STADIUM HISTORY

In 1996, Paul G. Allen obtained an option to purchase the Seattle Seahawks and launched a campaign to win public support for a new world-class football/soccer stadium and exhibition center. Six years later, the dream became reality as the Seahawks opened the 2002 preseason against the Indianapolis Colts in Seahawks Stadium, renamed Qwest Field on June 2, 2004. After seven seasons, the stadium was renamed CenturyLink Field on June 23, 2011, and later rebranded to Lumen Field on November 19, 2020.

The Lumen Field stadium complex includes Lumen Field, the 325,000 sq. ft. Lumen Field Event Center and WAMU Theater. The stadium complex hosts a wide variety and volume of events each year, making it one of the busiest venues in the region. The NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, MLS’ Seattle Sounders FC, and the NWSL's Seattle Reign FC call Lumen Field home. The stadium also hosts events such as consumer and tradeshows, corporate events, Monster Jam, Supercross, and full stadium concerts. In 2022, it was announced that Lumen Field would be a host venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Recent Upgrades

2024: The Seattle Seahawks announced the latest Fanovation coming to Lumen Field – the T-Mobile Endzone and The 1976 Club.

- Formerly the Ring of Honor Lounge, the new T-Mobile Endzone will undergo a full renovation to transform into a new 2,625 square-foot sports bar complete with a 11' x 60' Mitsubishi 1.9mm High-Definition LED wall behind the bar.

- Within the T-Mobile Endzone, fans will see The 1976 Club, an open-air semi-private loge box experience with four or six person seating options featuring heated, plush stadium seating and outstanding field views.

Additional Fanovation projects scheduled for 2024 include:

• Upgraded LED boards in the south and north end zones
• New stadium-wide audio system with 48 Sub-woofers to greatly enhance sound clarity
• Continued updates to the stadium's private suites, signage, and wayfinding

2022: Lumen Field celebrated 20 years and launched a “Fanovation” campaign to upgrade and modernize various areas of the stadium. These improvements included:

- Cityside Bars under the Hawks Nest featuring premium views of the playing field

- North Video Boards that more than doubled the size of the previous boards

- Four concession locations with Amazon Just Walk Out and Amazon One check-out free technology

- Lumen Field was the first NFL stadium to deploy this innovation, getting fans back to the game faster

2020: In an effort to boost guest experience through faster lines and more efficient sales processes, Lumen Field transitioned to cashless operations for sales transactions at the stadium, the Lumen Field Event Center and WAMU Theater

2017: The Seahawks enhanced the food and beverage experience by adding even more local cuisines at the PNW Marketplace, Night Market, and the Elysian Bar

2016: The Seahawks added a high-definition LED board below the upper bowl, renovated the working press box and added four new Press Box suites

2015: The Seahawks constructed the Toyota Fan Deck, which adds 1,000 padded seats in two new seating sections in the south end summit level

2014: The Seahawks made significant enhancements to the wireless network at Lumen Field to provide fans with free open access to Wi-Fi. Super Bowl XLVIII Roman Numerals were installed in the Northwest corner of the stadium

2013: Capital improvements to the stadium included an expanded and re-designed retail store with an increased footprint from 3,000 to 7,400 square feet and 30 new mobile points-of-sale in addition to a new Beer Hall featuring 14 different selections. FGI installed 47 new digital menu boards and HD TVs to provide flexibility in pricing and menu

Lumen Field Funding‍

The $430 million facility is owned by the public and was funded by a private-public partnership. Private contributions totaled at least $130 million, while the public contributed up to $300 million through a lottery and a variety of taxes generated by events in the stadium/exhibition center.   

A breakdown of the funding package:

• $130 million private investment led by Paul G. Allen
• $127 million from new, sports related lottery games, similar to the Mariners’ baseball-themed scratch games
• $101 million in sales taxes collected in King County attributable to events in the stadium/event center
• $56 million from facility admission and parking taxes
• $15 million from extending King County’s share of the existing hotel-motel tax
• Paul G. Allen agreed to pay for any construction cost overruns
• $1 million per year of in-kind advertising for the new lottery games will be provided by Paul G. Allen
• All excess stadium revenues will fund youth athletic facilities throughout Washington State in addition to a $10 million contribution from Paul G. Allen
• $14 million of the public contribution will come from interest earned on the $50 million private contribution from Paul Allen
• As an added measure, the debt on the Kingdome was retired, freeing property taxes for other purposes

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