Gies Memorial Stadium
- Status
I wonder what the chance of an announcement of a design for the south end zone this fall and start demolition of south end zone this winter and construction in the spring? While the announcement of the donation was recent, I’m sure the commitment is not. JW stated initial plans/designs do exist.
I can’t imagine the renovation would start later then end of season 2026.
I can’t imagine the renovation would start later then end of season 2026.
I agree the chances are small for starting in winter 2025 but it will start prior to winter 2028.
A $300M end zone renovation is massive (largest of all time for any school). I bet the project is smaller than that. Also, you don’t know what they already have committed. I’d think there is an announcement of plans in 2026 and start date before 2028.
We will find out eventually.
just don’t hold your breath
there is no hurry in this
and the SEZ and East side are all part of a project . while one may be done before the other , they are connected & and I would expect them to be done wrapped into one larger project - 24-30 months
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i think the south end zone project will be a nicer version of something similar to the Iowa State renovation. That renovation was $60M.
The east side renovations have already been discussed by the university. They were even budgeted at $10M in the previous renovation but not done. I’m sure the improvements are greater and more expensive now. Maybe in the $30M range.
A $100-$120M end zone and a $30-$50M east side renovation (new bathrooms, concessions, lighting, etc) would be an awesome addition. $150M. The previous renovation (north and west side) was $120M.
The east side renovations have already been discussed by the university. They were even budgeted at $10M in the previous renovation but not done. I’m sure the improvements are greater and more expensive now. Maybe in the $30M range.
A $100-$120M end zone and a $30-$50M east side renovation (new bathrooms, concessions, lighting, etc) would be an awesome addition. $150M. The previous renovation (north and west side) was $120M.
While it's massive, more so than Illinois would need, Penn State is spending 700M on renovations.
Illinois will spend a lot more than 100M on their next renovations.
2028 is probably the earliest we can expect to see anything announced for the SEZ imo. Whitman mentioned last week that they're planning on redoing the tunnel area this summer. That's long overdue, too, because that ramp is a legitimate hazard to the band, and I'm surprised we haven't heard of one of them breaking an ankle or something with all the potholes it has. As necessary as it is tho, I doubt they'd be planning to redo it if a major project that would make it not matter was coming any sooner than a year or two.
Shief
- Champaign Area
Depends what is being done. During the ~2007 renovations, sections of seats and concrete were removed on the WS but the stadium was still used for games, capacity went down to ~50k for the year. As a then engineering student and MI member, it was interesting to see the exposed supports for the WS upper deck during practices and games inside the stadium.
If the SEZ cutout is filled in, without tearing everything out, then work should be completed during the off season. If the SEZ would be completly replaced, with some construction occurring during the football season, then it would reduce capacity for a bit but games would likely happen with little issue. I like watching games on TV showing stadiums particularly under construction, it shows progress and makes you want to see how things look upon completion.
As for the ramp from Kirby to under the SEZ, it is pretty steep to walk or drive up but I cannot remember anyone falling too hard on it. That said, I would be in favor of replacing the ramp and the new one having a shallower/less steep angle.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I know I previously posted that even though this would be a total bare minimum fix, it would still be a massive improvement, at least aesthetically ... and I stand by that, as it really does do a shocking amount to make the Horseshoe (and therefore the stadium) look a little more complete, especially if you added seats behind, as well:
Current Horseshoe
New Seats in Front
New Seats in Front AND in Back
However, while these fixes would certainly tie the stadium together more effectively from a visual perspective, I now am thinking it would still be a H-U-G-E mistake for one very important reason - the gradual slope back of the Horseshoe is just not going to cut it for what we need in that area. I feel like there are three main goals with any SEZ renovation:
1) Include some type of revenue-generating seats that will help the renovation "pay for itself," or at least get some of the cost back.
2) Tie the stadium together aesthetically, as the current Horseshoe looks like we just stopped designing what was supposed to be an architecturally grand stadium.
3) More effectively trap noise to improve our gameday environment, mainly by (A) closing in the open space and (B) creating as much height as possible.
