Gies Memorial Stadium

[Pikeillinifan]

I saw that the Ohio Stadium slurry walls were over 100 feet deep. I have no clue how deep ours would have to be, but while easily doable, it would come at a huge price.

I hope they can get it done within 10 years, but if not, fixing the horseshoe and doing something to address those tarped-off seats would still leave us with one of the best, most historic/beautiful stadiums in the country.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

I think the East Main and West Main distance from the field kind of is what it is, and that's okay. While it's not ideal and we'd obviously want fans way closer in a better world, it is MILES better than the travesty that is the empty space between the south end zone and the Horseshoe, as seen in the picture I posted earlier:

I understand we can't currently put fans in those first few rows due to sightlines, but I like the ideas I have heard in the past about filling that area with hedges or something aesthetically pleasing ... anything beats cheap tarps that blow around in the wind. With that said, if money weren't an obstacle and just for the sake of interesting conversation ... is there anyway to rework the angle of the seats for only the lower part of East/West Main and bring the stands closer to the field and then have the wall higher so the first row can see over the players on the sideline? As an example, it is very noticeable that the slope of the seats at SFC changes for A Section to get down to the court at a more efficient angle and fill the space:

While B and C Sections retained their original inclines that obviously had A Section pretty far away from the court pre-renovation, the rebuilt A Section changed the angle so that the new sections would be at such an angle as to make it down right to the court this time (rather than fill weird empty space with folding chairs, lol). Just an idea, but if we actually cared about that, we could someday implement a "section break" at some row in East Main and re-angle some new seats at a more gradual slope to get closer to the field.

With that said and as I said initially, I don't see East/West Main being what they are as some huge issue. Ideal? No. However, the real issue is the Horseshoe. I think we have to abandon what is there now and at least SOMEWHAT start over to get those seats closer to the field and at a much steeper angle.

 

[21ChampaignSt]

I will now throw my south end zone idea into the ring for your enjoyment and ridicule.
Basically, copy the Texas design. But instead of a longhorn, make it a Block I. This will be our new student seating. Mirror the suites on either side of the scoreboard but instead of modern, carry through the neoclassical design of the rest of the stadium.

 

[Dkayak]

Write off the few unusable rows in the lower east-west main. It would simply cost too much to make them usable.

Then instead of sinking a fortune into sinking the field, replace the horseshoe completely with an appropriately steep structure close to the end zone. Steepness and closeness eliminates the Kirby Avenue problem, whereas lowering the field does not.

 

[Pikeillinifan]

Write off the few unusable rows in the lower east-west main. It would simply cost too much to make them usable.

Then instead of sinking a fortune into sinking the field, replace the horseshoe completely with an appropriately steep structure close to the end zone. Steepness and closeness eliminates the Kirby Avenue problem, whereas lowering the field does not.

I'm all for just removing that first couple of rows of seats, or planting shrubs in them to eliminate the empty space painted gray in the middle and the tarps on the sides. If we're not using them and lowering the field is a pipe dream, let's just eliminate them or make the space more visually pleasing

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

did Ohio St lower their field in a 9 month time frame or did they play one season somewhere else ?

the water table issue is solvable . we have a world class civil engineering dept to help

playing somewhere else for a season is a bigger issue , imo

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

did Ohio St lower their field in a 9 month time frame or did they play one season somewhere else ?

the water table issue is solvable . we have a world class civil engineering dept to help

playing somewhere else for a season is a bigger issue , imo

Just for the sake of interesting conversation, if we DID have to play somewhere else for a full season, what would folks prefer? I think the move would be to find a suitable smaller/closer stadium (ISU if they'd let us?) for some of the less interesting games, but (assuming we still have this thing rolling) I think we should try to play some of our bigger games that could drive fan interest in Chicago to actually sell out a decently sized stadium.

 

[Shief]

Just for the sake of interesting conversation, if we DID have to play somewhere else for a full season, what would folks prefer? I think the move would be to find a suitable smaller/closer stadium (ISU if they'd let us?) for some of the less interesting games, but (assuming we still have this thing rolling) I think we should try to play some of our bigger games that could drive fan interest in Chicago to actually sell out a decently sized stadium.

I had this thought a while back. When Assembly Hall (I will probably never call it SFC) was being renovated, I remember some basketball games were played in Springfield and other towns. Basketball has more flexibility to play at different venues but football may be a harder sell.

ISU's Hancock Stadium seats 13.3k, EIU's O'Brien Field is 10k, SIU's Saluki Stadium is 15k, etc., so those might be possibilities but I wonder if we should look for a local solution. Maybe we should take a page out of NW's book and add temporary seats (red areas) around Demirjian Park for a season or two for most games, I am hope to potentially having some of the bigger games in Chicago. Thoughts?

