The Penn State Board of Trustees has approved a $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium, enabling the university to host a College Football Playoff game. What exactly will change?

The largest renovation in history

Beaver Stadium, opened in 1960, has undergone eight renovations. While older university stadiums are common in a sport steeped in tradition, Penn State has observed many other prominent programs where facility upgrades have cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

The project is being managed by the firm Populous. Recently, the Penn State Committee on Finance, Business, and Capital Planning approved $70 million to complete the first phase of Beaver Stadium’s renovation. This phase includes architectural and design work along with priority maintenance tasks. It is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024 and will involve securing pipes for winter and other work to ensure the building’s safe use in sub-zero temperatures. This is a direct response to the expansion of the College Football Playoff and Penn State's potential to host winter games.

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What is the plan?

The preliminary plan for the entire project includes a complete overhaul of the stadium's west side, maintaining the traditional bowl-shaped sections while adding additional suites, as well as executive and owner boxes. Additionally, there are plans to improve accessibility and fan flow to densify the spectator areas on the east side of the stadium. Restrooms and Wi-Fi will also be upgraded.

Our team aims to create a revitalized facility equipped with fan-oriented innovations and premium amenities while honoring and protecting the heritage and traditions of football at Penn State said Scott Mull, project director at Barton Malow and a Penn State alumnus, as quoted by Forbes.

The demolition and reconstruction of the west side of the stadium are scheduled to begin in 2025. The second phase of demolition and reconstruction will occur in 2026, and the third and final phase will take place in 2027, concluding in August of that year before the season begins. Since the current plan involves demolishing the west side of the stadium, the athletic department plans to install temporary seating for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

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Who will pay for it?

The entire investment is estimated at $700 million. The university emphasizes that the stadium renovation will be funded by the athletic department's revenues. At this stage, no tuition, education budget, or state funds will be used. However, FOX 56 recently asked two state legislators, whose offices are near the stadium, for their thoughts on state funding grants for the renovation project, given that the stadium is a major generator of tourism and the economy in Pennsylvania.

Differing opinions

To be honest, I’m not too excited about this. I think it's a huge expense, especially when in the past six months we've heard about staff reductions and talked about some sort of downsizing in departments. Frankly, overall college recruitment is changing. I like sports as much as anyone else, but I think it’s a significant amount of money, said one of them. I want a number one university with a good football team. Not a football team with a university, he concluded.

It’s about the potential for increased revenue from hosting more concerts there, said Penn State head coach James Franklin, as quoted by Nittany Sports Now. Just various activities that can be done throughout the year, so the facility isn’t generating revenue only for seven days a year. That’s important.

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