The fixes above do nothing to achieve Goal #1, and I think any renovation that keeps the current structure will have a difficult time adding in suites. They at least somewhat achieve Goal #2, even if they are still more underwhelming than other options. They also will do shockingly little (at least IMO) at achieving Goal #3, as we would be stuck with the current incline of the Horseshoe (while simply adding to it in front and in back), and the way it was built just does not lend itself to trapping noise or creating height.
We need whatever is built in the SEZ to have a slope closer to our East Balcony than what we have in the Horseshoe right now. If that involves a "break" in the seats between East/West Main and the new SEZ, that is okay!! There are plenty of ways we can artistically get around that and make it look good ... but we NEED a steeper incline there.
Compare these photos showing the rather steep incline of the East Balcony...
... compared to the much flatter incline of the Horseshoe, which looks to be even exaggerated compared to East and West Main!
I'm not an architect or engineer or whatever, so maybe we can keep elements of the structure and reorient the slope to be steeper ... but man, any "fix" to the SEZ that doesn't get those seats on a less gradual incline is a huge miss, as we need height in that area that is ideally creating a "wall of fans," as has been discussed.
Oregon st did a real nice job on there renovationI know I previously posted that even though this would be a total bare minimum fix, it would still be a massive improvement, at least aesthetically ... and I stand by that, as it really does do a shocking amount to make the Horseshoe (and therefore the stadium) look a little more complete, especially if you added seats behind, as well:
Current Horseshoe
View attachment 43689
New Seats in Front
View attachment 43690
New Seats in Front AND in Back
View attachment 43691
However, while these fixes would certainly tie the stadium together more effectively from a visual perspective, I now am thinking it would still be a H-U-G-E mistake for one very important reason - the gradual slope back of the Horseshoe is just not going to cut it for what we need in that area. I feel like there are three main goals with any SEZ renovation:
1) Include some type of revenue-generating seats that will help the renovation "pay for itself," or at least get some of the cost back.
2) Tie the stadium together aesthetically, as the current Horseshoe looks like we just stopped designing what was supposed to be an architecturally grand stadium.
3) More effectively trap noise to improve our gameday environment, mainly by (A) closing in the open space and (B) creating as much height as possible.
The fixes above do nothing to achieve Goal #1, and I think any renovation that keeps the current structure will have a difficult time adding in suites. They at least somewhat achieve Goal #2, even if they are still more underwhelming than other options. They also will do shockingly little (at least IMO) at achieving Goal #3, as we would be stuck with the current incline of the Horseshoe (while simply adding to it in front and in back), and the way it was built just does not lend itself to trapping noise or creating height.
We need whatever is built in the SEZ to have a slope closer to our East Balcony than what we have in the Horseshoe right now. If that involves a "break" in the seats between East/West Main and the new SEZ, that is okay!! There are plenty of ways we can artistically get around that and make it look good ... but we NEED a steeper incline there.
Compare these photos showing the rather steep incline of the East Balcony...
... compared to the much flatter incline of the Horseshoe, which looks to be even exaggerated compared to East and West Main!
I'm not an architect or engineer or whatever, so maybe we can keep elements of the structure and reorient the slope to be steeper ... but man, any "fix" to the SEZ that doesn't get those seats on a less gradual incline is a huge miss, as we need height in that area that is ideally creating a "wall of fans," as has been discussed.
This may be a little off the subject but on Saturday night when we made that goaline stand at the end of the first half it was loud in there. It was loud at various other times, but on third down there wasn’t one person in their seat and it got loud and on fourth down it got even louder. And when Odeluga hit that dude in the backfield, the collective shout from 60,000 people simultaneously was REAL LOUD.I know I previously posted that even though this would be a total bare minimum fix, it would still be a massive improvement, at least aesthetically ... and I stand by that, as it really does do a shocking amount to make the Horseshoe (and therefore the stadium) look a little more complete, especially if you added seats behind, as well:
Current Horseshoe
View attachment 43689
New Seats in Front
View attachment 43690
New Seats in Front AND in Back
View attachment 43691
However, while these fixes would certainly tie the stadium together more effectively from a visual perspective, I now am thinking it would still be a H-U-G-E mistake for one very important reason - the gradual slope back of the Horseshoe is just not going to cut it for what we need in that area. I feel like there are three main goals with any SEZ renovation:
1) Include some type of revenue-generating seats that will help the renovation "pay for itself," or at least get some of the cost back.
