Memorial Stadium Renovation

[Cubby Blue]

Oh yeah, you can't add columns. Isn't each individual column dedicated to a specific WWI fallen soldier?

There are 200 columns. Only 183 have a single name of an Alum (182 men, 1 woman).

Also, since they added WWII to the dedication in 2002, I suppose they could do a row of different columns for those Alums from that war.

As an aside, I would like to hear the story of the 1 woman from WWI. I suppose a nurse. Anybody got anything on that story. My daughter is a nurse in Champaign now. Neat to relate if that is true.

 

[illynifan34]

There are 200 columns. Only 183 have a single name of an Alum (182 men, 1 woman).

Also, since they added WWII to the dedication in 2002, I suppose they could do a row of different columns for those Alums from that war.

As an aside, I would like to hear the story of the 1 woman from WWI. I suppose a nurse. Anybody got anything on that story. My daughter is a nurse in Champaign now. Neat to relate if that is true.

Here's a link to the dedication material from 1924. The list of names is in there.

http://uihistories.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/rview?REPOSID=8&ID=8192

Gladys Gilpatrick is her name, here's a link to a story about her:

http://www.franbecque.com/2016/03/01/whm/

You're right she was a volunteer nurse (died of Spanish Influenza during the outbreak, while training):

In the June 1919 Adelphean, Margaret Hill Pletcher, the Sigma chapter’s correspondent wrote, “We feel that Gladys was a war heroine, in spite of the fact that she didn’t go across. When taken ill she was studying nursing, preparatory to going ‘over there.’ Permission had been granted to the student nurses who so desired to return to their homes until after the epidemic, but Glad, characteristic of herself, stayed to give what help she could. Although we think of her death with the greatest sorrow, we are, nevertheless, very proud of her.

 

[Cubby Blue]

Here's a link to the dedication material from 1924. The list of names is in there.

http://uihistories.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/rview?REPOSID=8&ID=8192

Gladys Gilpatrick is her name, here's a link to a story about her:

http://www.franbecque.com/2016/03/01/whm/

You're right she was a volunteer nurse (died of Spanish Influenza during the outbreak, while training):

Thanks for delving into this for me. :thumb: Interesting story.

 

[icengineer]

That histories pdf link was kind of grainy when I opened it up, couldn't make out all the names. What is that crop circle looking area behind the stadium on page 12? The white objects make me think cemetery or maybe beehives? Wonder what that wide open area behind the end zone bleachers was utilized for? Interesting stuff.

 

[ilphotog]

Another good thing, when this is done, we will be able to see the back side of the scoreboard. At its current height the trees block the bottom half of it. Assuming the trees along the South will be removed and the Scoreboard up higher, seeing it in its entirety will make this photog happy. It's the little things sometimes.

 

[casey]

And I agree that a second scoreboard is definitely needed, in the north endzone. Surely with all this money being spent, this will be included.

 

[Illinifan1951]

After the last two games I am hoping that after the renovation there will not be enough room for the opposing team bands to sit between the south end zone and the stands. I enjoy listening to the Marching Illini play during the game and the other band is a distraction to this.

 

[IlliniCaboose]

Agreed, I'm sure this happens to some extent at other stadiums, but it feels like we almost invite every single opposing team's band to come to the game at MS.

 

[ilphotog]

From a photogs perspective, it's tough with two bands. I love our band, but when shooting from the North end the sound blasts through your head. When we have visiting bands you get hit with it at the South end as well. My head was pounding after Saturdays game. It used to be worse for us on the field, they used to have to stacks of speakers o the ground at the North end, it was so loud at times that it hurt. After complaints, they took them down. I'd vote for our band only. *nothing against the band, they do a great job

 

[ilphotog]

I went in early and did a shoot of the horseshoe, I didn't go into the office area's but did get to every space underneath and just outside. Also did shots from the top of the Shoe stands looking down. As many have mentioned, there is a lot of space from the back of the end zone area to the sidewalk near Kirby. Some area's that were old storage areas that went into dark corners I stopped halfway through, no telling what could be back there (lol). I'll do more later as it gets closer and when it gets cleaned out after next season. Also some of the old track surface is still there underneath.
Even though I have been underneath the Shoe over a hundred times, I hadn't really looked at it like I did this past Saturday. They have replaced and updated some things, but many other things looked to be original or at least decades old.

 

[lexwaldez]

From a photogs perspective, it's tough with two bands. I love our band, but when shooting from the North end the sound blasts through your head. When we have visiting bands you get hit with it at the South end as well. My head was pounding after Saturdays game. It used to be worse for us on the field, they used to have to stacks of speakers o the ground at the North end, it was so loud at times that it hurt. After complaints, they took them down. I'd vote for our band only. *nothing against the band, they do a great job

Get some hearing protection. Works at the gun range. Use for the kids in theatres. No reason you can use them in the stadium (I know my wife does). :thumb:

 

[DrewD007]

For those hoping anything to happen to the North Endzone, I wouldn't expect anything, anytime soon. In a Facebook Live interview(8:05), Whitman was asked about enclosing it more and he said that it's in great shape and doesn't see them adding onto it at all.

