Gillette Stadium - history, photos and more of the New England Patriots football stadium


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Gillette Stadium
Foxboro, MA

With superstars such as quarterback Tom Brady and a winning percentage of .830, Gillette Stadium has been the home to one of the best teams in the NFL since its opening in 2002. The Patriots have been a part of the New England football landscape since 1960 when they played at Nickerson Field. They played at Fenway Park, Alumni Stadium and Harvard Stadium before moving into Foxboro Stadium in 1971. Foxboro Stadium could be mistaken for a college football stadium instead of a NFL stadium for several reasons. Even though it seated over 60,000 fans, by the 1990s it lacked many amenities that newer stadiums possessed. Changes in ownership almost led to the Patriots to move to St. Louis after James Orthweinin bought the club in 1992. However, Robert Kraft, who owned Foxboro Stadium, decided to purchase the Patriots in 1994.

By the mid 1990s, the building boom of new stadiums was in full swing and the Patriots began lobby for a new stadium. Sites in South Boston, 22 miles from Foxboro, and in Providence, RI, were proposed but never materialized. In 1998 the Patriots and the State of Connecticut reached an agreement to build a stadium in Hartford, CT, but failed because of site issues and pressure from the NFL. After several referendums failed to pass, Kraft decided to use his own money to construct the Patriots a new stadium. Construction on the Patriots new stadium began on March 24, 2000. Like many other NFL teams, the Patriots sold the naming rights to the stadium. Originally, CMGI Investments purchased the naming rights. However, in August 2002, the Gillette Company bought the naming rights to the stadium after CMGI Investments faced financial failures.

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FACTS & FIGURES

-Tenant: New England Patriots
-Capacity: 68,756
-Surface: Fieldturf
-Opened: September 9, 2002
-Naming Rights: Gillette, Inc.
-Architect: John Bolles
-Cost: $325 Million
-Public Financing: 0%
-Private Financing: 100% through Robert Kraft
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Gillette Stadium PhotoMint
by Highland Mint
Limited to 1,000

The New England Patriots played their first game at Gillette Stadium on September 9, 2002. Gillette Stadium is a vast improvement over Foxboro Stadium. The stadium has 68,000 seats, the majority on both sidelines. Gillette Stadium consists of three seating decks. The lower section of seats nearly enclose the field, while the club and upper levels of seating are on both sides of the gridiron. All of the seats are angled toward the 50 yard line giving fans an excellent view of the action on the field. Gillette Stadium has 80 luxury suites and over 6,000 club seats. Two massive video/scoreboards are located beyond both endzones. Gillette Stadium also has a 120,000 square foot Patriots Club lounge that is used year-around. A lighthouse motif and a bridge bring a New England feel to the stadium. These are located at the North Portal Plaza, where many fans enter the stadium. Gillette Stadium is also the home of the New England Revolution (MLS). As a result of the problematic issues with the grass field during the 2006 season, the Patriots installed Fieldturf in November 2006.

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New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium Signature Collection Poster by Highland Mint Limited to 2,009 Endzone at Gillette Stadium by Rob Arra 13.5" x 39" Framed More Posters