Huntington Bank Field

About Huntington Bank Field

On the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, a 67,895-seat open-air venue puts the Cleveland Browns in front of the lake, the North Coast Harbor, and the downtown skyline. It is one of the only NFL stadiums built right at the edge of a Great Lake, and on winter Sundays, the wind off Erie makes this one of the coldest and most challenging environments in professional football.

The Browns have called this place home since 1999, when Cleveland was awarded an expansion franchise after Art Modell controversially moved the original Browns to Baltimore in 1996. The city kept the name, the colors, and the history, and on opening day in 1999, 73,000 fans showed up to reclaim what was theirs. The Dawg Pound moved to the east end zone, and the barking hasn’t stopped since.

Designed by HOK Sport (now Populous) and built for $283 million, the stadium opened on September 12, 1999. Funded through a combination of the NFL’s expansion fund, city bonds, and a sin tax on alcohol and tobacco in Cuyahoga County, the venue was constructed on the site of the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, which had been demolished in 1996. The Kentucky Bluegrass playing surface is maintained year-round despite Cleveland’s harsh winters.

The stadium has cycled through several names since 1999, Cleveland Browns Stadium, FirstEnergy Stadium, back to Cleveland Browns Stadium, and now Huntington Bank Field, but its identity has never changed. This is the Dawg Pound’s home, the Muni Lot’s stage, and the place where Cleveland football lives on the lakefront.

Getting to Huntington Bank Field

Public Transit

Huntington Bank Field is on the lakefront in the North Coast Harbor district, accessible by streetcar and rapid transit.

The walk from Tower City to the stadium along East 9th Street passes the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Great Lakes Science Center, one of the best pregame walks in the NFL.

Driving + Parking

The stadium address is 100 Alfred Lerner Way, Cleveland, OH 44114. The Shoreway (OH-2) and I-90 are the primary approaches.

The Muni Lot, the free municipal parking lot west of the stadium, is Cleveland’s famous tailgate destination and one of the NFL’s most talked-about pregame scenes. Arrive early; it fills well before kickoff. Stadium lots cost $25–$40, and downtown garages run $15–$30 with a short walk north.

Rideshare

Uber and Lyft have a designated zone on Erieside Avenue near the stadium’s south entrance. From downtown Cleveland hotels, expect $6–$10. Post-game surge pricing is moderate, walk south toward Public Square and wait 10–15 minutes for rates to settle.

From the Airport

Construction & Design

Huntington Bank Field exists because of one of the NFL’s most bitter franchise departures. When Art Modell announced during the 1995 season that he was moving the original Browns to Baltimore, Cleveland fought back through litigation and negotiation. The resolution was unusual: the city agreed to demolish the aging Cleveland Municipal Stadium and build a new venue on the same lakefront footprint, while the NFL guaranteed that the Browns’ name, colors, and records would stay in Cleveland and that a reactivated franchise would begin play by 1999. The stadium was therefore purpose-built to receive a team that did not yet exist when ground broke on May 15, 1997.

The stadium was designed by HOK Sport, now Populous, working with local associate architects Robert P. Madison International and Ralph Tyler Companies, with structural engineering by Osborn Engineering, the historic Cleveland firm that had engineered the original Municipal Stadium decades earlier, and Huber, Hunt & Nichols as general contractor. Built for roughly $283 million and funded largely through a voter-approved Cuyahoga County sin tax on alcohol and tobacco, the open-air bowl sits directly on the shore of Lake Erie in the North Coast Harbor district. That lakefront placement is the venue’s defining trait and its greatest liability: it sits right at the edge of Lake Erie, and the wind and cold off the water produce some of the harshest playing conditions in the league. The natural Kentucky bluegrass field grows over a sand-soil root zone with an underground heating system to survive Cleveland’s late-season weather.

The stadium’s run as the Browns’ home is now finite. A once-planned $1.2 billion renovation of the lakefront site was shelved, and in October 2024 the Browns announced they would instead build a new enclosed, domed stadium in suburban Brook Park near Cleveland Hopkins Airport, designed by HKS and targeting a 2029 opening, with the Huntington Bank Field name set to transfer to the new venue. For now the lakefront stadium remains the home of the Dawg Pound, the east end-zone bleachers where fans in dog masks bark at opposing players, a tradition carried over from the old Municipal Stadium.

History of Huntington Bank Field

Huntington Bank Field was built to bring the Cleveland Browns back. After Art Modell moved the original Browns to Baltimore following the 1995 season, Cleveland negotiated to keep the name, colors, and franchise history, and the NFL awarded the city an expansion team that would begin play in 1999. The $283 million stadium was designed by HOK Sport (now Populous) and built on the site of the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

First Game (September 12, 1999): The expansion Browns hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in the franchise’s return game before 73,138 fans. Pittsburgh won 43–0, but Cleveland had its team back.

The Bottle Game (December 16, 2001): A controversial official review reversal with 48 seconds left prompted fans to throw plastic bottles onto the field, halting play. The NFL later reversed the officials’ on-field decision, one of the only times the league has done so.

Return of the Dawg Pound (1999–present): The Dawg Pound tradition moved from the old Municipal Stadium to the east end zone bleachers. Fans in dog masks, face paint, and orange-and-brown gear have made it one of the NFL’s most hostile sections for visiting teams.

Naming Rights History: The stadium was Cleveland Browns Stadium from 1999 to 2013, FirstEnergy Stadium from 2013 to 2023, reverted to Cleveland Browns Stadium in 2023, and became Huntington Bank Field in 2024 under a 20-year partnership with Huntington Bancshares.

From heartbreak to homecoming to the Dawg Pound’s relentless devotion, Huntington Bank Field is where Cleveland football was resurrected, a lakefront fortress where the wind, the cold, and the fans never let visitors forget where they are.

Sources & Further Reading

• Wikipedia entry on Huntington Bank Field: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington_Bank_Field. Architect, engineer, contractor, cost, funding, the naming history, and the Brook Park plans.
• Stadiums of Pro Football, Huntington Bank Field: stadiumsofprofootball.com. Construction, cost, funding split, and capacity.
• Cleveland Browns, Huntington Bank naming-rights announcement: clevelandbrowns.com. The 2024 renaming and 20-year partnership.
• Cleveland.com Browns coverage: cleveland.com. Local reporting on the stadium and the Brook Park move.