NEW ORLEANS — The Mercedes-Benz Superdome is getting more than a face-lift, it's getting a major upgrade.
The state board that oversees Louisiana’s Superdome approved a contract Thursday for the first phase of a $450 million renovation of the 44-year-old New Orleans landmark that became a symbol of the city’s rebirth following Hurricane Katrina.
The unanimous vote by the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District was to approve a $53 million contract for initial work on the stadium upgrade.
The renovations will be the most extensive since 2005, when the dome became a last-resort haven for thousands of Hurricane Katrina’s victims despite being heavily damaged. The upgrade is seen as a key element in getting a new long-term commitment from the Saints to keep the NFL franchise in New Orleans and to attract future Super Bowls and other major events.
Renderings $450 million Superdome overhaul
"It's sort of like the most wonderful building in the world," Frank Dixon said. "There aren't any other dome stadiums that touch it yet."
Frank Dixon is the son Dave Dixon, one of the driving forces for building the Superdome for the Saints. Frank says he has seen the stadium's impact on New Orleans from the beginning and remembers his dad working on plans that included controlled temperatures.
The dome has been the home of the New Orleans Saints since opening in 1975.
"It was sort of a pipe dream but dad had a business and he sold it, concentrating on just that," he said. "In New Orleans, if you have a dome stadium, it's a lot more enjoyable to go to games."
Mark Romig, the "Voice of the Saints" remembers it too.
"It was like the 21st century had arrived in New Orleans," Romig said.
The state is to cover $90 million of the project cost. The Saints are to put up $150 million and the district is to pay $210 million.
"It'll pay itself off in many, many, many ways," Romig said. "This is the largest renovation to the Superdome since it was built."
Broadmoor LLC, a New Orleans area contractor, won the contract for the first-phase work that is to begin in January. The complete renovation is expected to take about four years to complete, with work planned around NFL seasons, major college football games and other major events, including the annual Essence Festival.
Included in the first phase of the upcoming renovation will be the removal of some 80,000 square feet of broad concrete ramps. That will make way for the installation of new stairways and elevators.
Future changes include expanded, remodeled concourses and end-zone field-level seating.
To compare, post-Katrina renovations cost $114 million less than this.
"He'd love it. He really would," Dixon said of what his dad would think of these renovations if he were alive today. "He would see the creativeness of this stadium. It's going to be beautiful, what they're doing and the stadium needs it."
"I expect this stadium will be considered to be the best of all stadiums once the renovations are completed," Romig said.
The Superdome renovations are part of Gov. John Bel Edwards' efforts for a new state contract with the Saints aimed at keeping the team in New Orleans through 2015.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.