The Minnesota Vikings will announce a surprise addition to the plaza outside the team's new stadium Thursday — a stylized ship that will showcase the personalized pavers purchased by fans and nod to the state's Nordic heritage.
The ship, similar to the one outside the team's Winter Park headquarters, will rest in front of the five pivoting glass doors of U.S. Bank Stadium that face downtown Minneapolis, below the peak of the $1.1 billion structure. A 2,000-square-foot video board will serve as the ship's 55-foot-high sail. The bow will be a 43-foot-high dragon's head with Vikings horns and purple eyes that light up.
"We have this amazing three-acre plaza that we wanted to bring to life with something fans would be drawn to," Vikings vice president Tanya Dreesen said, adding that the ship has significance both for the team and the ancestry of some Minnesotans. "It also provides a nice dotted line to the spirit of the art collection" inside the stadium, she said.
The ship will be privately paid for, she said.
As the team worked to develop something for the plaza, Dreesen said the driving question was: "How can we make this a showstopper?"
The team worked to find something that could stand up next to the heft of the stadium, a building so large that it has already become a defining feature of the city. The stadium — and now the ship — anchor the flurry of development in the eastern part of downtown that will include Wells Fargo headquarters, residential areas and a park.
Fans will be able to walk aboard the ship, which will have seating, stainless-steel railings and 150 feet of historical displays.
Designed by RipBang Studios, a California-based division of the Minneapolis design firm Nelson, the ship will incorporate stainless steel, stone, concrete and wood. Trees will surround the ship, which will also have theatrical lighting, sound and smoke effects.
