The 47,000-seat football stadium that has stood in the nation's capital for more than six decades is slated to come down this month.
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Structural demolition is scheduled to begin in late January on RFK Stadium, Events DC announced Saturday.
The venue operator warned residents about increased construction activity starting Monday as it prepares the site for demolition.
The stadium has already undergone some internal demolition, including of the seats, more than a thousand of which have been sold, along with memorabilia like turnstiles and signs. Events DC has a live demolition camera online.
The announcement comes less than a week after the District gained control of the 177-acre RFK Stadium campus, with President Joe Biden signing the law that Congress passed in late December to transfer control of the site for the next 99 years.
The move allows the city to compete for the Washington Commanders' new stadium, which could be built on the RFK site along with a new mixed-use district.
The Commanders have a contract on their Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, through 2027 that could be extended as a new stadium is built. Owner Josh Harris, who bought the team in 2023, has said he is looking to build a new stadium in the region by 2030.
There is no guarantee the Commanders will choose to relocate to the RFK site, as Maryland and Virginia are also vying for the team. Harris released a statement after Congress passed the bill, saying it creates an “equal playing field” for all potential locations.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser met with Harris at a Commanders game the day after Congress passed the bill, and Bowser said her team had begun working on the stadium and financing proposal to bring to the D.C. Council, WUSA9 reported. She estimated that construction could take around two years.
RFK Stadium has been home to D.C.’s football, baseball and soccer teams over its 64-year life span, with DC United being the last team to play there in 2017. It sits on the banks of the Anacostia River, 2 miles east of the U.S. Capitol and near the Stadium-Armory Metro station.
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