U.S. Bank Stadium came through Tuesday’s storms with a small amount of exterior damage.
Storms rolled through the Twin Cities Tuesday night, flooding roadways, knocking over trees and leaving many residents without power. And it appears those same storms may have done a small amount of damage to U.S. Bank Stadium.
Wednesday morning folks woke up and realized something was amiss with the zinc panels that cover the sides of the stadium and contribute mightily to its menacing carved-from-granite appearance.
Local media were provided with pictures of the apparent minor cosmetic issue with the Vikings’ new home:
These pics came in from a viewer overnight. Will try to get my own photos soon @tntbabs @Vikings @usbankstadium pic.twitter.com/vHmA6FjQMz
— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) July 6, 2016
No big deal, you say? Just a little aesthetic issue caused by an unusually strong weather event? Well maybe, but it turns out this is not the first time the zinc panels have come loose from the stadium.
The black zinc panels on @usbankstadium have come loose before and did again last night. No one knows why.
— Rochelle Olson (@rochelleolson) July 6, 2016
minnesota sports facililities chair says they're "working to understand" why the panels have come loose on @usbankstadium
— Rochelle Olson (@rochelleolson) July 6, 2016
It should be made clear that none of the panels actually blew off, so we’re not yet talking about a major safety issue. It’s a little too early to warn people in the vicinity of U.S. Bank Stadium to be on the look-out for flying zinc panels.
That being said, you can understand why Vikings fans might be a little bit nervous over this news. Viking fans are extra-sensitive to the prospect of their stadium being damaged by weather after that little incident in 2010 where the entire roof of the Metrodome caved in due to a little snow.
Next: Claiborne drew interest from Vikings
I have no doubt that the brilliant minds at the construction company will figure out why these panels keep coming loose and will devise a means of remedying the situation. It would be a damn shame if the panels continued being an issue and they had to strip them all off the stadium and replace them with panels of a less-cool composition and appearance.