Some details are coming out about the potential renovations at Penn State‘s Beaver Stadium, including plans to reduce the facility’s seating capacity.
As part of a master plan with Populous, Penn State is trying to map out the future of Beaver Stadium. First opening in 1960, the facility has been expanded over the years to include room for roughly 107,000 fans.
That size has made Beaver Stadium one of the more notable in college football, but talk of capacity reduction is not too surprising. While some stadiums renovation projects buck this trend, it has become something of a habit to reduce to the total number of seats and make room for more modern design elements such as premium areas, better egress, and upgraded concession and restroom space.
It sounds as though Penn State will follow that path, but athletic director Sandy Barbour said that the full scope of the endeavor has not been decided. More from BlueWhiteIllustrated.com:
“Beaver Stadium will get a little bit smaller,” said Barbour. “As you look at doing a wider seat and a longer tread, there’s no way not to get smaller. I don’t think it will be significant, but this seems to be the direction folks are going.”
Though she couldn’t be specific about a potential number, Barbour did note that she anticipates Beaver Stadium’s capacity remaining at more than 100,000.
Pointing to Ohio State’s recent announcement that its famed Horseshoe would be adding premium seating while reducing overall capacity by roughly 2,600 seats. It’s $42 million project is expected to be completed through the next four years, and Barbour echoed Ohio State AD Gene Smith’s remarks that the capacity race has come to an end.
“It’s about driving value for our fans, and I would have to absolutely concur with that,” said Barbour.
In a separate interview with StateCollege.com, Barbour said that the master plan is expected to be complete in August. However, she added that the initial report to the university will be vetted before it is presented to the public, something that likely happen this fall.
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