The Eagles broke ground on a $310 million stadium last Thursday, which, while only miles away from their one-time home at Franklin Field, will be worlds apart.
Standing before a soaring backdrop of the futuristic-looking complex that will become the Eagles' new home in 2003, team owner Jeffrey Lurie spoke of what will be "the most dynamic and spectacular state-of-the art sports and entertainment facility in the United States."
"We will finally have a stadium to call our own," Lurie, who had been pushing for a new stadium since he purchased the team in 1994, said. "For the first time in the 68-year history of the Philadelphia Eagles, no longer will we be a secondary tenant."
The Eagles will continue to share Veterans Stadium, their current facility, with the Phillies for the next two seasons. But to many in attendance, the end of that era can not come soon enough.
""It was a dump then, and it's a dump now," Gene Upshaw, head of the NFL Players Association, recalled about playing at the Vet while a member of the Oakland Raiders. "I'm glad to see it go."
Whereas the Vet can seat 56,000 during football games, the new stadium will hold nearly 10,000 more, with many seats closer to the field than before. Up to 130 luxury boxes will also be built, compared with 89 at the Vet.
Lurie said that such features were necessary for the club to be "financially competitive."
The ceremony, held at the project site at 11th Street and Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia, was rife with state and local officials who had guided the project to fruition.
Lurie introduced Mayor John Street by recalling the Mayor's words shortly after Street's 2000 inauguration.
"It will be a rough ride, and there will be times when you're going to doubt it, but in the end, I will get this done," Lurie remembered Street telling him.
Lurie added that "he was right on all counts."
The city is contributing over $394 million -- mostly for land acquisition and sitework -- to the $1.01 billion stadium package that includes new homes for both the Eagles and Phillies. But the day before the groundbreaking ceremony, City Council was still debating how to fill the $9 million funding gap.
Council President Anna Verna, whose ward encompasses the new stadium, could only shrug her shoulders when asked about the legislation recently introduced by Street asking for additional stadium funding.
Verna maintained that, like the original stadium funding plan, the Street administration introduced this latest version at the last minute, when Council is awash in other bills prior to its summer recess.
However, Eagles Chief Operating Officer Joe Banner maintained that the funding shortfall would soon be resolved, adding that it would not ruin his day.
"Not many people get to have a dream as big as this in their life, and then actually find themselves in a position where your dream becomes a reality," Banner said. "That's a moment you need to cherish."
The state also chipped in for the new facility. In 1999, Governor Tom Ridge authorized $180 million to be spent on Philadelphia's new stadiums. A slightly lesser amount was given to Pittsburgh to also build new football and baseball stadiums.
"The Eagles, the Phillies, and the Steelers and the Pirates weren't leaving Pennsylvania on our watch," Ridge said at the ceremony. "We had to make sure that you stayed, and you're going to stay in world-class facilities."
Ridge commented on the importance of education and of the state's financial commitment to Philadelphia's cash-strapped school district, but he said that professional sports were also necessary for healthy communities.
"Regardless of how you're affiliated, regardless of your economic status, your educational status, regardless of your lot in life, teams bring communities together. And if you're looking for an example, why don't you try last night," Ridge said of the 76ers exciting June 6th win in Game 1 of the NBA playoffs.
Not to be outdone, the Phillies will be unveiling the design for their new $346 million ballpark by the end of June, said Phillies Chief Communications Officer Sharon Swainson.
According to Swainson, the new baseball stadium will actually have fewer seats than the Vet's baseball configuration, allowing for a more "intimate experience." In theory, the new ballpark will even be able to fit inside Veterans Stadium.
