Penn State's Beaver Stadium Readies for its (Temporary) Closeup

During Beaver Stadium's $700 million renovation, some Nittany Lions football fans will watch games from high above the field.

Construction work continues at Penn State football's Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State's Beaver Stadium will look very different in 2025, as the venue's West side undergoes a three-year transformation designed to modernize the 65-year-old home of the Nittany Lions. Beaver Stadium will feature temporary seating over the next two years, starting with the 2025 season, when more than 7,000 temporary seats will be in place.

During Penn State football media day recently, reporters got their first look inside Beaver Stadium since the spring Blue-White Game. They viewed the construction progress as well as the temporary bleacher seats that will be in place for the Nittany Lions' 2025 season. Here's a tour around the grounds.

UP-CLOSE VIDEO of inside Penn State’s BEAVER STADIUM and temporary west side bleachers and temporary press box(es). WATCH; pic.twitter.com/Uvpx9YQYgP

— Mike Poorman (@PSUPoorman) August 2, 2025

Why is Penn State constructing temporary seats at Beaver Stadium?

Penn State has demolished the upper deck and press box on the West side of Beaver Stadium and is building a new tower in its place. The $700 million renovation project is scheduled for completion before the 2027 football season. Until then, Penn State must play two football seasons with temporary seating plans in place.

For the 2025 season, Penn State is constructing a series of temporary bleachers atop the framework of the new West side. Penn State reinforced the lower seating bowl so it can remain freestanding during initial construction. Eventually, the lower bowl is scheduled to be demolished and replaced with new seating.

Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft has said that the stadium will feature more than 7,000 temporary seats this season. The company that builds temporary bleachers for events like the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament and F1 racing events is conducting the work at Beaver Stadium.

"It is expected Beaver Stadium will maintain a capacity of more than 100,000 throughout the renovation project," Penn State said in a news release earlier this year. "Football game day parking and tailgating are not anticipated to be limited during the stadium construction period, however there may be minimal impacts across the construction site. The construction footprint will be expanded during the off-season but will shrink to accommodate football game day parking in-season."

The temporary seats appear quite high and steep from ground level. Kraft has said that the seats will have good views of game action at Beaver Stadium. Penn State also plans to construct temporary bleachers on two corners of Beaver Stadium's East concourse.

"Honestly I think the [fans in the temporary] seating may have a better seat than they had [before] in the old West side," Kraft said earlier this year.

Construction workers prepare temporary bleachers on the west side of Penn State football's Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A worker paints part of the south goalpost inside Penn State football's Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How is Penn State selling the temporary seats?

Penn State recently put some of the temporary seating on sale as part of a one-year season-ticket plan. The athletic department announced that it will sell a limited number of Penn State football season tickets for the 2025 home schedule, which begins Aug. 30 against Nevada at Beaver Stadium.

The season-ticket plans are for the 2025 season only and will not be renewable. Prices range from $469 to $1,156 for the seven-game plan, with some season-ticket options representing a discount over single-game pricing. Penn State also plans to build temporary seating on concourses on the East side of the stadium.

Construction work continues at Penn State football's Beaver Stadium in State College. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What will Beaver Stadium look like when the renovation is completed?

Beaver Stadium's new West Tower will feature two premium seating clubs with about 4,500 seats and about 70,000 square feet of lounge space. Penn State recently announced pricing options for the Schuyler Family Club and the Marzano Club, which will offer larger seats and included food and beverage. Pricing begins at $4,500 per seat.

The West side also will house Beaver Stadium's new Welcome Center, which Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said will create a "front-door experience" for the university. In all, the West tower will include more than 600,000 square feet of new space for seating, club and loge suites, a new media center and event space.

A digital rendering of the Marzano Club, a new space that will be part of the renovated West side of Penn State's Beaver Stadium. | Courtesy of Penn State Athletics

A digital rendering of the renovated West Side of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, scheduled for completion in 2027. | Courtesy of Penn State Athletics