The City of Dallas on Friday unveiled the finished $140 million renovations of the 95-year-old Cotton Bowl, the first part of a larger revitalization plan for Fair Park.
The improvements added more restrooms, concessions, premium seating, a new press box and better team facilities. The renovations mostly impact the west side of the stadium facing the park where there will now be 14 escalators and multi-story entryways to help move visitors into the Art Deco-style bowl — which can hold more than 90,000 people.
New suites and viewing areas were added to provide a more comfortable, air-conditioned watching experience, the city said. Designers also hope the spaces will host other types of events outside of sports, giving the stadium another source of revenue.
"We wanted to add elements to the project that we'll be able to monetize," Ryan O'Connor, deputy director of Dallas Park and Recreation, told KERA News. "We want space to have private events, corporate events. Heck, we can even do weddings here."
The new upper levels feature bars, private watching rooms and leather, movie theater-style seats.
"This space didn't exist in the Cotton Bowl before," said Bryan Trubey, design partner at Overland, the firm that led the renovations. "There were no premium environments, no hospitality environments."
Katie Miles, lead interior designer at Overland, said getting it there wasn't easy.
"Infinitely challenging," Miles said. "I would say this is the most challenging project I've done in my career."
Some of the many challenges came from trying to renovate a space that's had overlapping or disconnected designs added throughout the decades. Overland began the renovations in March 2024 and said some parts of the building needed to be completely removed.
But Trubey emphasized the goal wasn't to just rip everything out and replace it; rather, he said some areas like the main entrance were treated more like a "preservation or restoration project rather than a renovation project."
Trubey has worked on other big stadiums like AT&T Stadium, but he said this project was special.
"I'm an Oak Cliff boy, born and raised in Dallas," he said. "My kids are fourth-generation in the same neighborhood, and this is a passion project for me and many on our team."
State Fair of Texas attendants can check out the new renovations during the State Fair Classic, the Red River Showdown and the State Fair Clásico.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Fall news intern. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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