2) Tie the stadium together aesthetically, as the current Horseshoe looks like we just stopped designing what was supposed to be an architecturally grand stadium.
3) More effectively trap noise to improve our gameday environment, mainly by (A) closing in the open space and (B) creating as much height as possible.
The fixes above do nothing to achieve Goal #1, and I think any renovation that keeps the current structure will have a difficult time adding in suites. They at least somewhat achieve Goal #2, even if they are still more underwhelming than other options. They also will do shockingly little (at least IMO) at achieving Goal #3, as we would be stuck with the current incline of the Horseshoe (while simply adding to it in front and in back), and the way it was built just does not lend itself to trapping noise or creating height.
We need whatever is built in the SEZ to have a slope closer to our East Balcony than what we have in the Horseshoe right now. If that involves a "break" in the seats between East/West Main and the new SEZ, that is okay!! There are plenty of ways we can artistically get around that and make it look good ... but we NEED a steeper incline there.
Compare these photos showing the rather steep incline of the East Balcony...
... compared to the much flatter incline of the Horseshoe, which looks to be even exaggerated compared to East and West Main!
I'm not an architect or engineer or whatever, so maybe we can keep elements of the structure and reorient the slope to be steeper ... but man, any "fix" to the SEZ that doesn't get those seats on a less gradual incline is a huge miss, as we need height in that area that is ideally creating a "wall of fans," as has been discussed.
I guess my point is, there are enhancements that could be made to the stadium that would make it louder, or seem louder, but winning games and having a program that brings that type of fan excitement and passion is really fun to see and be a part of. And if there is a way to make it better with stadium improvements, I'm all for it!
I think it’s worth noting that some items regarding a renovation were previously released in earlier years.
1) A similar renovation was announced in 2016, paused in 2017, announced in 2021 and now discussed again in 2025.
2) The previous plans were updating the east side and a new grandstand on the south side (previous plans had other ideas that are now obsolete).
3) Previous plans were at a cost of $132M (2016 dollars) but included significant other football facilities that have since been built.
4) The project was planned to be done in two parts (east and south) each lasting a year. It appears they are planning are completing all of the east side improvements in 2026. This are items like better concessions, access, bathrooms and WiFi, scoreboards, lighting, audio.
5) Previous plans stated a new grandstand with no or minimum increased capacity. It also stated completion in 1 year which means something like the north end zone or like Iowa State. Not something massive like what Penn State is doing.
6) I’d guess the entire project is approximately $200m. Previous renovation was $121M and this project (it was a larger project then with facilities) was announced at $131M when announced in 2016.
1) A similar renovation was announced in 2016, paused in 2017, announced in 2021 and now discussed again in 2025.
2) The previous plans were updating the east side and a new grandstand on the south side (previous plans had other ideas that are now obsolete).
3) Previous plans were at a cost of $132M (2016 dollars) but included significant other football facilities that have since been built.
4) The project was planned to be done in two parts (east and south) each lasting a year. It appears they are planning are completing all of the east side improvements in 2026. This are items like better concessions, access, bathrooms and WiFi, scoreboards, lighting, audio.
5) Previous plans stated a new grandstand with no or minimum increased capacity. It also stated completion in 1 year which means something like the north end zone or like Iowa State. Not something massive like what Penn State is doing.
6) I’d guess the entire project is approximately $200m. Previous renovation was $121M and this project (it was a larger project then with facilities) was announced at $131M when announced in 2016.
I agree the SEZ should be razed and rebuilt entirely, but that'll cost far more than $100M. A tiered deck that retains the horseshoe aesthetic would be ideal.
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
Expanding the horseshoe would be great, but to me the best thing that could be done for the stadium environment is to figure out how to reconnect the student section with the rest of the stadium. Maybe expanding that section closer to the field or connecting it in the corners. TBH I still prefer students in the middle of the stadium (like they used to be). But if we are gonna have em all at one end, let's close that end in as much as possible and make it an utter hellhole for the opposition. It is so open at that end that a lot of the noise just escapes instead of being "trapped" in the stadium. Makes it a little easier on the opponent than it should be IMO.
