In what leaders say is the University of Kansas’ most important project in a generation, the latest score is 125 million to 10.
KU has raised $125 million for its renovation of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in the last 10 months, and university leaders said on Tuesday they fully expect to hold a ribbon cutting for the “transformational” project in 2025.
At a kickoff event that attracted several hundred alumni, community leaders and Gov. Laura Kelly, KU officials revealed a few more details about the more than $300 million renovation.
One detail: The stadium is going to get smaller in terms of the number of people it can hold, likely having a capacity in the lower 40,000 range compared to seating for 47,000 people today.
Chancellor Douglas Girod said he’s confident KU fans aren’t going to mind because the end product will be designed for a new level of game-day excitement.
“When I describe it, think of an outdoor Allen Fieldhouse,” Girod said. “That’s what we are shooting for. To create that type of energy for a player in the middle of a game, talk about a home-field advantage.”
This rendering shows the most recent design for a renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Kansas Athletic Director Travis Goff said he heard multiple times throughout the design process that the overall size of the stadium was not the key determinant in how vibrant the facility would be. Rather, it is how full the stadium is for each game.
That’s why he said he’s comfortable with the stadium’s capacity shrinking — he did not provide a specific number but said it would be above 40,000 seats but perhaps in the low 40,000 range. Goff, though, also said KU will have a future opportunity to make the stadium much larger, if fan demand warrants it.
The first $300 million worth of construction at the stadium will focus on the west stands and the north end of the stadium. Major improvements to the east stands and the south end would largely be in a second phase that hasn’t yet been set for construction. Goff said there would be an opportunity to add a significant number of seats to the stadium in that phase.
“We haven’t committed to what the east and the south will be in that future phase,” Goff said. “In a lot of ways, it will be up to our fans. Are we going to fill this thing up every game? If we do, I’m really confident that we will design an east and/or south that will accommodate a greater capacity.”
Many of the details announced by KU on Tuesday had been previously reported, including that construction on the stadium is set to begin as soon as this year’s home football season is completed in November.
KU also re-confirmed that the first phase of the project will include a conference center built into the stadium’s north bowl, and will be designed to attract mid-size conferences and conventions from across the state and nation.
But Tuesday’s announcement did not provide details about the other developments — a hotel, retail, restaurants, student housing and more — that are likely to be built around the stadium at 11th and Mississippi streets as part of what KU is calling its Gateway District. KU is still in the process of accepting proposals from private developers who want to partner on those non-stadium projects. KU expects to select a developer before the end of the year.
Here’s a look at some new details from Tuesday’s event:
• Fans should expect a significantly reduced capacity at the football stadium in the 2024 season. Due to construction being underway, KU is uncertain whether it will be able to accommodate fans on the western side of the stadium. Seating will be available on the east side, and Girod said the university is exploring how to put some temporary seating on the west side. Girod said current plans call for the stadium to be available for commencement ceremonies during construction.
• KU has set a fundraising goal of $300 million for both the football stadium and previously announced improvements to Allen Fieldhouse. All but about $50 million of the total will be devoted to the stadium. KU has raised $165 million in gifts and contributions with the bulk of it coming since the project was publicly announced in October.
• New chair-back seats on the west side and north end will be closer to the field. The first row will be 4 feet higher off the ground to improve sight lines throughout the stadium. Seats will be designed with 50% more leg room. KU’s luxury suites will be moved 80 feet closer to the field, as the seating area is reconfigured.
• The design — being done by Kansas City-based HNTB and Lawrence-based Multistudio — will include four times the number of concession stands in concourse areas and 1.5 times the number of restrooms.
• A new video board will be about two-and-a-half times larger than the current board and will be about 60 feet closer to the field.
• New parking options haven’t yet been finalized. Those ideas are expected as part of the developers’ proposals due this fall. Girod noted that the existing parking lots likely won’t be occupied by new development in this first phase, but almost certainly will be in a second phase.
• The design features more than three dozen curved, pole-like structures that nearly ring the stadium. Goff said those poles will house a new lighting system but also are meant to be an evocative design element, reminiscent of “the landscape of our great state when you think about wheat and tallgrass.”
University of Kansas/HNTB
University of Kansas/HNTB