Acrisure Stadium during the pre-season Steelers vs Packers game photographed in this aerial view on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 on the North Shore.
Acrisure Stadium during the pre-season Steelers vs Packers game photographed in this aerial view on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 on the North Shore.
It's been a quarter-century of stadium glory, but there's a costly road ahead
Earlier this year, more than 800,000 people flocked to Pittsburgh for the 2026 NFL Draft. The event went down as the biggest in the city’s history, showcasing many of the unique qualities the region has to offer.
At the center of all the action was Acrisure Stadium.
Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of the day the stadium — then called Heinz Field — opened. While known best for being the home of the Steelers, the venue has established itself as a versatile resource, playing host to just about anything organizers can draw up.
“A lot of people don’t realize how many events are hosted throughout the venue,” Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor said. “You have dinners, charity events, all of those things. Where we see the benefit is through all the visitors that come to Pittsburgh and also all of the tax revenue that comes back from all of those events.”
[Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts warms up during training camp at Saint Vincent College on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Latrobe.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts warms up during training camp at Saint Vincent College on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Latrobe.](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2026/08/16/steelers-elandon-roberts-patrick-graham-queen-payton-wilson-patriots-linebacker/stories/202608150028)
The development of Acrisure Stadium, along with PNC Park, helped turn the North Shore into one of Pittsburgh’s most high-traffic areas, with businesses in the neighborhood generating millions of dollars annually.
While most seem pleased with the return on investment over the past quarter-century, the focus now has turned toward growing that economic value. There’s a collective acknowledgment that future stadium renovations will be needed, and while no exact plan has been crafted, the common goal is simple: for the next 25 years to be even more successful.
Making it happen
Former Mayor Tom Murphy says Acrisure Stadium’s story actually starts from the financial struggles of another team in town, the Pirates.
A few months before Murphy was to become mayor in 1994, while he was still working as a state legislator in Harrisburg, then-Pirates team president Mark Sauer paid him a visit. Sauer said the Pirates’ ownership group was looking to sell the franchise.
Due to an agreement between Pirates ownership and another former mayor, Richard Caliguiri, the city would assume temporary ownership in the event the Pirates were looking to be sold. The city had nine months to find a local buyer, one who would keep the team in the city, before ownership could open the franchise to a wider range of bidders.
“So there I was, the owner of a baseball team,” Murphy told the Post-Gazette in a phone interview. “I had no clue what to do.”
Keeping the Pirates in town quickly became one of the top priorities of Murphy’s administration. Not long after taking office, he met with Major League Baseball, which assured him that if the city were to build the Pirates a new stadium, the franchise would remain in Pittsburgh.
[Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson pulls in a ball as he’s defended by cornerback Doneiko Slaughter during training camp at Saint Vincent College, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, in Latrobe.
Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson pulls in a ball as he’s defended by cornerback Doneiko Slaughter during training camp at Saint Vincent College, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, in Latrobe.](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/08/16/steelers-camp-observations-offensive-elandon-roberts-nfl/stories/202608160082)
The Steelers caught wind of Murphy’s mission. They, too, wanted a new facility. “The convention people,” as Murphy called them, followed not long after.
On March 9, 1998, Murphy’s administration rolled out the Regional Destination Financing Plan, encompassing more than $1 billion worth of development projects. They included two new stadiums on the North Shore, tripling the size of the city’s convention center, and paying off the debt on and demolishing Three Rivers Stadium.
It all sounded great — aside from one major issue.
“We had no idea how we were going to pay for it,” Murphy said with a laugh.
Murphy leaned heavily on his staff, most notably Deputy Mayor Tom Cox; Steve Leeper, executive director of the Sports and Exhibition Authority; and Mulugetta Birru, executive director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
Their original plan was to ask voters to approve a regional asset tax, but that idea was defeated by 70% of the vote.
That’s when two of the three Allegheny County commissioners, Republican Bob Cranmer and Democrat Michael Dawida, hopped on board. They worked with Murphy to form what would be known as “Plan B,” which eventually also gained the support of then-Gov. Tom Ridge.
It took some time, but eventually the money was gathered. All in, it was about $1.2 billion for the two stadiums, the convention center and riverfront development. It was a hefty sum, but Murphy said he believes the investment has more than paid off.
“The results are what’s there today,” Murphy said.
‘Rewriting history’
With the funding secured, it was time to build.
The city hired Bortles Sport Architecture, now known as Populous, to design Pittsburgh’s new football stadium.
