Penn State Begins 'Major, Major' Renovation of Beaver Stadium
Penn State has begun its four-year, $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium, which will transform the west side of the nearly 64-year-old facility. The nation's second largest stadium will undergo a substantial overhaul, for which construction is scheduled to commence soon after the 2024 Penn State football season. But work is underway now to ensure that Beaver Stadium will be able to end that season with a potential home game in the College Football Playoff.
Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft has said that Beaver Stadium would be ready to host a December playoff game in 2024, which requires offseason work to winterize the facility. The process will ensure that Beaver Stadium safely can host as many as 110,000 fans, who will need functioning bathrooms and hot water. Kraft said the process also would make Beaver Stadium more accessible to a major event like a winter hockey game.
"The winterization is occurring as we speak, so that was kind of ongoing." Kraft said in late December. "From that perspective from the renovation, we are going to be good with that. As you can see with Luke Combs [concert scheduled for April 27], we have to use this building more. I would sign up right here for a hockey game in this building, you know, today. Like everything else, just takes a lot of moving parts and working with the NHL.
"But I think there's a great opportunity to do that, yes, and we are open. They know that we are open it. But we have got to continue to use this build to go generate revenue."
Penn State has hired Populous, a Kansas City-based design firm, to oversee the renovation's design. Populous has significant experience with Beaver Stadium, having designed the 2001 expansion. Populous also served as the architectural firm for the continuing renovations of the Lasch Building, the home of Penn State football. Scott Radecic, senior principal and founder of Populous and a Penn State football letterman, said Beaver Stadium will undergo a "transformational renovation."
Kraft said in December that the design was about 30 percent completed, and Populous expects to deliver the renovation plans this summer. Demolition will begin at Beaver Stadium following the 2024 season. According to a project bid description, Penn State plans to demolish and remove the stadium's "west sideline structure" in two phases after the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
"The demolition scope consists of completely separating and removing the entire West sideline structure," according to the bid sheet. Further, some "selective demolition projects" could begin this spring, and "preconstruction" is scheduled to begin in August, according to the bid sheet.
Construction will impact seating during the 2025 and 2026 football seasons, though Kraft has said he expects the seating loss to be "minimal." Beaver Stadium's new west side will include significant additions of premium seating (including planned suites, club seats and loge boxes), new restrooms and concession spaces, and improved circulation. Penn State plans to complete the renovation for the 2027 season and intends to maintain Beaver Stadium's capacity above 100,000. Penn State recently recorded the second-best season for football attendance in program history.
This is major, major project," Kraft said. "Literally 30 percent is like, where are the pipes going, where do you got circulation? So that one is ongoing. We feel really good about where we are headed, but literally ... there is not a thing we are not evaluating in this process."
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