 

[silentpugio]

Personally, I agree with Whitman. Yes, the North End Zone is pretty bad in hindsight. But I would hope the department would prioritize their limited capital expenditures wisely. Making incremental improvements to that area does not seem cost effective to me.

1. Build a super impressive football facility for the coaches and team (South End Zone)
2. New Basketball practice facility/complex
3. Renovate Ubben into an olympic sports building. Allow gymnastics to move out of Kenney.
4. Baseball stadium upgrades

 

[ilphotog]

Personally, I agree with Whitman. Yes, the North End Zone is pretty bad in hindsight. But I would hope the department would prioritize their limited capital expenditures wisely. Making incremental improvements to that area does not seem cost effective to me.

1. Build a super impressive football facility for the coaches and team (South End Zone)
2. New Basketball practice facility/complex
3. Renovate Ubben into an olympic sports building. Allow gymnastics to move out of Kenney.
4. Baseball stadium upgrades

5. Soccer stadium, we have the worst in the B1G

 

[Franklin Delano Bluth]

Does anyone know when they might release plans/ a timeline for the renovation? I thought someone had mentioned they might make a formal announcement at homecoming with more accurate/complete renderings

 

[IlliniOX08]

5. Soccer stadium, we have the worst in the B1G

6. Update the friggin track and field complex. Illinois is top 2-3 in the country for producing cross country and track & field athletes. It's gotten a lot better recently, but for a long time they were bigger on the ABI thing than any other sport.

I know it's not revenue generating but the outdoor track and field facility they have now is a joke, particularly when compared to the talent this state produces.

 

[Dan]

Does anyone know when they might release plans/ a timeline for the renovation? I thought someone had mentioned they might make a formal announcement at homecoming with more accurate/complete renderings

Project is tentatively scheduled to be presented to the Board of Trustees in Spring 2017. At this time, they're in the stage of interviewing potential architects for the project. So...maybe early-ish 2017 we'll see some of the real renderings[?]

(early in this thread I guessed the intro press conference would be this week..presser was held back on Oct 3rd)

When will the project be presented to the Board of Trustees?
Presentation of this project for Board of Trustees approval is tentatively set for Spring 2017.

When will this project begin?
This fall, we will begin interviewing potential architects for the renovation. After hiring an architect, we will continue to work with that firm to create final drawings and cost estimates, with completion of the planning process anticipated by Fall 2017. Final approval from campus leadership and the Board of Trustees will then be required.

http://uillinois_microsites.sidearmsports.com/illinoisrenaissance/

 

[DrewD007]

Does anyone know when they might release plans/ a timeline for the renovation? I thought someone had mentioned they might make a formal announcement at homecoming with more accurate/complete renderings

They hope to have end zone done in time for 2019 season and East side renovations in time for 2020 season.

 

[KRSAS]

They hope to have end zone done in time for 2019 season and East side renovations in time for 2020 season.

Was the east side supposed to be renovated during the 2006-2007 remodel? Did we just run out of money to upgrade it

 

[Dan]

Same architects recommended for new Memorial Stadium work

Architects who designed the massive $121 million renovation of the west side of Memorial Stadium in 2008 will oversee the new $132 million project to revamp the south end and east stands.

University of Illinois administrators are proposing that HNTB Architects, based in Kansas City, Mo., be awarded a $2.7 million contract for the preliminary design and development phase of the project. UI trustees will vote on the contract next week.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/lo...ts-recommended-new-memorial-stadium-work.html

 

[KRSAS]

I wonder if they plan to sell some of the seats in the horseshoe like how they sold seats from Assembly Hall. Anyone have any information on if this would happen?

 

[BlueGuy27]

I wonder if they plan to sell some of the seats in the horseshoe like how they sold seats from Assembly Hall. Anyone have any information on if this would happen?

It is a little bit more challenging to sell individual bench seats.

 

[IlliniCaboose]

They did after the last reno. My parents have a bench (approx 2-3 seats long) that they bought after they were taken out of the old West Balcony. I wouldn't be surprised if they did it again.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

It is a little bit more challenging to sell individual bench seats.

Literally have a bench seat form pre-2006 Memorial Stadium sitting in my basement, haha.

 

[KRSAS]

Literally have a bench seat form pre-2006 Memorial Stadium sitting in my basement, haha.

yea I was really hoping for something like that promotion happening again. Of course I don't know how they sold, I do have some Assembly Hall seats though.