 

[IlliniFanTX]

I will now throw my south end zone idea into the ring for your enjoyment and ridicule.
Basically, copy the Texas design. But instead of a longhorn, make it a Block I. This will be our new student seating. Mirror the suites on either side of the scoreboard but instead of modern, carry through the neoclassical design of the rest of the stadium.

View attachment 43734

Idk, there's just something special about the team running directly out of a uterus... should we even change it from the Longhorn? /s

 

[Illini92and96]

I will now throw my south end zone idea into the ring for your enjoyment and ridicule.
Basically, copy the Texas design. But instead of a longhorn, make it a Block I. This will be our new student seating. Mirror the suites on either side of the scoreboard but instead of modern, carry through the neoclassical design of the rest of the stadium.

View attachment 43734

I’ve seen a couple games there, but did not realize how busy and butt ugly it looks until staring at that picture

 

[21ChampaignSt]

I’ve seen a couple games there, but did not realize how busy and butt ugly it looks until staring at that picture

Lol that's probably because it doesn't look as busy when it's full of fans.

But thanks to @IlliniFanTX I can't unsee the uterus

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

I don't hate the Texas idea in theory (i.e., filling in the empty spaces, having the scoreboard as the focal point and having suites mixed in to generate revenue), but I don't like how way too much of the visual is something OTHER than "normal" stands ... I think that really lends itself to the "busy" accusations. The scoreboard is so huge, and then on either side you have massive blocks of suites. Then below all of that, you have a large amount of space taken up by the uterus (lol), additional luxury box suite areas AND more suites at field level. I strongly prefer designs like these where the suites, scoreboards, video boards, etc. take up much less room of the structures. These are all similar setups to ours where a brand new and/or totally renovated end zone structure was needed, not just completing or adding on to an existing bowl or something like that. Given how many stadiums are either bowls, "mini bowls" (e.g., Rutgers' setup), filled-in squares, etc., there are actually fewer examples nationally than one might think!

It goes without saying that none of these (with the possible exception of the Illinois 2016 rendering!) is perfect, and I would want ANY idea to go to great lengths to honor Memorial Stadium's incredible architecture. These are just examples of renovations that I think did (or would do) a good job of minimizing how much visual space the non-regular seating sections took up and tied these structures into the existing stadiums well!

Illinois 2016 Rendering - Needs no explanation!

Iowa - Practically cliché to repost at this point.

Arkansas - I really like this design, with the suites providing that extra "boost" of height for the top section to really be higher.

Mississippi State - I think we could shoot for something bigger here (and I hate whatever that bland white/gray architectural style is so much...), but the proportions are good.

Just a few examples. I hope whatever we put in balances the need for premium revenues and technological improvements with a very, very strong consideration for how it will tie the stadium together aesthetically.

 

[Birdus]

Memorial stadium is very loud when everyone is on the same page. Some stadiums with 80,000 fans don't get as loud. Washington is another one. That will be a tough place to play.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Memorial stadium is very loud when everyone is on the same page. Some stadiums with 80,000 fans don't get as loud. Washington is another one. That will be a tough place to play.

Yep, I have harped on this a lot, but if a full/energized MS can get as loud as it does with THIS much open space on either end...

... and some fans THIS far away from the field...

... just imagine how loud and intimidating a properly renovated stadium will be. Clearly, something about the acoustics for the east/west sides is working, because I agree our stadium is shockingly loud. If we close in the SEZ and bring those fans closer to the field, I think we will see a very noticeable improvement over an already loud stadium.

 

[Shief]

It took a bit but I finally organized my thoughts.

South Endzone
I would like to see something similar to what @Fighter of the Nightman sketched up. A rebuilt horseshoe that is pulled closer to the back of the EZ and either two upper deck wings with a scoreboard in the middle - similar to Iowa State - or a complete upper deck with corner screens - like LSU. The lower hall would be updated with various amenities, the upper hall(s) would also offer many good options. Pulling things in toward the back of the endzone, Kirby should not be affected but the outer wall may be right against the sidewalk.

The SEZ currently seats ~10k. Assuming that the new structure closes in the bottom ~15 rows for ~6 sections - with a tunnel in the middle - and moves a bit closer to the back of the endzone, let's call that would adding ~1k seats. For the upper deck, assuming 25 rows x 10 sections x 30 seats wide of standard seats and ~1k premium seats, that will add another ~8.5k. Total add would be +9.5k.

North Endzone
I would like to see something like Fighter's modified version of the ~2016 structure - wall of fans, beer gardens in the lower corners, recruiting lounge high up, good-sized scoreboard behind/above, etc. Having the Block I and the MI sitting immediately behind the EZ would be intimidating for opposing teams. My only adjustment would be to have a tunnel in the middle. That way, during pregame, the MI can split the big Block I formation in half and then the team and cheerleaders can take the field down the middle. The opposing team portal/tunnel will still be in one of the corners. The hall in the NEZ would be spacious, with plenty of amenities.

