When renderings of the $1.7-billion, two-team NFL stadium planned for Carson were unveiled in April, the hands-down most incredible part of the pretty incredible plan was a roughly 120-foot-tall tower, encased in glass, topped by a cauldron that would alternate between shooting lightning when the Chargers were playing, and filling with simulated fire when the Raiders were on the field. Unfortunately, when plans for that stadium were shown to NFL team owners last week, there was no trace of this fantastic feature, says the LA Times. Instead, there was a non-flaming, non-lightning-discharging trophy.
Stadium reps simply attributed the disappearance of what was clearly the best feature of the stadium to the "preliminary" nature of those first renderings. New designs show that a giant replica Lombardi Trophy, awarded to Super-Bowl-winning teams, "topped by a larger-than-life football" has replaced the eye-catching tower. (A little wishful thinking never hurt anyone.)
A video tour of the stadium, created by backers and presented to team owners (via SBNation), shows some of the previously unseen features of the planned football venue (overall its swooping design has remained mostly the same aside from the lightning). Like the "authentic farmers market," which is expected to upgrade the "sacred ritual" of tailgating from primitive to "premium." There is also, somehow, in-stadium valet parking, and a good thing too, because after spending the duration of the game in the 56,000-square-foot bar area overlooking the field, it might be hard to find your car. With all this wacky stuff, it seems amazing the stadium is only going to cost about $1.7 billion.
It's not clear, though, that the Chargers and Raiders will ever get to build this place. They're duking it out with the St. Louis Rams, who have a plan for a stadium in Inglewood, to become the NFL's new team(s) in LA.
The video tour—narrated by Mr. 24 himself, Kiefer Sutherland, and captured by David Crane on Tout—can be seen in its entirety here:
· Chargers and Raiders scrub lightning bolts and flame from stadium design [LAT]
· Los Angeles' new NFL stadium features a farmer's market and an absurd valet system [SBNation]
· Carson Stadium's Redesign Includes 120-Foot-Tall Tower That Shoots Lightning [Curbed LA]
· Three NFL Teams All Want to Move to Los Angeles Really Badly [Curbed LA]