News: RFK Stadium set for demolition by 2021

We must ... Must ... MUST ... find a way to tailgate somewhere to watch the old beast go down.

Too many great memories, of people and events, to let it go without a gathering. I doubt they'd let us set up in Lot 8, that's probably where they'll direct the dust from the blast - but there must be somewhere you can see it from that's a safe distance.

I don't care what you all say, I still prefer it to soulless Eagle Bank Arena.

 

I will want a piece of concrete so I can always have that smell of cigarette smoke, spilt beer and urine.

 

Me too!!!

 

I wonder if there is any asbestos in there? The Astrodome in Houston was also scheduled to be demolished, but inspections prior to the destruction revealed loads of asbestos. It's been cheaper for Harris County to keep the stadium up vs removing the asbestos then demolishing. Both stadiums were built at about the same time.

 

While hyperbole, I'll always believe that there was nothing wrong with RFK except the excuse it provided Levien and Thohir to not spend on the playing squad.

 

The team's payroll is up something like 100% from what it was around 2016 before they started ramping up for the new stadium? They're still cheap, but Audi Field has let them spend a lot more.

RFK is a lovely, unique facility that I have fond memories of, but Audi Field is a significantly nicer place to watch a match and the club is better for it.

 

Stadium designed by George Leighton Dahl, who also designed the Cotton Bowl and several other projects. (Only looked it up due to the question about asbestos). I would assume that the district would have already performed a pre-alteration assessment survey or it may be in the current solicitation).

 

We were told repeatedly on this forum that RFK could not be refurbished because of asbestos. Not sure who those experts on this forum were but they repeated it consistently. I doubt RFK will have the fate of the Flavian Amphitheatre.

 

I never found it "lovely," it was just where you had to go to watch pro soccer. At Audi Field, you can actually see a match, thanks to the placement of the stands so close to the touchline and the pitch of the seats. To me, the best thing about RFK was that I could drive from/to Bethesda in 30-35 minutes and park for a reasonable fee.

 

To be honest, I do not find the seating at Audi to be comfortable. Leg space is minimal and the seats are far from comfortable. As for the view, great when you are looking at play directly in front of your seat. But there is not space to turn your body when the ball is on the other side. The seating is a bit too square. I had no complaints about my seats at RFK, even if they were as old as me.

 

Speaking of RFK seats, if we had an owner who was on top of things (and cared about the fans), he/she would already be working-over Events DC to buy-up all the seats in the old SG section before the Skins fans could (via their own wonder-owner).

Said DCU owner would then make one of these seats the 2020 STH renewal gift for each SG member, 96er, and the remaining 1,996 most-tenured fans.

Can I be the owner of DCU, please?

 

I think the original big press box along the baseball 1st base line had Asbestos in it. If you sat on the Quiet Side, it was right above you. If you sat on the Supporters Side, it was this huge monstrosity up in the 500 level. Access to it was always blocked off from the mid-90s on.

 

MLS? A good number of them. If you are picking on my statement, then rectangular if it makes you feel any better. A curved arena gives a better overall view of the pitch. It is not like as if I am in a movie theatre where the screen is straight ahead of me.

 

When I read this article, I couldn't hold back tears. RFK has been one of my few certainties since when I arrived in the US, for the last two decades. Joy, delusion, laughter, friendships, have accompanied my otherwise pretty lonely time since when I arrived here. RFK has been a point of reference. An important one. I understand and agree with all the reasons to tear it down, but that doesn't make me feel better. I like AF, I think it's a very nice stadium, not one bad seat, but it's a fact that since the opening, I have been going to DCU games increasingly less. AF is easier to reach for me than RFK was, I pay for tickets (SG section) more or less what I was paying before. Concessions are more expensive than before, but I don't usually go beyond a bottle of water and maybe a pizza or a sandwich, so I don't feel much the heat. But something has broken, maybe permanently.
I was at the last game the NT played at RFK, the 1-1 vs New Zealand. There were some 9K spectators, so I don't think it would be a great idea to have the NT play here again. I think that if there was a farewell game to be played here, it should be a DC United game, maybe against one of our classic opponents, like NYRB or Galaxy, or perhaps against an international opponent that has meant something for our history, how about Vasco de Gama? But will this brainless FO understand something this big and important?

 

Which MLS stadiums have curved stands along the sideline? Other than the NFL football stadiums? Which European stadiums have curved stands along the sideline?

 

What the hell are you questioning? So if other stadiums have bad seating that is just to be accepted? Or are some of you getting butt hurt that Audi is getting criticized? I made a general statement. Who gives a flying f^ck about other lousy cookie cutters in MLS? Audi was done cheap and will never have the magic that was RFK.

 

"The magic that was RFK" ??? If there was magic it was due to (1) a winning team with Etcheverry, Moreno, et. al., and bouncing stands.

 

I was just a little tyke but my father took me to RFK (then known as DC Stadium) when the first soccer side played there. The ushers use to allow me to go under the turnstile. So it has always had a magical affect on me.

 

The most magical moment for me at RFK was when I got my girlfriend (now my wife) in on an 18-and under ticket when she was 30.