In the midst of all the draft talk, the Washington Commanders have had a lot of positive momentum off the field as well. The team will be releasing a new, refreshed set of uniforms on April 15th, and the long-awaited vision for a new stadium at the RFK site is finally picking up speed.

In a recent article for Commanders.com, Senior Brand and Content Writer Hannah Lichtenstein interviewed Andy Van Horn, the Commanders’ Head of Real Estate, on the upcoming stadium project that all fans are anxious to hear about.

Here are the big takeaways from their conversation.

Within the article, Van Horn shared that the stadium would be, “A throwback in many ways. There’s going to be a lot of really powerful colonnades, some concrete, but it’s also incredibly accessible, like our monuments.”

Van Horn went on to explain that the stadium will not have a modern "hard edge," but instead will look more aligned to historic and traditional D.C. landmarks. He added:

“[The stadium] will be very much this integrated facility into the neighborhood and D.C., and I think that is something that hasn’t happened for decades. But that is something that throws back all the way to Roman times when you think about how the Coliseum and other features were built. They were part of the community, and they were part of the mixed use and built environment.”  

Bringing that "Coliseum" feel back into the RFK site while adding the surrounding neighborhood is really unique for a stadium being built today. Although a Greco-Roman theme hasn’t been explicitly stated, it is exciting to hear “the why” behind the construction and a potential theme association with the Commanders. I actually alluded to this back in early February:

Another thing that stood out about the article is the intentional sightlines the developers intend to capture. Similar to the old RFK, the new iteration will have a beautiful optic that aligns the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the newly constructed stadium.

This will provide iconic views for national events, including big games such as Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football—and hopefully, plenty of postseason events. Van Horn shared this in detail:

“One [important thing] being the field runs east-west, which is an extension of the National Mall – the National Mall runs directly through the Lincoln Memorial, through the Capitol, through our site. Aligning the field and the entries and our big window along that axis felt very D.C., very important and very monumental.”

The stadium will also "dip" in the middle, paying homage to the U.S. Capitol and ensuring it remains the most important structure in the city.

In terms of design, Commanders Owner Josh Harris has visited some of the world’s best stadiums as a source of inspiration. The HKS Group, who helped design SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, will draw the best components from those venues and merge them into one in D.C.

Van Horn noted:

“We certainly are visiting lots of the newer stadiums in the league... inspiration comes in many forms. We're thinking about how to best handle parking in an urban environment—Atlanta does a great job of that. When it comes to lighting and access from a roof system, Minneapolis and SoFi are best-in-class. Dallas' concourse, for example, has very convenient access for fans. I think it's really a blend of all those best factors."

In addition to these considerations, the stadium will have a venue suitable for 10,000–15,000 people on campus, an outdoor stage for live events, and an open family play area similar to a Beer Garden.

Although the stadium is projected to be completed before the 2030 season, many exciting ideas are underway. It will be interesting to see how the project develops.