Penn State's Beaver Stadium Renovation Reaches Lofty Milestone

Penn State held a "Topping Out" ceremony as the final West Tower beam was put into place.

A general view of the construction at Penn State's Beaver Stadium prior to the Blue-White spring game. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State reached a structural milestone of the $700 million Beaver Stadium renovation Wednesday, when the last beam was placed at the top of the new West Tower. With that, Penn State said, construction of the tower project reached its peak of 195 feet and remains on schedule to be completed for the 2026 Nittany Lions football season. The renovated Beaver Stadium is scheduled to debut for the 2027 season.

Penn State held a "Topping Out" ceremony Wednesday to commemorate the final steel beam being placed atop the tower structure. Penn State officially began the construction project in January 2025, when it felled the former press box on the stadium's West side. Penn State then began construction of the PAM Health Misitano Tower that will be the centerpiece of the three-year renovation.

The tower, which Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft has called a "superstructure," will house two premium clubs and the new university Welcome Center. The Marzano Club, a new premium space, will cover 50,000 square feet and accommodate 2,500 fans. The Schuyler Club is a 25,000 square-foot space with premium seating for about 2,000 fans.

"The footprint is massive," Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said last year. "It is a big, big, big, big building."

Bigger, better and built for the future.

An inside look at the @Beaver_Stadium progress with Coach Campbell. pic.twitter.com/2K5k37oP8B

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) June 5, 2026

In a recent tour of the project, Penn State football coach Matt Campbell was told that the tower's primary construction will be completed before the Nittany Lions begin their season Sept. 5 against Marshall. Penn State plans to have bleacher seating in place atop the tower structure.

Penn State also released some details regarding the massive size and dimensions of the new West Tower:

• Penn State has poured 11,953 cubic yards of concrete into the foundation of the structure and has used 6,200 tons of steel to build it.

• Each elevated section of the tower weighs 180,000 pounds.

• Penn State will drill nearly 1,000 micropiles through the first two phases of construction to support the structure's size. Penn State already has drilled 924 micropiles and plans to add 72 during Phase II. The micropiles reach an average depth of 50-80 feet, Penn State said.

• The new micropiles will be drilled beneath Beaver Stadium's current lower bowl, which will be demolished following the 2026 season.

• Construction workers have logged more than 750,000 hours on the project.

Excited is an understatement 🤩#WeAre pic.twitter.com/kJTK9HIIPI

— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) June 8, 2026

The Beaver Stadium renovation is in the second of a planned three-phase process. In Phase I, Penn State demolished the former west stands and infrastructure and began the tower construction process.

In Phase II, Penn State's primary goal was to complete the tower construction. The interior spaces, including the clubs, are not scheduled to be ready for the 2026 season. Phase III begins after the season, as Penn State will replace the lower bowl with new seating and complete interior work on the tower.

When the renovation is complete, Beaver Stadium at least will retain its status as the nation's second-largest stadium with a capacity of 106,572. Penn State has not said what capacity will be for the 2026 season or what the stadium's final capacity will be in 2027.

Despite the construction and temporary seating in 2025, Penn State still ranked second nationally in attendance again, averaging 107,093 fans per game.

"I believe that Beaver Stadium is one of the most iconic buildings in all of sports, so [the renovation] keeps Beaver Stadium around for generations to come," Kraft said. "It will provide us an increased revenue stream for us. I think we will continue to have the best gameday experience in the country. And I think it's a building now that we can use ... for far more than just seven or eight days in the fall."

A rendering of the proposed $700 million renovation of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, which is scheduled to be completed in 2027. | Courtesy Penn State Athletics

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.