Today, I had a field trip with my Interior Components class. We went to the Amon G. Carter Stadium and got to take a tour of all the suites. Anyone that spends enough time with me, knows how excited I would be to be able to be in the suites of our football stadium. My peers and even my professor and the kind man that gave us the tour could tell that I was quite excited to be there. I may or may not have shed a few tears of happiness during the duration of the tour.
The tour started outside of the Founder's Club. We learned how much the new stadium cost to build and maintain, and learned a little about the extremely generous families that gave so much money to our school to provide us with such a wonderful place to gather to watch the beautiful game of football.
As we entered the Founder's Club the interior was beautifully designed. Just about everything was custom made and chosen by the founders. The walls had leather wall coverings and the floors had custom rugs and tile flooring. The bar was designed to give an old traditional western feel to it. There were two kitchens on each side of the club. One of them, which was closer to the Chancellor's Suite, had a more gourmet cuisine menu. However the the one closer to the Founders' Suites, served more of the traditional "game day" food.
As we toured each of the suites they were all designed slightly different. The founders and the chancellor were able to specify each of the furnishings to their likings in each of their own suites. I was in awe as I got to see each one of them.
Next came the tour of the Club and the Club Suites. The Club was absolutely gorgeous! Some of the couch chairs around the club are the same couch chairs that Coach Gary Patterson has in the "man cave" of his home. While of course we were there to learn about wall coverings, flooring, lights, and other furnishings, I was just so ecstatic to be able to be inside this elite part of the stadium. This may sound a bit dramatic, but I felt at home while I was there.
Something that really caught me off guard, besides the amount of money that was put into the stadium, was the bullet hole in one of the windows at the top of the club. Apparently someone from the neighborhood behind the stadium shot at one of the windows. Unfortunately, because the neighborhood is so wooded, it is hard to ever find out who the offender was. Also, because the window is so high, it is expensive to replace, so they are not willing to pay to have it fixed. It really offends me that someone would shoot at our beautiful, new stadium. What did they accomplish? I guess we will never know.
I was so happy to have the chance to see the suites and the club and I hope that one day I will be able to return and watch a game from one of the suites. I would feel truly honored.
I can totally tell how exciting this tour was for you through your writing! I actually got to tour the stadium, as well. My sorority had us take part in the tour for our chapter retreat and it was truly a sight to see. Similar to you, I was amazed at the amount of money that has been contributed to making the stadium look as it is does today. The Founder's Club was definitely my favorite part. I loved how it was a mixture of both modern and traditional TCU flair. I feel like it speaks volumes to the amount of detail and time that went into creating the stadium overall. It was also interesting to hear about the bullet hole in one of the windows at the top of the club. I am surprised TCU has not repaired it yet, despite the steep price. Thanks so much for sharing your experience in your stadium tour! I think it is such a wonderful way to learn more about TCU, our history, our architecture, and of course, our stadium.
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