I do think things have changed in our program significantly since that time. I would be surprised if plans are not a bit more "grand" since selling 60,000 tickets isnt as big a deal anymore. increasing capacity by 10,000 , at $1000 per ticket per season is $10,000,000 per year. Kinda hard to walk away from that .
To be in the top third of the league, you need to sell tickets like you are. This is the one and only chance to increase capacity now.
To be in the top third of the league, you need to sell tickets like you are. This is the one and only chance to increase capacity now.
This all seems correct.
I think the 2016 reno talk got canned in favor of the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Performance Center. In hindsight, a good decision. Player comfort over fan comfort and for less money. It's what was needed at that time. As you noted, it also moved those facilities from the SEZ (planned) to the new Center.
For me at least, the last renovation Illinois has done to Memorial Stadium was in 2006-2008. Everything else has been upgrades.
I'm hoping at some point in the not too distant future, Illinois has another true renovation, primarily the SEZ. That's going to take some time as Whitman has been talking just upgrades at this point.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
For sure, I have always said that Memorial Stadium is actually shockingly loud/intimidating (provided we have a full and energetic crowd) given how much open space there is ... but that only means that it could be TRULY elite as far as hostile venues go if we do the enhancements to further close it in and bring fans as close to the field as we can!
RE: my last post, the classic example of the "walls of fans" that I think of is Borussia Dortmund (German soccer), whose yellow wall is pictured below:
Obviously our SEZ would need some suites or something, but I think it would actually be ideal to move the STUDENTS to the SEZ below a type of luxury area, like how the Orange Krush is below our suites at State Farm Center. Then you can repurpose the NEZ as a general admission area, which it seems like it's made for (maybe even tier it and add some patio space?). Basically a "wall of fans" starting at field level and some revenue-generating suites above that.
SFC Model to Follow
Memorial Stadium SEZ Idea From 2016
Potential Memorial Stadium SEZ Idea - Move the field-level suites from the existing rendering to the sides, keep the ones on top and have a wall of students in the middle three sections ... not sure if that would hold them all, but it would be a great spot for some/most of them!
Could be cool!
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
True, but let's remember that while our Horseshoe has 10k seats...
... so does Iowa's new(ish) north end zone!
It's all about how we build the structure, and I guarantee you we won't need more than 15k. Iowa is a great example of how to build a 10k structure, whereas the Horseshoe is an excellent example of exactly what not to do, haha.
I only have two wishes, both which cost a LOT less than $100 million:
1. move the visiting team fans.
2. Add a scoreboard to the north endzone above the student section.
That's all I need/want.
1. move the visiting team fans.
2. Add a scoreboard to the north endzone above the student section.
That's all I need/want.
If the priorities Whitman described are:
1) New scoreboard / banner boards (2026)
2) Cellular service upgrades (2026)
3) SEZ tunnel / lighting / walkways (year?)
4) Architectural Study (immediate)
These 4 will be costly in their own right (including the Architectural Study).
Short term, you can’t go wrong “throwing in bleachers” to create rows 1-15 on the field of the horseshoe, admitting to everyone that it’s a temporary solution.
I’m all for studying the back of the East Main, as an equal priority as the SEZ. Explore cutting the rows off at 43, like the West Main, and look at alternatives like AFFORDABLE open air “box” / platform seating with an emphasis on families and little ones who might enjoy a little extra space to roam around behind them. An added bonus of this, is that the top corners of the upper east main will likely become easier to fill out, as a result.
1) New scoreboard / banner boards (2026)
2) Cellular service upgrades (2026)
3) SEZ tunnel / lighting / walkways (year?)
4) Architectural Study (immediate)
These 4 will be costly in their own right (including the Architectural Study).
Short term, you can’t go wrong “throwing in bleachers” to create rows 1-15 on the field of the horseshoe, admitting to everyone that it’s a temporary solution.
I’m all for studying the back of the East Main, as an equal priority as the SEZ. Explore cutting the rows off at 43, like the West Main, and look at alternatives like AFFORDABLE open air “box” / platform seating with an emphasis on families and little ones who might enjoy a little extra space to roam around behind them. An added bonus of this, is that the top corners of the upper east main will likely become easier to fill out, as a result.
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