We end 2019 with a countdown of the five biggest stories of the year on Football Stadium Digest, as chosen by editors and partially based on page views. Today, #2: End-zone stadium architecture continues to make its mark on the college-football game.
Many classic college football stadiums feature a horseshoe design. But a forgotten part of this horseshoe design is the open end of the horseshoe—typically regarded as some of the least desirable real estate facing the field. But in recent years, the end zones have received significant upgrades in many college stadiums, and end-zone architecture has emerged as a distinct specialty in the college-facility design ranks.
It’s been a trend for several years now—last year the emergence of college end-zone facilities was #7 in our year-end countdown—and 2019 saw it being implemented in more facilities. The University of Missouri unveiled a south end-zone project at Memorial Stadium, Kansas State University announced plans for a Bill Snyder Family Stadium south end zone project, which would result in new premium seating and other amenities, while the University of Wisconsin announced a long-planned upgrade to end-zone seating at Camp Randall Stadium. Meanwhile, an ongoing expansion of the University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium was completed.
And the most notable end-zone development in the works? The upcoming DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium expansion and renovation at the University of Texas, shown at the top of this page. The $175-million expansion and renovation will take place on the stadium’s south end. The design of the new south end zone will fully enclose the stadium for the first time in DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium’s 95-year history, carrying over the architecture of the north and east sides through new entry towers and filling in the corners with concessions-equipped terraces. One of the project’s crown jewels lies inside the seating bowl. A Longhorn-shaped balcony designed into the end zone seating will be visible from the air and is the first time a logo will be carved into a seating bowl. Along with new facilities for coaches and student-athletes, the space will include a student seating section with multiple corner patios, providing a unique game-day vantage point. Construction on the seats, clubs and additional amenities will be completed by kickoff in 2021.
Best of 2019, #3: SDSU Negotiates New Stadium Plan