Mercedes-Benz Superdome Map

Mercedes-Benz Superdome

The Superdome, 2011
Mercedes-Benz Superdome Location in New Orleans Show map of East New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome Location in Louisiana Show map of Louisiana Mercedes-Benz Superdome Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Former names	Louisiana Superdome (1975–2011)
Address	1500 Sugar Bowl Drive
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
Coordinates	29°57′3″N 90°4′52″W / 29.95083°N 90.08111°W / 29.95083; -90.08111Coordinates: 29°57′3″N 90°4′52″W / 29.95083°N 90.08111°W / 29.95083; -90.08111
Public transit	Poydras Street New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
Owner	The Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District
Operator	SMG
Capacity	American football: 73,208 (expandable to 76,468)[1] Basketball: 73,432 Baseball: 56,941
Record attendance	78,133 (WrestleMania 34, April 8, 2018)
Surface	Monsanto "Mardi Grass" turf (1975–2003)[2] FieldTurf (2004–2006) Sportexe Momentum Turf (2006–2009) UBU Speed Series S5 (2010–2016) Act Global UBU Speed S5-M Synthetic Turf (2017–2018) Turf Nation S5 (2019–present)
Construction
Broke ground	August 12, 1971
Opened	August 3, 1975
Reopened	September 25, 2006
Construction cost	US$134 million (Initial) ($637 million in 2019 dollars[3]) Renovations: US$193 million (2005–06 repairs) ($245 million in 2019 dollars[3])
Architect	Curtis and Davis Associated[4] Edward B. Silverstein & Associates[4] Nolan, Norman & Nolan[4]
Structural engineer	Sverdrup & Parcel[4] Thornton Tomasetti (2006 repairs)
General contractor	Huber, Hunt, & Nichols/Blount Joint Venture[5]
Tenants
New Orleans Saints (NFL) (1975–2004, 2006–present) Sugar Bowl (NCAA) (1975–2005, 2007–present) Tulane Green Wave (NCAA) (1975–2004, 2006–2013) New Orleans Jazz (NBA) (1975–1979) New Orleans Pelicans (AA) (1977) New Orleans Breakers (USFL) (1984) New Orleans Night (AFL) (1991–1992) New Orleans Bowl (NCAA) (2001–2004, 2006–present) New Orleans VooDoo (AFL) (2013)
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
NRHP reference No.	15001004
Designated	January 27, 2016[6]

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, often referred to simply as the Superdome, is a domed sports and exhibition stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It primarily serves as the home venue for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL), the home stadium for the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans Bowl in college football, and the longtime rivalry football game of the SWAC Conference's Southern University and Grambling State University, known as the Bayou Classic (held yearly, every Thanksgiving Weekend). It also houses their schools’ Battle of the Bands between The Southern University "The Human Jukebox" and Grambling State's Tiger Marching Band.

Plans were drawn up in 1967 by the New Orleans modernist architectural firm of Curtis and Davis and the building opened as the Louisiana Superdome in 1975. Its steel frame covers a 13-acre (5.3 ha) expanse and the 273-foot (83 m) dome is made of a lamellar multi-ringed frame and has a diameter of 680 feet (207 m), making it the largest fixed domed structure in the world.^[7] It is adjacent to the Smoothie King Center.

Because of the building's size and location in one of the major tourist destinations of the United States, the Superdome routinely hosts major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, College Football Championship Game, and the Final Four in college basketball. The stadium was also the long-time home of the Tulane Green Wave football team of Tulane University until 2014 (when they returned on-campus at Yulman Stadium) and was the home venue of the New Orleans Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1975 until 1979.

The Superdome gained international attention of a different type in 2005 when it housed thousands of people seeking shelter from Hurricane Katrina. The building suffered extensive damage as a result of the storm, and was closed for many months afterward. It was eventually decided the building would be fully refurbished and reopened in time for the Saints' 2006 home opener on September 25.

On October 3, 2011, it was announced that German automaker Mercedes-Benz purchased naming rights to the stadium. The new name took effect on October 23, 2011.^[8] On May 19, 2020, it was announced that Mercedes-Benz would not be renewing the naming rights agreement after the current contract expires in July 2021.^[9]