One of the most historic stadiums in college football will receive an ambitious upgrade.
The University of Notre Dame announced a $400 million university renovation project Wednesday that includes adding three new structures attached to the 83-year-old stadium and 3,000 to 4,000 premium seats.
With the stadium being used just ten to 12 times per year, last spring, the University launched “a feasibility study” to see if the stadium could be transformed into a “year-round hub for academic and student life.” And now the plan to add three new structures – a building for student life services, a building for the anthropology and psychology departments and a digital media center, and another building for the Department of Music – has come to fruition.
The premium seating options will include indoor, outdoor, and club seating on three upper levels on the east and west sides of the stadium.
“At a time when so many would call into question the viability of the collegiate sports model in America, it is fitting that Notre Dame, a perennial leader in the measures of academic performance by student-athletes, offers a bold vision providing emphatic evidence that the full integration of athletics into the academic mission of a university is not only possible but desirable," said Jack B. Swarbrick, vice president and director of athletics. “Coach Brian Kelly and I are thrilled that one of the most famous sports venues in the world will now also be known as one of the most innovative educational facilities.”
The game day experience will also be updated at the stadium. Each of the new structures will have a terrace that provides a view of the playing field. Modernized concession stands and improved broadband coverage will also be introduced. A modern scoreboard will also be built at the stadium’s south end.
The construction of this project will “begin in two years or sooner” and will take “approximately 33 months to complete,” according to a release, so it probably won’t be until closer to the end of the decade before the project is finished.
It’s certainly an ambitious venture for the University. The stadium, built in 1930, could certainly use some modernization, and the idea of integrating academic buildings and other facilities for student life is a great way to incorporate the stadium’s prominent location on campus.
- - -
Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.