The drawings, obtained Saturday by The Enquirer, were prepared for the Bengals by stadium architect NBBJ Sports & Entertainment for the team's premium seat marketing campaign, which kicks off Dec. 16.
The drawings show two potential scoreboards - a conventional design and what Don Schumacher called the ''George Jetson'' version shaped like the flame of a torch. Mr. Schumacher is marketing seat licenses - one-time fees for the right to purchase season tickets - for the new stadium.
The latest drawings do not include a canopy over the top seats, an idea county officials say they are still kicking around for the estimated $180 million project.
''They're on the right track. It shows a stadium can be both functional and attractive,'' said Hamilton County Administrator David Krings, who is overseeing stadium development. He said he saw the drawings for the first time Saturday.
The drawings are a refinement of preliminary designs that NBBJ produced to win Hamilton County's award of the architectural contract. Those preliminary designs, more than 2 months old, were published Saturday in the Cincinnati Post.
The Bengals issued a disclaimer of the preliminary work: ''The photos published today in the Cincinnati Post are of an initial exterior stadium design that has since been refined.''
The team reiterated that a design - including details of seating inside the bowl and other stadium elements - will be presented Dec. 16 at a news conference.
The designs ''were used in our preliminary presentation to the county,'' said Michael Hallmark, an NBBJ principal in Los Angeles.
''We have not even truly begun schematic design plans yet,'' he said. ''We have only done conceptual design work to the point that the Bengals can develop a marketing plan for premium seating.''
NBBJ hopes to make Cincinnati a breakthrough project for the NFL, much like Baltimore's retro-style Camden Yards was for major-league baseball. This is the firm's first NFL stadium; its principals designed NBA arenas in Boston, Phoenix, Seattle and Cleveland.
The county and NBBJ are negotiating a contract and are expected to reach an agreement this month.
Some design elements have emerged, however, as desired by both the Bengals and the county.
The four ''corners'' of the oval stadium will be open but for a single tier of seats. Except for the corner containing the scoreboard, that will allow views of the surrounding area.
''It's a design criterion we all agree on,'' County Commission President Bob Bedinghaus said. ''We want to make sure you feel like you're in Cincinnati even when you're inside the football field.''
Upper level 40-yard line view.
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The seats will number 70,000 on three levels at the sidelines, with 100 luxury boxes stacked in two tiers. The height compares to the yellow level at Cinergy Field. All luxury suites and 7,500 club seats are planned for the sidelines.
A canopy, which would keep fans dry, might also serve as a screen for projection of advertisements, Mr. Bedinghaus said. But, again, that is preliminary.
The team and the county, along with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, will present final inside-the-bowl designs as they start their premium-seat campaign next week. The campaign will decide whether there are enough individuals and corporations in Cincinnati willing to support a new stadium. If it fails by April 30, the stadium deal is off.
The county must sell $20 million in seat licenses; the Bengals must negotiate 10-year leases on at least 80 of the luxury boxes, at an annual average cost of $65,000; another 6,000 fans must be persuaded to pay close to $1,000 a year for 10 years for club seats.
At the same time, a Pittsburgh firm, Urban Design Associates (UDA), is working on stadium-site recommendations for the Bengals and the Reds. The Bengals stadium most likely will be along the riverfront; the Reds stadium might also sit on the river, or UDA might recommend a site 12 blocks north known as Broadway Commons.
UDA's next interim report to county and city officials is Dec. 19.
Together, the stadiums, land and associated costs are expected to total $544 million. The projects are largely funded by a half-cent sales tax that voters approved in March, estimated to raise almost $54 million in 1997. Of that, 70 percent goes for stadiums.
