Sitting on one of the most hallowed grounds in the NFL, football
has been played at the same location that Cleveland Stadium
sits on for more than a half a century. In the late 1980’s
and early 1990’s, owner of the Browns, Art Modell proposed
that a new stadium be built for his team. Their current home,
Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was very old and deteriorating.
They also had to share the stadium with the Cleveland Indians
(MLB). After the 1993 season, the Indians moved into Jacobs
Field in downtown Cleveland. The Browns still did not have a
new stadium. After not being able to reach an agreement to build
a stadium for the Browns, Modell decided to move the team to
Baltimore after the 1995 season.
However in 1996, the City of Cleveland and the NFL secured a
deal to return the Cleveland Browns to the playing field by
1999. The deal stipulated that the name, colors and heritage
of the Browns would remain in Cleveland. Meanwhile Cleveland
Municipal Stadium was being demolished. On May 15, 1997, construction
on a new stadium began on the same site that Cleveland Municipal
Stadium sat. Construction was completed in time for the home
opener on September 12, 1999. The stadium was named Cleveland
Browns Stadium. Over 73,200 orange seats are located at the
stadium. Two three-tier grandstands are located on both sides
of the gridiron. A section of 10,000 bleacher seats, known as
the "Dog Pound", are located at the east end of the
stadium.
Additional seating is located behind each endzone. Two scoreboard/video-boards
are located beyond the seating area behind the endzones. Architectural
gaps in the seating bowl at Cleveland Browns Stadium at the
Southeast and Southwest entrance plazas allow visitors to view
the field and the inside of the Stadium even when the Browns
are not playing. Excellent views of downtown Cleveland and Lake
Erie can also be seen from the stadium. Several amenities are
located at Cleveland Browns Stadium including the Browns Hall
of Fame, team store, and The Grille and Sports Bar.