Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field
Football stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is a stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut. It is primarily used for football and soccer, and is the home field of the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies. In 2010, it was home to the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. The stadium, which opened in 2003, was the first stadium used primarily by an NCAA Division I-A (now FBS) team to open in the 21st century. The permanent stadium capacity is 40,000, consisting of 38,066 permanent seats with a standing-room area in the scoreboard plaza that can accommodate up to 1,934 people. It also has a game day capability to add approximately 3,000 temporary seats as it did for UConn football vs. Michigan in 2013. Connecticut played on campus at Memorial Stadium in Storrs, before 2003.
Rentschler Field, The Rent | |
Former names | Rentschler Field (2003–2015) |
---|---|
Location | 615 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT 06118 |
Coordinates | 41°45′35″N 72°37′8″W |
Public transit | 120, 121 |
Owner | State of Connecticut |
Operator | Spectra[1] |
Capacity | 38,066 (standing room to 40,000, expandable to at least 42,704) |
Record attendance | 42,704 (Sept. 2013) |
Surface | Kentucky Bluegrass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | October 21, 2000[2] |
Opened | August 30, 2003; 20 years ago (August 30, 2003) |
Construction cost | $91.2 million ($151 million in 2023 dollars[3]) |
Architect | Ellerbe Becket |
Structural engineer | BVH Integrated Services[4] |
Services engineer | Diversified Technology Consultants[5] |
General contractor | Hunt-Gilbane Joint Venture[6] |
Tenants | |
UConn Huskies (NCAA) (2003–present) Hartford Colonials (UFL) (2010) Hartford Athletic (USLC) (2019) Toronto FC (MLS) (2020) | |
Website | |
rentschlerfield.com |
Rentschler Field was originally the name of the company airfield for Pratt & Whitney that formerly occupied the site. The airfield, which began operations in 1931, was named after Frederick Rentschler, who founded Pratt & Whitney in 1925 and also founded its parent company, United Technologies. It was originally used for test flights and maintenance operations, and later for corporate aviation. The 75-acre (30 ha) site was decommissioned as an airport in the 1990s, and donated to the state of Connecticut by United Technologies in 1999. A subsequent 65-acre donation by United Technologies in 2009 allowed for the construction of additional grass parking lots adjacent to the Stadium.
Pursuant to a lease agreement with the State, UConn plays all its home football games at Rentschler Field.