Running point was Ben Stindt, now a senior project designer and principal at Populous. His earliest memories of the process date back to the first few meetings, ones that took place in Three Rivers Stadium, the building he was going to replace.
Over Zoom, Stindt told the Post-Gazette: “At one point, you’re sitting there thinking, ‘Wow, they’ve won four Super Bowls here, plus two World Series titles,’ and they’re thinking about tearing the stadium down and building new. ... ‘Oh my gosh, we’re kind of rewriting history here.’”
Stindt had some assistance in that rewriting. Throughout each step in the design process, Steelers owner Dan Rooney was there to chime in. Rooney’s goal was for the stadium’s design to be reflective of its hometown.
Image Description
Acrisure Stadium during the pre-season Steelers vs Packers game photographed in this aerial view on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 on the North Shore.
“He was a wonderful man,” Stindt said. “He would sit with me, and we would actually draw together. I would lay out and start sketching. I would hand him the pen, and he would get engaged and start sketching.”
At the time, most stadiums had a similar design structure. Most were concrete jungles. Any sign of steel reinforcement was concealed with brick and stone, as it offered a more traditional aesthetic.
But Rooney and Stindt had a different vision.
“We obviously took on the name of ‘Steelers’ in the steel industry, the industrialness and the beautiful steel bridges around the city — all of that became part of the aesthetic,” Stindt said. “What is beautiful about those structures is the pure function. A lot of those things are designed by engineers. We had to think of how we could make the structure the aesthetic.”
Exposed steel beams were only part of Rooney’s mission. His greater focus centered on what the stadium would offer to those who walked through its gates. Stindt can recall plenty of design talks with other notable owners, ones who normally aimed to maximize profits.
That wasn’t how it went with Rooney. Most chats about suites and premium spaces were often met with the same question: “What about the common fan?”
Rooney also understood that common fans have interests other than football. During a time when most stadiums were used exclusively for sporting events — some even going as far as shutting off their water and electricity during the offseason — the Steelers aimed to make their new venue a space that could be used year-round.
“It was so much fun introducing that concept — these clubs being activated year-round for weddings, banquets, corporate events,” Stindt said. “That was a whole new way of thinking.”
Looking ahead
An NSYNC concert on Aug. 18, 2001, marked the official opening of Heinz Field, named for the local condiments company. Acrisure, a financial technology and insurance company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., bought those naming rights in 2022.
The stadium now has hosted more than 200 regular season Steelers games, along with 15 more playoff battles. Pittsburghers have twice watched their team secure a Super Bowl berth with a win on its home field, a surface that has also hosted more than 100 college football games, numerous concerts, two decades’ worth of WPIAL football championships, a pair of outdoor NHL battles and an iconic scene in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” Batman movie.
That activity isn’t limited to the playing field, either. The stadium hosts events ranging from weddings, to high school proms, to charity fundraisers, to corporate gatherings and much more.
“In the early 2000s, they were kind of slow when it came to booking events,” Stindt said. “But then, the next thing you know, there was always something. Today, if you go to Pittsburgh as a fan and visit the stadium, it seems like there’s always something going on there, every day of the week.”
All in all, city leaders are more than pleased with how things have unfolded in the past 25 years.
“It’s become part of the fabric of the North Shore in many different ways, which helps promote the quality of life here in Pittsburgh,” state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, who also is chairman of the SEA board, told the Post-Gazette. “ ... It's done nothing but progress.”
“I think it’s been very successful,” added state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills. “ ... I think it was a linchpin that really helped accelerate economic activity and other activity on the North Shore.”
City officials estimate PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium generate north of $20 million annually throughout the city. And as the money continues to flow, venues must remain in quality shape to deliver more.
Acrisure Stadium has gone through a series of renovations throughout the years. With the stadium on the cusp of its 25th birthday, local leaders recognize there is more work on the horizon.
“I think there’s a long-term conversation about that,” O’Connor said. “ ... I think we have to have that conversation.”
Some of those conversations are already underway. Per numerous sources, the Steelers and Pirates have both had talks with state legislators about acquiring additional funding for future stadium renovations.
The Pirates’ lease at PNC Park is set to expire in 2030; the Steelers’ lease at Acrisure Stadium follows a year later. Eventually, both teams will either have to work out a new lease or find a new home.
City officials understand the value of keeping both the Steelers and Pirates on the North Shore.
“It’s the best example of where community comes together,” Murphy said of Steelers games at Acrisure Stadium. “Rich people, poor people — everybody is mixed in.
“Why would we want to lose that?”
First Published: August 17, 2026, 9:00 a.m.