MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans will soon get a glimpse of what the new Vikings stadium might look like.

Five national design firms interviewed with stadium officials this week, and a winner could be chosen as early as Sept. 14, though officials said it would likely be later.

About 200 people gathered at the Metrodome on Thursday, Sept. 6, for a public open house. The design firms weren’t sharing their stadium plans with the public — those will be kept private until a winning firm is selected — but their portfolio of past work was.

Vikings president Mark Wilf was there, as were several others connected to the team, the design and construction industry, and local government. But some were just interested fans, some eager to give their input.

Jeff Hein of Fridley is a stadium aficionado who has been to most of the major league baseball parks.

“Like most people, I’d love to see a retractable roof,” he said of the new Vikings stadium, which will be built on the site of the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.

Collin Solberg, a Vikings season-ticket holder who lives in a condo downtown, said he’s interested in the plans for around the stadium.

“I really hope they have a lot of green space,” he said.

Officials would give only a few clues about what to expect.

There’s a general desire to incorporate a nice view of downtown, for example, like the designers did at Target Field, said Ted Mondale, executive director of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. “I think that’s something that if we can afford, we will do,” he said.

Officials have talked about a retractable feature as a possibility for the new stadium, but it wasn’t included in the original budget so savings would have to be found elsewhere to pay for it.

A retractable roof would add an estimated $190 million to the $975 million project cost.

Other items are on the wish list as well, subject to budgetary limitations.