This article about upcoming stadium renovations was posted in the Conference Realignment thread...
Upcoming NCAAFB Stadium Renovations
... and it got me thinking. If the money started flooding in, what would be your wish list for Memorial stadium? I really just have three main ones:
1. Move the students to the main stands and turn the NEZ into a family friendly concourse of sorts. It would improve the gameday atmosphere, you could charge more for those concourse tickets if you added easy access to food/beer and it would provide another fun alternative for a viewing experience at Memorial Stadium.
2. Fix the damn Horseshoe. I know I cannot shut up about this one, but it's frustrating to have a stadium that is breathtakingly gorgeous on the east and west sides and then have the south side be such an eyesore that doesn't fit the rest of the stadium in any way.
3. Give Grange Grove a bit more character. Don't get me wrong, I love Grange Grove, and it has helped immensely to improve the gameday atmosphere. However, it very much has the feel of if an AI was asked to create a "tailgating space," haha. Flat, utilitarian square with orderly lots. Too much about Memorial Stadium is "orderly," we need some unique quirky components! Plant some trees and actually make it a GROVE. Is this the most strictly logical thing to do to maximize tailgating space? Of course not. Would it give the place way more atmosphere and create a cooler environment? Absolutely.
For #2, I would love something like the planned SMU design in the linked article above, and I think it would fit into our south end zone space really nicely:
Ideally, the exterior would also have some component of brick/column architecture to tie it together with the rest of the stadium, too.
For #3, I mean come on ... compare the relatively bland layout of Grange Grove to what it would be like if walking through those gates was like entering a mini tailgating forest!
ILLINOIS
OLE MISS
GEORGIA
AUBURN
People can start to talk about Southern climates or whatever, but I'm
pretty sure you can plant trees in Champaign! We literally have a few giant trees right in the middle of Grange Grove, and across the street there is a tailgating area with many more trees. Sorry for the random rant, but I think it would really give Memorial Stadium some nice charm.