What We Saw During a Tour of Penn State's Renovated Beaver Stadium

The Nittany Lions will play in an expanded Beaver Stadium in 2026, with the renovation scheduled to be completed in 2027.

A view of Penn State's Beaver Stadium from the new upper-deck bleachers on the west side. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

STATE COLLEGE | Standing in the far upper corner of Beaver Stadium's new west bleachers, in what will be known as Section 401, you realize that you're at eye level with the Penn State Nittany Lion weathervane. And the South endzone scoreboard, with its pulsating new sound system. And that West Shore Field is really down there.

Beaver Stadium is nearly two years into its $700 million makeover which reached a milestone earlier this summer. Penn State held a topping-out ceremony for the new West Tower which has reached its construction peak of 195 feet. With the final beam in place, Penn State is giving tours of what Athletic Director Pat Kraft called a "superstructure" ahead of the Sept. 5 opener against Marshall.

We recently took a walking tour around the site, which is scheduled to be completed before the 2027 season. But Penn State will introduce some key elements of the renovation this season, primarily in those west-side bleachers that hover higher over, and closer to, the Beaver Stadium field than ever before.

Some impressions of the tour, along with a few shots of the breathtaking views the top deck of the new Beaver Stadium.

An exterior view of the construction of the new West Tower at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

The new west bleachers will be open this season

A view from the new bleachers on the west side of Penn State's Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Penn State hasn't set a date for the full bleacher deck to be fully open, though Athletic Director Pat Kraft said the entire seating area should be available to fans at least by the Oct. 10 game against USC.

The deck's top level is higher than the former Beaver Stadium press box used to sit and offers sweeping views to Mount Nittany. The permanent upper-concourse concessions won't be available this season, but temporary concession stands will be open for fans sitting upstairs.

Penn State also installed two temporary seating structures on the stadium's east side, similar to what was in place for the 2025 season. With the bleachers and temporary seating open, Penn State expects to have the nation's largest stadium this year, with a capacity around 109,000.

"We've also found little areas in the building that we can maximize, and they're actually really good seats, and so we'll be able to put those on the market," Kraft said. "Once again, go back to the conversation [about] the commercialization and the revenue-generation side. Any seat that I can sell, and I can give a really good experience, we're going to do that. And so that that all plays into it."

A view of the Nittany Lion weathervane and scoreboard from the new bleachers on the west side of Penn State's Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Updates across Beaver Stadium

A view of the new upper-deck bleachers on the west side of Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Penn State replaced the scoreboard in the North endzone and the sound system accompanying the South endzone scoreboard. During the stadium tour, the sound was much richer without being at full volume.

Though they're higher than the previous bleachers, the new west stands are closer to the field, which will hold sound more tightly in the stadium. Kraft said.

"You have to see it how it is compared [to before] when you're on the field," Kraft said. "It's such an intimidating presence on the field the way it is. Now, you're closer to the field on the on the West side, and the magnitude and the size and the sound will just make an intimidating environment even more intimidating. So that's what really excites me."

Penn State also replaced the lighting on each side of the stadium, which officials said will brighten and sharpen the viewing experience. In addition Beaver Stadium's restroom capacity actually will be expanded with the addition of new facilities on the lower concourse suite level.

A view along the upper concourse of the new West Tower at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Finishing the West Tower's interiors

A view of the construction on the suite level of the new West Tower of Penn State's Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Construction crews will continue working through the season finishing the interiors of the West Tower premium spaces that will come online for the 2027 season. The tower is essentially built, and the interior spaces are framed. They will completed and furnished over the next year.

Penn State is building two premium clubs in Beaver Stadium: the 50,000-square-foot Marzano Club, which will include 2,500 seats and access to food and beverage, and the 20,000-square-foot Schuyler Club with 2,000 seats.

According to Penn State, the 18 executive suites and 30 loge boxes are sold out. Penn State opens the season against Marshall on Sept. 5, when Beaver Stadium gets its reintroduction to Nittany Lions fans.

A view of a suite under construction in the new West Tower of Penn State's Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

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