Heinz Field Heinz Field is a stadium located at Exit 2B of Interstate 279 and the terminus of " Expressway " 65 on the North Shore of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams , members of the National Football League ( NFL ) and National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) respectively . It hosted the 2011 NHL Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals on January 1st 2011 . The stadium opened in 2001 , after the controlled implosion of the teams ' previous stadium , Three Rivers Stadium . The stadium is named for locally based H . J . Heinz Company , which purchased the naming rights in 2001 . Funded in conjunction with PNC Park and the David L . Lawrence Convention Center , the US $ 281 million stadium stands along the Ohio River , on the Northside of Pittsburgh in the North Shore neighborhood . The stadium was designed with the city of Pittsburgh ' s history of steel production in mind , which led to the inclusion of 12 , 000 ton s of steel into the design . Ground for the stadium was broken in June 1999 and the first football game was hosted in September 2001 . The stadium ' s natural grass surface has been criticized throughout its history , but Steelers ownership has kept the grass after lobbying from players and coaches . Attendance for the 65 , 050 seat stadium has sold out for every Steelers home game , a streak which dates back to 1972 ( a year before local telecasts of home games were permitted in the NFL ) . A collection of memorabilia from the Steelers and Panthers of the past can be found in the Coca - Cola Great Hall . History . Planning and funding . The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates shared Three Rivers Stadium from 1970 to 2000 . After discussions over the Pittsburgh Pirates building a full - time baseball park , a proposal was made to renovate Three Rivers Stadium into a full - time football facility . Though met with negative reaction from Steelers ownership , the proposal was used as a " fallback position " that would be used if discussions for a new stadium failed . Steelers ownership stated that failing to build a new stadium would hurt the franchise ' s chances of signing players who might opt to sign with other teams , such as the other three teams in the Steelers division who had all recently built new football - only stadiums . In June 2001 , the H . J . Heinz Company purchased the naming rights to the stadium . As per the deal , Heinz will pay the Steelers a total of $ 57 million through 2021 . Originally , a sales tax increase was proposed to fund three projects : Heinz Field , PNC Park , and an expansion of the David L . Lawrence Convention Center . After the rejection of this proposal in a referendum , the city developed " Plan B " . Similarly controversial , the alternative proposal was labeled " Scam B " by opponents . The Steelers ' pledge toward the new stadium was criticized for being too little , even after it was raised from $ 50 million to $ 76 . 5 million . Other local government members criticized the $ 281 million of public money allocated for " Plan B " . One member of the Allegheny Regional Asset District board called the use of tax dollars " corporate welfare " . The plan , totaling $ 809 million , was approved by the Allegheny Regional Asset District board on July 9 , 1998 , with $ 233 million allotted for Heinz Field . Shortly after Plan B was approved , the Steelers made a deal with Pittsburgh city officials to stay in the city until at least 2031 . The total cost of Heinz Field was $ 281 million . Design and construction . Kansas City - based Populous ( then HOK Sport Venue Event ) designed the stadium . Populous ' project manager for Heinz Field , Melinda Lehman , stated the Rooney family asked that the stadium ' s design " acknowledge the history of Pittsburgh and also bring in an element of looking forward , this is where Pittsburgh is going . " In order to accomplish this , Populous used steel structurally and externally . The stone used in Heinz Field ' s design is artificial , in order to decrease cost . Of the glass used in the stadium ' s design , Lehman said , " The glass is a more modern building element , which ties into a lot of the buildings in [ Downtown ] Pittsburgh and gives great views of the surrounding areas . " The Steelers and Panthers have their own locker rooms , which differ in size based on the amount of players each team is permitted to dress for each game . The visitor facilities are modeled after the home locker rooms ' design . As with its predecessor , Heinz Field ' s culinary service provider is Aramark ; over 400 eateries are located throughout the stadium . A bronze statue of Steelers founder Art Rooney , similar to those located outside PNC Park , was moved from its previous position outside Three Rivers Stadium . In addition , a statue of a Pitt Panther over a paved depiction of Pitt ' s Cathedral of Learning was placed outside Gate A . Upon opening in 2001 , Heinz Field ' s 27 by 96 foot Sony JumboTron was the largest scoreboard in the NFL . In 2007 , ESPN named the " tipping " of the oversized Heinz ketchup bottles atop the scoreboard one of the top ten touchdown celebrations in the NFL . Ground was broken for Heinz Field on June 18 , 1999 , at a ceremony co - hosted by the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh . The stadium was constructed by Hunt Construction Group and Mascaro Corporation . The two companies directed 1 , 400 workers over two years , in which there were no construction accidents or lawsuits . The stadium is inspected yearly , along with PNC Park , by Chronicle Consulting , LLC , for structural defects and maintenance . Opening and other events . The first event held at Heinz Field was a concert hosted by the band ' N Sync , on August 18 , 2001 . Prior to the Steelers regular season schedule , the team played a pre - season game against the Detroit Lions on August 25 , 2001 . Pittsburgh won the stadium ' s unofficial opening game 20 – 7 , with 57 , 829 spectators in attendance . The first official football game played in the stadium was between the Pittsburgh Panthers and East Tennessee State , on September 1 . The Panthers won the game 31 – 0 , with quarterback David Priestley scoring the first touchdown on an 85 - yard run . The Steelers were scheduled to open the regular season play at Heinz Field on September 16 against the Cleveland Browns , however , due to the September 11 attacks , all NFL games of the week were postponed ; thus moving the stadium ' s premiere to October 7 , against the Cincinnati Bengals . Prior to the game , a speech from US President George W . Bush , ordering attacks on Taliban - controlled Afghanistan , was shown live on the stadium ' s JumboTron . The speech was met with much applause and support from the spectators in attendance . Pittsburgh defeated the Bengals by a score of 16 – 7 . Steelers kicker Kris Brown scored the first NFL points in the stadium on a 26 - yard field goal , and quarterback Kordell Stewart scored the first touchdown on an eight yard run . In addition to football games , Heinz Field has hosted other various activities . Since its opening in 2001 , bands including ' N Sync , Kenny Chesney , and LeAnn Rimes have performed at the stadium . In addition , hometown bands The Clarks and the Povertyneck Hillbillies have played multiple shows at the stadium . In 2002 , the Pittsburgh Marathon concluded at Heinz Field , the course was altered from past years to allow competitors to cross the finish line on the field . In 2005 , the Pittsburgh Wine Festival was held at Heinz Field , over 2 , 000 people attended . The 2011 American Idol Auditions chose Pittsburgh of one of six cities and scheduled signups at Heinz Field on July 12 - 13 and auditions on July 15 , 2011 . In 2007 , writer Bill Evans named Heinz Field the second best stadium in the NFL , behind Lambeau Field , in an article for ESPN . com . Although both stadiums received a score of 54 out of 70 , " Sports Illustrated " named Heinz Field the second best stadium in the NFL , also behind Lambeau Field . That same year , two light - emitting diode ( LED ) video displays from Daktronics were installed at the field . The larger , high definition video display measures approximately high by nearly wide . Heinz Field served as the home field of the Gotham Rogues in the 2012 film " The Dark Knight Rises " . An estimated 15 , 000 unpaid extras filled the stadium during shooting on August 6th , 2011 . NHL Winter Classic . On May 28 , 2010 , National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announced that Heinz Field would be the host of the 2011 NHL Winter Classic . The game was played January 1 , 2011 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals . Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho sang the Star Spangled Banner before local sports legends Franco Harris , Jerome Bettis and Mario Lemieux dropped the ceremonial puck . The Capitals won , 3 – 1 . The game was the highest rated NHL contest since 1996 and the highest rated regular season game since 1975 . It was also the first night Classic and the first to use " CableCam " technology . Features . Playing surface . In June 2001 , Kentucky Bluegrass was laid on the field , at half the height of most NFL field ' s grass . The field is heated from below , using a mixture of antifreeze and hot water , to keep the field at around 62 degrees fahrenheit ( 17 degrees celsius ) in order to keep the grass growing year - round . The field was re - surfaced multiple times , until the synthetic - enhanced Desso GrassMaster was installed in 2003 . Debate continued over the surface after players began slipping during game play . Despite this players and coaches of Pitt , the Steelers , and their opponents supported keeping the current turf . On Friday , November 23 , 2007 , Heinz Field hosted four WPIAL championship football games which were followed the day after with a game between Pitt and South Florida . After discussion with the NFL , Steelers ownership made the decision to re - surface the field for their nationally televised game against the Miami Dolphins . A layer of sod was laid overtop the Desso GrassMaster surface . The field ' s condition was exacerbated by 1½ inches of rain after the new sod had been laid , which did not allow the tarp to be removed from the field until 70 minutes before the game began . The Steelers won the game 3 – 0 , with a field goal by Jeff Reed with 17 seconds remaining in regulation . Scott Brown , of the " Pittsburgh Tribune - Review " , called the field a " veritable mud pit " . While Gene Upshaw , head of the National Football League Players ' Association , also criticized the field citing a 2006 survey of NFL players that ranked Heinz Field as the second worst field in the league . Steelers receiver Hines Ward called the playing conditions " horrendous " after the game . However , the following day Ward and other Pittsburgh players lobbied to keep the natural surface stating , " I think everybody wants to keep the grass . " Debate continued over the field later in the season when Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor called the field " a lawsuit pending " . Pittsburgh ' s ownership stated that the decision was