Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is the site of Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and New York Giants, which is set to kick off at 6:29 p.m. EDT on Sunday, February 5. The stadium, which opened in 2008, is one of the most unique in the National Football League, and it's a more than worthy site to host the biggest game in America.
Construction on the stadium began on September 20, 2005 and officially opened on August 16, 2008. It cost $720 million and was designed by HKS, Inc. Lucas Oil paid $122 million to secure naming rights for 20 years. The stadium is owned by Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority, which is a fancy way of saying the state of Indiana.
The stadium normally seats 63,000 fans but has been expanded to hold 73,000 for Super Bowl XLII. It features a retractable roof (the panels weight six million pounds!) that takes between nine to 11 minutes to open and close. In addition, the north window is the largest moveable glass wall system in the world, according to USA Today's preview, featuring six glass panels that span 88 feet. The glass window opens in roughly six minutes.
Lucas Oil Stadium's top arch is 264 feet tall, which makes it one of Indy's tallest buildings. To learn more about the stadium, it's history and architecture, visit the building's website.
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