After it was struck by a rock thrown by a pedestrian, a window at U.S. Bank Stadium was left broken and could remain unrepaired for months.
Those who have followed the development of the Minnesota Vikings‘ new home know that one of its signature features is its large sections of glass on the exterior, which are designed to open the view of Minneapolis in parts of the stadium and allow for a more transparent look at the facility from the outside. The window that was broken serves the Hyundi Club, one of the stadium’s premium areas.
The rock left a roughly 10-by-5 foot hole in the window, and it will likely take several weeks to find and install a replacement. For stadium officials, the act not only created a major inconvenience, but came as U.S. Bank Stadium is prepped for some major events. More from Star Tribune:
It’s likely to take six to eight weeks to receive and install a new pane because the glass is custom to the building, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
The break leaves the building in less-than-perfect condition for the ribbon-cutting Friday in which hundreds will fill the field to watch dignitaries congratulate each other about the $1.1 billion building that was the largest public-private effort in state history. According to the source, the glass was broken by someone walking along the north side of the building who picked up a rock and threw it at the ground-level wall of glass.
The Star Tribune was told that surveillance footage of the incident was captured, and stadium officials are in the process of trying to make it public.
The glass outside of U.S. Bank Stadium will not be easy to replace. It was customized for the project to fit into some of the exterior’s other characteristics, including large pivoting glass doors.
Image courtesy Minnesota Vikings.