up to the players , who once again defended the natural surface . In February 2008 , the Steelers announced that they would keep the Desso GrassMaster surface . During the 2008 season quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was given a concussion after being hit at Heinz Field . He later stated , " I ' m glad we weren ' t on FieldTurf . That grass — you know , the soft Heinz Field — might ' ve helped a little bit . " After the 2008 season , a poll of 1 , 565 NFL players rated the surface at Heinz Field as the worst of the 18 natural surfaces in the League . The DDGrassmaster surface was removed in January 2009 and replaced with the old sod placed on top of the DDGrassmaster surface for the AFC Championship also in January 2009 . Field design . Unique about the field is the design itself . Initially , the south end zone had either " Steelers " or " Panthers " painted in the end zone , depending on the game itself . The north end zone has always read " Pittsburgh " , which is painted in gold lettering and trimmed in either black for the Steelers or dark blue for Pitt . Although there is typically no midfield logo when both Pitt and the Steelers are in season , both teams have applied their logo if the field ' s schedule allows for a sufficient break to remove or apply the other team ' s logo for that team ' s next upcoming game . The Steelers have typically added their logo to midfield after Pitt ' s football season has ended . In 2003 , the Steelers played the Philadelphia Eagles in a preseason game to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Steagles team , when the two merged as a result of player shortages caused by World War II . Steelers president Dan Rooney had initially considered wearing a throwback uniform for the game , but decided against it because the merged team wore the Eagles uniforms , and the Steelers didn ' t want to wear the Eagles ' colors . Instead , the team had the south end zone painted in plain diagonal white lines , which were common in NFL endzones until the 1960s . Although the Steelers lost the game 21 - 16 , Rooney liked the look of the south end zone being " plain " , and decided to keep it permanently . As with the team ' s logo at midfield , the Steelers paint " Steelers " in the south end zone once the college football season ends . The plain design in the south end zone has caught on in the NFL , with the Green Bay Packers also adopting the plain diagonal white lines in the end zones at Lambeau Field . Seating and tickets . As of 2008 , the Pittsburgh Steelers have sold out every home game since the 1972 season . Entering the 2008 season , the Steelers average ticket price of $ 69 . 47 was the 15th highest out of the NFL ' s 32 teams . The majority of the 65 , 050 seats are colored " Steeler gold " , though club seats are dark gray . Heinz Field features 1 , 500 seats in 129 luxury boxes , with prices ranging from $ 64 , 000 to $ 135 , 000 depending on location and size . These boxes were predicted to increase the Steelers ' profits from $ 10 to $ 11 million per season over those at Three Rivers Stadium . The stadium also features 6 , 600 club seats that include a restaurant and an indoor bar , at prices up to $ 2 , 000 per person . For the 2010 season , season ticket prices for Panthers games range from a maximum of $ 295 per club seat with required donations per seat between $ 250 and $ 500 depending on location , to as low as $ 87 per seat with no required donation for upper end zone sections . Individual game ticket prices ranged from $ 30 to $ 65 depending on the seat location and the opponent . Attendance for Panthers games has varied from an average high of 59 , 197 people per game throughout the 2003 season to a low of 43 , 680 in 2007 . Most recently , Pitt averaged 53 , 446 in home attendance during the 2009 season . Great Hall . The Coca - Cola Great Hall spans approximately on the east side of the stadium and houses a collection of Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers memorabilia . The Hall includes a timeline of the Steelers franchise ' s major events , an oversized Steelers helmet hangs from the ceiling beside a video screen that shows entertainment for fans throughout game days . The Great Hall also features the actual lockers of several former Steelers , including Hall of Fame members Franco Harris , Joe Greene , and Bill Dudley . Six large Super Bowl trophies - shaped display columns were erected and contain artifacts from each championship the Steelers have won including replica trophies . Two display columns are dedicated to the University of Pittsburgh and contain memorabilia from the Panthers ' teams . The floor is painted to resemble the field at Three Rivers Stadium , with the word " Steelers " painted in black over a gold background . University of Pittsburgh players are featured on two large murals within the Hall . Eight additional tile murals created by local high schools represent western Pennsylvania football history . In 2007 , the Great Hall was named the best concourse at an NFL stadium by writer Bill Evans , in an article for ESPN . com . Seating expansion . The Steelers notified the Pittsburgh Stadium Authority in December 2010 of their intention to add up to 4 , 000 seats to the lower southern end of the stadium . The plan would increase seating up to 69 , 050 as soon as the 2012 NFL season . Seating was added in that section for the 2011 NHL Winter Classic which had an attendance of 68 , 111 . The temporary seating was left in place for the 2010 - 11 NFL playoffs , with the AFC Championship game on January 23 having a record attendance of 66 , 662 .