by Populous Architectural Design, a national firm with an office in Boston.
Nolan said the company had a lot of input from Patriot officials. The general contractor is Suffolk Construction out of Boston.
Jen Ferron, chief marketing officer of Kraft Sports + Entertainment, also escorted the media group.
“Today marks an exciting next step for everyone at Gillette Stadium and we are excited to showcase the work that began back in January of 2022,” Ferron said.
He said the renovated parts of the stadium will be ready for the Patriots regular season home opener.
On Tuesday, hundreds of workers were scurrying around completing the new 218-foot-high lighthouse, which fans will be able to ascend to experience the observation deck.
The most prominent addition to the north side of the stadium is the high definition video board. It was being color tested when reporters were there.
The board is 60 feet high and 375 feet long and, at 22,500 square feet, it’s the largest in the United States, Ferron said.
It will show replays of Patriot action, as well as that of the New England Revolution.
There is also a Row of Honor where the Patriots salute military veterans.
Workers were also hard at work completing the 50,000-square-foot glass-enclosed, year-round hospitality and function space that bridges the gap between the East and West Putnam Clubs and the Dell Technologies Suite levels. It sits above the new Enel Plaza at the north end of the stadium and features three HD media walls and a two-tiered outdoor balcony that sits underneath the new curved-radius video board.
Reporters were equipped with hard hats and started high above all the work at the 300 level, where they got a panoramic overview of the entire site.
They finished at the field level where the Bud Light Celebration Beer Hall is located.
That’s also the place where the Patriots will exit from their locker room.
Here’s a summary of the work, by the numbers:
• $250 million: amount invested by the Kraft family for the current renovation project and the south end zone upgrades completed in 2021.
• $300 million: total invested by the Kraft family on Gillette Stadium enhancements in the venue’s first 20 years.
• 22,500 square feet: size of the largest outdoor stadium high-definition video board in the country that will be installed in the north end of the stadium.
• 50,000 square feet: size of the glass-enclosed year-round hospitality and function spaces that will bridge the gap between the East and West Putnam Clubs, the Dell Technology Suite Levels and the upper concourse. All levels of the stadium will have 360-degree connectivity.
• 218 feet: height of the larger, more prominent lighthouse to be built that will continue to serve as Gillette Stadium’s signature view.
• 360 degrees: The panoramic view offered from the enhanced Lighthouse observation deck, which will be accessible to fans visiting Gillette Stadium year-round and available for private events.