I estimate the currently NEZ seats ~4.5k. The wall will likely seat ~12k (60 rows x 25 people x 8 sections), for a delta of 9.5k.

East Sideline
Remove ~25 rows from the lower deck and replace them with premium seats to mirror the WSL. As discussed in an earlier thread, the ESL hall can then be updated to mirror the WSL - new restrooms, food vendors, etc.

Removing the upper 25 rows would take out ~6.5k seats. There would then be ~1.2k premium seats added, for a delta of -5.4k.

Summary
This revised stadium would pull-in the SEZ and provide an upper deck for additional fans, have a 'wall' in the NEZ, and would open up the ESL Hall. The SEZ and NEZ structures will close the gaps between the ESL and WSL towers, helping keep sound in. The video boards in the NEZ and SEZ will allow fans to see replays and announcements without having to turn around.

The new seating capacity would now be ~74.2k (60.6k + 9.5k + 9.5k - 5.4k) and that feels like a good number for Illinois to shoot for. That would put us at 8th in capacity in the B1G - between MSU and Iowa - and around 30th overall for the US.

What are your thoughts? Special thanks again to @Fighter of the Nightman for most of the visuals that I referenced.

 

[JucoIllini10]

My OCD loves the potential matching brick wall on the East side. I know season tickets sold out this year but what about premium seating? As plans are discussed, can the Illini fanbase that would pay for premium seating support a 2nd "Colonnades Club" located on the East side? Plus adding premium seating in the new SEZ?

 

[Dkayak]

They discounted Colonnades by 30% this spring. I presume that’s what was needed to sell it out. List price is same as 77 Club (both midfield). Adding another Colonnades plus SEZ suites could be a challenge at this point but in time.

 

[fuddrules]

My OCD loves the potential matching brick wall on the East side. I know season tickets sold out this year but what about premium seating?

I don't believe any of it is sold out. Maybe the 77 club??

 

[Dkayak]

I don't believe any of it is sold out. Maybe the 77 club??

The 3 rows of theater seats in 77 sold out in March. Not sure about the 4th row, aka “Barstool Row”.

 

[illiniwil]

a tiny little beef: the "quick" beer stand (where you
pull drinks out of the coolers and self-check out) has
added ID checks at the line entrance pushing people back
in front of the door. a bad exiting violation. then to
add insult, you can no longer check yourself out
because they want to check your ID again at the cash
register. this is ridiculous. i won't be back to that stand.
the one person stand in the horseshoe went way better.

 

[illinoisfootball]

I had this thought a while back. When Assembly Hall (I will probably never call it SFC) was being renovated, I remember some basketball games were played in Springfield and other towns. Basketball has more flexibility to play at different venues but football may be a harder sell.

ISU's Hancock Stadium seats 13.3k, EIU's O'Brien Field is 10k, SIU's Saluki Stadium is 15k, etc., so those might be possibilities but I wonder if we should look for a local solution. Maybe we should take a page out of NW's book and add temporary seats (red areas) around Demirjian Park for a season or two for most games, I am hope to potentially having some of the bigger games in Chicago. Thoughts?
View attachment 43758

NIU seats 28k

 

[illinoistradition]

a tiny little beef: the "quick" beer stand (where you
pull drinks out of the coolers and self-check out) has
added ID checks at the line entrance pushing people back
in front of the door. a bad exiting violation. then to
add insult, you can no longer check yourself out
because they want to check your ID again at the cash
register. this is ridiculous. i won't be back to that stand.
the one person stand in the horseshoe went way better.

I did find that to be excessive. If you just checked me as I entered the line, why do I have to be checked again at the end? And why was that just instituted this year?

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

NIU seats 28k

While I have no doubt Illini fans would travel, I think we'd need either a place where Illini fans just dominate the college landscape (e.g., Springfield but they don't have a stadium) or where there are just a lot of them to the point where we could still draw (e.g., Chicago). NIU might be a good middle ground, but I am not sure how Illini-crazy DeKalb is (and would love to hear any anecdotes).

 

[illinoisfootball]

While I have no doubt Illini fans would travel, I think we'd need either a place where Illini fans just dominate the college landscape (e.g., Springfield but they don't have a stadium) or where there are just a lot of them to the point where we could still draw (e.g., Chicago). NIU might be a good middle ground, but I am not sure how Illini-crazy DeKalb is (and would love to hear any anecdotes).

Soldier Field then.

 

[illiniwil]

I did find that to be excessive. If you just checked me as I entered the line, why do I have to be checked again at the end? And why was that just instituted this year?

i used this stand a few times this year. i think this policy was this week!