ONN – Oakland Raiders Coliseum Drawings Update: MEIS Architects Goes All CIA On Us
On Monday, this space exclusively reported findings of drawings for a new Oakland Raiders Stadium ostensibly at the Oakland Coliseum. The design concept produced by New York City-based MEIS Architects consisted of two types of stadiums: one a box-like steel structure, and the other patterned after Seattle Seahawks’ CenturyLink Stadium. It also included the presentation of an idea that melds tailgating and luxury suites for a unique experience.
The webpage for the designs was uploaded in this year, 2018, even though the information on the page reports that the stadium project was in 2016. Also, MEIS Architects made no effort to highlight the Raiders Stadium Project on its website; there was no listing for it in the website menu. This blogger found the webpage in a search on “Oakland Raiders Stadium Design” and during the Sunday night livestream show.
This was the stadium in brief:
PROJECT STATISTICS
Location: Oakland, CA USA
Client: Oakland Raiders
Size: 75,000 seats
Year: 2016
Cost: Confidential
Project Type: Stadium, Sports-Anchored Districts, Interior Design and Branding, Sponsor Integration & Activation”
The MEIS Architects Raiders New Stadium Project has been the talk of Raider Nation, and issued a whole new set of questions – only some of which were answered by Dan Meis, the principal of MEIS Architects.
On Twitter, Mr. Meis chimed in, and in response to this vlogger’s email, with this tweet:
Nothing sinister here. Concepts were created for a confidential developer, NOT the Raiders. Client was hoping to keep Raiders in the Bay Area.
— danmeis (@Meisarch) December 17, 2018
First, was the developer in conversation with the Oakland Raiders? Second, was this for a stadium outside Oakland but in Alameda County? Third, what became of the plan negotiations? And why post the design now, in 2018, for a 2016 project? Fourth, did Ronnie Lott see this, as Lott had his own stadium development group that eventually was given an exclusive negotiating agreement with the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda.
As I said, confidential. Labeled as “Oakland Raiders” because they were concepts for a Raiders Stadium. We put them up now because it is good work that still represents how we think and the question of the Raiders location is long settled.
— danmeis (@Meisarch) December 17, 2018
Given than the City of Oakland Raiders Lawsuit concerns, in part, breach of good faith business dealing, the fact that this happened, and the Raiders certainly appear to have been involved in it, is relevant.
Note that Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley had said to me he saw Raiders Stadium drawings back in 2016 at Raiders Headquarters, and that the design was for a facility that looked like the Seattle Seahawks NFL Stadium. Thus, it would seem the developers were in touch with the Raiders, if not directed by them.
From personal experience, this has the Oakland Raiders approach written all over it. In 1996, Al LoCasale, the Oakland Raiders Executive Assistant, approached this blogger as I was Economic Advisor to Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris. LoCasale asked me to be the front-person for the Raiders effort to reestablish the 49ers / Raiders Pre-Season Game and because “We don’t want it to look like it came from us.”
Stay tuned.
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https://youtu.be/Nn14YuYPREU