Thousands wait to tour Paul Brown Stadium. Steven M. Herppich photos) | ZOOM |

        So many people showed up the Paul Brown Stadium open house Wednesday that there will be a second one in a couple of weeks.

        Stadium spokeswoman Brooke Hill said the date hasn't been picked.

        “People are still pouring in here,” Ms. Hill said at 9:50 p.m. “It's totally packed in here.”

        An estimated 100,000 people turned out the first public view of the new, 66,000-seat stadium that has taken three years and $453.2 million to build on the riverfront.

        Authorities expected about 20,000 visitors, and had that many before 5 p.m., an hour after the stadium opened. Fans were still streaming into the stadium by nightfall. The open house ended at 10 p.m.

        The size of the crowd jammed many downtown streets near the stadium, with most of the gridlock below Sixth Street.

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        The turnout stunned Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus, who pushed for a sales tax increase to pay for new riverfront stadiums for the Bengals and Reds and has championed the cause ever since.

        “Clearly, this exceeds our expectations, several times over,” Mr. Bedinghaus said. “And many of these people aren't ticket holders. This is truly a community event — just people coming out to see what we've been talking about.”

Mitchell Leonard, 10, of Edgewood, Ky., takes his first look at the stadium. | ZOOM |

        Mr. Bedinghaus said he thinks the traffic — which was still snarled at 9:30 p.m. — will flow more smoothly on Saturday night, when the Bengals officially open the stadium against the Chicago Bears.

        “This was a convergence of office people leaving with an incredible number of fans showing up at same time,” he said.

        Rondel West was one of the people caught in the middle. The East Walnut Hills man said it took him 45 minutes to drive three blocks when he tried to make it home.

        “And that was doing it illegally,” said Mr. West, who was stuck in Benham Alley at Elm Street. “I live 3 miles from here, and it'll take me three hours to get home.”

        Other than the traffic problems, the event was, by the account of most of those in attendance, a huge success. Fans came to catch their first glimpse inside the stadium. Nonfans came to see what their tax dollars bought.

Mark Oldfield of Western Hills, holds up his daughter Erica, 8, for a photo in front of the stadium | ZOOM |

        The stadium gave Elizabeth Skillman goose bumps.

        She and her husband, William, of Oakley took in the Cincinnati skyline through the 30-foot glass walls in Paul Brown Stadium's Club Lounge, then walked out to the seating bowl and looked down for the first time on the freshly painted field.

        That's when the chills hit.

        “Cincinnati is such a conservative town, and now we have something that is so modern,” Ms. Skillman said. “It's so futuristic.”

        The Skillmans left sold on the stadium.

        “We're buying season tickets,” Mr. Skillman said.

        Others, like Ryan Wagner and Glenn Waller of Clifton, came because it was their only chance to see the new stadium. With the cheapest seats selling for $35, Mr. Wagner and Mr. Waller said they don't figure to be at many games.

        Still, both voted in favor of raising the sales tax in 1996, which allowed the stadium to be built.

        “I was floored by it all,” Mr. Wagner said. “I hope it's a success. But they have got to put a good team on the field for that to happen. People can only look and say the building is pretty for so long.”

        Bernard Smith, 39, of Anderson Township, said he felt “proud” of the new stadium. Mr. Smith brought his 13-year-old daughter Alexis and 13-year-old nephew Lazerrick with him.

        They sat in an end zone seat and marveled at the huge scoreboards.

        “I don't care what the critics say, this is a fabulous stadium,” Mr. Smith said. “It's like a crown jewel, man. It makes you proud to be a Cincinnatian.”

        There have been many critics of the stadium — which is an estimated $46.2 million over budget — and its troubled past. But they were hard to find Wednesday in the massive crowd touring the stadium's wide concourses, plush luxury suites and carpeted club lounge.

        Ainsley Schroeder felt a little lost in her end zone seat. The 12-year-old Mount Lookout girl was there with her father, sister and brother.

        “It's so big,” Ainsley said of the stadium. “But I really like the cup holders.”

        Tom Schroeder, a downtown architect, has watched the stadium rise out of the ground for two years. He was amazed how close the seats are to the field, considering the size of the building.

        “It's very, very cozy,” he said.

        The day was especially emotional for Bengals President Mike Brown, who fought for seven years to make the stadium a reality. He beamed like a new father Wednesday afternoon after a dedication ceremony.

        The struggle was worth it, he said.

        “It might have been easier to move the team, but it wouldn't have been better,” Mr. Brown said. “The Bengals started here and they belong to the people of this community.

        “Football teams aren't just business operations to make money. There's a lot more to it than that.”
        Brown said his father would have been very proud of the stadium.

        “And I take great pride and I think it is fitting that his name is above the door,” said Brown.

        Season ticket holders get a special sneak preview 7-10 p.m. Thursday. They will get to watch the first game on the stadium field — a Bengals alumni flag football game.

        The Grand Opening is 7:30 p.m. Saturday with the first preseason game against the Chicago Bears. Tickets are available online at www.bengals.com/tickets

        Marie McCain contributed to this report.

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