<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Notre Dame Fighting Irish (NCAA) (1930--present) </Td> </Tr> <P> Notre Dame Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, the home field of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish . It is located on the university's campus and also hosts commencement . </P> <P> Opened 88 years ago on October 4, 1930, the stadium seating capacity was nearly 60,000 for decades . More than 21,000 seats were added for the 1997 season, which increased the capacity to over 80,000 . After the Campus Crossroads renovation, the seat number decreased to 77,622 . The playing surface was changed to FieldTurf in 2014, after 84 seasons on natural grass . </P> <P> The stadium opened its gates on October 4, 1930, replacing Cartier Field . The total cost of construction exceeded $750,000 and the original seating capacity was 54,000 . Head coach Knute Rockne played a key role in its design, keeping the space between the playing field and the stands to a minimum . The stadium is patterned, on a smaller scale, after Michigan Stadium, the main difference being the tunnel location . In 1929, plans were started by Osborn Engineering of Cleveland, selected for their experience in designing Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park . The original stadium held 59,075 people, measured a half - mile (800 m) in circumference, stood 45 feet (14 m) high, and featured a glass - enclosed press box rising 60 feet (18 m) above ground level . Initial stands reached 55 rows . The building was built by the Sollitt Construction Company of South Bend . Earth preparation began in the fall of 1929, but due to an unusually cold fall and winter, above ground construction did not begin until April 2, 1930 . This building was effectively built in six months . Over two million bricks were used in the construction of the walls and the concrete was placed in a monolithic continuous placement by section . There were over 300 workers on the site at most times and they worked five 10 - hour days and one six - hour day on Saturdays . The average worker was paid one dollar a day plus lunch with the more skilled workers earning up to five dollars a day . </P>

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