Paul Brown Stadium

Lore & Background

The construction of the stadium included $555 million of public funding, the largest public subsidy for an NFL stadium at the time. The Bengals had threatened to leave Cincinnati unless the city agreed to subsidize the stadium. In 2011, The Wall Street Journal described the stadium deal as "unusually lopsided in favor of the team and risky for taxpayers." Since then, additional costs have been imposed on taxpayers related to the stadium.

By one estimate, taxpayers will have paid $1.1 billion by 2026, the year in which the 26-year deal expires. In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the building of two new home venues for both the Bengals and MLB's Cincinnati Reds. The Bengals and the Reds previously shared tenancy of Riverfront Stadium, later known as Cinergy Field. Construction of the replacements for Cinergy Field began with the groundbreaking for the then-Paul Brown Stadium in 1998; the stadium was completed in time for the 2000 NFL season and opened in August of that year.

Cinergy Field would then spend two seasons as a partially-demolished, baseball-only facility before what was left of it was imploded in December 2002.

Reader's Guide

Paycor Stadium also houses the Bengals' administrative offices and training and practice facilities. The game field at Paycor Stadium is Momentum Pro, manufactured by Show Sports Turf. There are three smaller practice fields nearby. Two are sodded with natural grass, while the third is equipped with AstroTurf.

Several local busing companies offer round trip transportation to Paycor Stadium from designated locations throughout the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. One such example is the Cincinnati Metro's Jungle-to-Jungle Express, which originates at Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield, a suburb of Cincinnati. Premium seating options are available in 114 private suites and 7,600 club seats. Amenities include in-seat food and beverage service and access to the club lounges for fine dining options.

On-site retail merchandise sales are available in the Bengals pro shop, located on the plaza level on the north end of the stadium. There are 56 concession stands and eight stores. The stadium was designed by architectural firm NBBJ, led by Dan Meis. It was the first NFL facility to win an AIA design award, and one of only two sports venues to be honored.

The open corners allow for views into the stadium, while stadium fans can view the downtown skyline and bridges crossing the Ohio River. Paycor Stadium is the only football stadium to make a list of "America's favorite 150 buildings and structures", according to a Harris Interactive survey. It ranked 101st on the list. No other football stadium was voted among the top 150, and among all sports venues, only Wrigley Field (31) and Yankee Stadium (84) ranked higher.

Did You Know?

• The field is one of only two stadiums in the NFL to have "five miles of piping" running under the field to keep the rubber inlays heated.
• The University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the Ohio State Buckeyes played the first college football game at the stadium on September 21, 2002, before a sold-out crowd of 66,319.
• The Cincinnati Music Festival (formerly the Cincinnati Jazz Festival) is held there every year.
• Unusual for a venue of its size, Paycor Stadium hosts the annual Queen City Classic Chess Tournament in the spring.