The multipurpose stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, Edward Jones Dome, is home of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. The building hosts major conventions, elaborate trade shows and exhibitions and touring entertainment acts as varied as rock concerts, motocross races and monster truck rallies. The stadium is physically attached to the massive America's Center, and is surrounded to the south and west by office buildings and hotels. The Dome has hosted a Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II, which was the largest indoor gathering ever held in the U.S. The facility has also played host to numerous amateur and professional sporting events, including the 2005 NCAA® Men's Final Four®.
Located in the heart of downtown St. Louis, the Edward Jones Dome facility opened on November 12, 1995, with an NFL match-up between the newly minted St. Louis Rams and the Carolina Panthers. The Dome is a part of the America's Center® complex, which allows it to be utilized in a standalone configuration or directly connected with convention center exhibit halls. Other than being home of the St. Louis Rams, the Dome has hosted the Big 12 Conference Football Championship, NCAA Men's Basketball Regionals, the Saint Louis University vs. University of Illinois Men's Basketball Classic, the Gateway Football Classic, AMA Supercross, U2, the Rolling Stones and the pastoral visit of Pope John Paul II, and also hosts several annual state high school football games and motor sports events. The $280 million facility can seat up to 70,000 people. Seating levels include: a private luxury suite level, a private club seat and luxury suite level, a concourse level which is the lower bowl, and terrace level, known as the upper bowl.
The dome was known as the Trans World Airlines Dome when it opened. Later, the facility was then briefly known as the Dome at America's Center until the naming rights were acquired on January 25, 2002 by Edward Jones Investments. As part of a deal to sell the naming rights to Rams Park, the Rams' training facility in Earth City, Missouri after sportswear manufacturer Russell Athletic, the Rams agreed to rename the Edward Jones Dome to Russell Athletic Field for the Rams' Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears on December 11, 2006 and this renaming was for the one night only.
In 2005, it was announced by the St. Louis Rams football team that the Dome's outdated, the ten-year-old Astro Turf would be replaced by Field Turf. The need for a more flexible surface was felt. . After the 2005 season the Rams announced that the current FieldTurf would be torn up and be replaced with another temporary FieldTurf surface for the 2006 season. The facility continues to use FieldTurf as of the 2008 season. Nonetheless, Edward Jones Dome is undergoing a $30 million renovation project, which enlarges the scoreboard, as well as the construction of the a 18,000 square feet sports bar in St. Louis that is billed as St Louis' largest, in addition to the addition of new premium club seats.
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