Events DC has announced that the demolition of RFK Stadium will begin later this month.
It comes after US President Joe Biden last week passed a bill to transfer the land on which the stadium sits to the District of Columbia, potentially paving the way for the NFL’s Washington Commanders to return to the venue.
The team formerly known as the Washington Redskins played at RFK Stadium from 1961 to 1996 before moving to what is now known as Northwest Stadium in Maryland.
The RFK Stadium site has been earmarked for a potential new stadium or mixed-use development, with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser hoping to lure the Commanders back to the District.
RFK Stadium opened in 1961 as the DC Stadium and was renamed in honour of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1969. The stadium served as a sports and concert venue until 2019 before closing to the public.
In December 2022, an event was held to mark the ceremonial removal of the last orange wooden seats of RFK Stadium’s lower bowl. It came after Events DC launched Farewell RFK Stadium, a campaign to celebrate the venue’s legacy ahead of its demolition.
Plans for the stadium’s demolition were first announced in September 2019 but structural demolition has still not commenced. Events DC has now confirmed that it will begin later this month.
In a statement posted on its website on Saturday, Events DC said that locals will notice an “increase in activity in and around the RFK campus and stadium” from today, as contractors remobilise in preparation for the initial phases of the structural demolition of the venue.
The statement added: “Hazardous materials abatement and selective demolition of interior elements of the stadium were previously completed. Over the past several months the National Park Service (NPS) and Events DC have completed the regulatory requirements for the demolition of RFK Stadium and the NPS issued a letter of authorisation to Events DC granting permission to move forward with the project and commence structural demolition activities.
“Please note that the structural demolition is anticipated to commence in late January. The initial demolition activities will largely be confined to selective sections of the interior of the stadium and the removal of sections of exterior cladding. We will take all necessary precautions to minimise the impact of these activities on the community and will continue to provide updates as the demolition process progresses.”
The Commanders have a deal to play at Northwest Stadium until September 2027 and the team is weighing up its options, with Maryland and Virginia vying with DC to become the long-term home of the franchise.
