Spartan Stadium – stadium description

Today it’s the single tallest building in town and its capacity exceeds East Lansing Population by over 20,000. But one of America’s best academic stadiums started off as a completely different facility. In 1923 it cost just $160,000 to build the 14,000 lowermost bleachers surrounding the field.

Soon that size proved insufficient, so the single tier was expanded to 26,000 in 1935. By early 1950s, when Michigan State Spartans were admitted to the Big Ten, capacity went up to 56,000 with that same single tier. A year later it was 76,000 after upper decks were added on both sides of the pitch.

Since then capacity hasn’t seen increases, but stadium infrastructure was changing gradually. New scoreboards, video boards, sound systems, disabled seats and other improvements were added. Finally in 2004 plan of the main grandstand’s revamp was launched, delivered in 2005. The upper deck was redone, while two floors of boxes topped the entire structure. Massive amount of commercial hospitality space was added (25,000 m2), offering 24 new skyboxes and many business seats. Enveloped by elegant brick façade, this upgrade consumed $64 million, hardly comparable to the initial cost from 1923.

Aside of Spartans games the stadium played host to many concerts and other events. Some of them are unique, like the 2001 hockey derby between Michigan State and University of Michigan. It set the record for any hockey fixture (74,554 people) before that record eventually went to… the derby rivals at Michigan Stadium.