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With more than 1,000 workers on site daily to complete the final phases of construction, Northwestern University’s new $875 million Ryan Field is quickly taking shape and remains on schedule for its nationally-televised Oct. 2 debut.
Officials unveiled Tuesday the newly-installed turf playing surface, which will serve as the home field for the school’s Big Ten football games.
The 35,000-seat stadium, about 12,000 seats fewer than the former Ryan Field, also plans to host a number of local high school sports games, community events and up to six additional concerts at the venue beginning in the summer of 2027, an area of concern for neighboring Evanston and Wilmette residents.
Photos: Work continues at Northwestern’s Ryan Field
“Big milestones [are] coming up. We’re really in the closing up of all the interior spaces, the structure is done, we’re closing up the walls…it’s a hive of activity,” said Pat Ryan Jr., CEO of Ryan Sports Development.
Ryan has served as the primary lead for the project’s build following his family’s record-setting $480 million dollar donation to Northwestern to finance the new stadium, along with other university projects.
As costs have increased by roughly $13 million due to weather delays and inflation, the Ryan family has since committed an undisclosed amount to fund the project to completion, according to previous reporting.
Ryan told Pioneer Press pushing some “year two” items into year one of the stadium’s build has also contributed to additional fees, but will reduce costs long-term.
“We’ve added a club, we’ve added some suites, so it’s not quite apples to apples, but if you take a look at the base construction budget of what it cost, we expect to be within 1 to 2% of that,” Ryan said.
“We lost an additional five weeks to weather, rain, snow…and so the project has been on time, but the weather pushbacks are something we’ve had to make up and so to do 1-2% in order to get there was a decision we made about six months ago.”
Ryan previously told Pioneer Press that if Ryan Field had begun construction today, the estimated cost would be well over a billion dollars.
Ryan Field remains one of the few modern collegiate stadiums to be entirely privately funded, and the only Big Ten football arena that’s been built since Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium in 2009, according to Ryan.
“People call this the first NFL-type stadium in college football,” Ryan said.
“What that really means is that it’s a larger building — people say it’s smaller, but it’s actually larger with fewer seats.”
About 320,000 square feet in total, not including the surrounding festival grounds, the newly-built Ryan Field is designed to give spectators and football fanatics alike the “premium” viewing experience.
“No matter where you sit, you’re gonna sit in a comfortable seat with an armrest [and] cupholder, covered by a canopy, with access to premium concessions and free access to pregame festivals. A lot of other places, all of that is something you pay extra for,” Ryan said.
Ryan added that the stadium was built to be inclusive, serving every type of fan with every type of budget.
“If you’re an Evanston resident, or for example, [you] work at the local high school, we’ll have a program to get them discounted tickets,” Ryan said. “If you’re a student, same kind of thing.”
With a little over three months left until opening day, there’s still “a lot of work” to be done, he added.
“The big things will be finishing out the interiors,” which Ryan said includes installing all the building’s electrical and plumbing, along with completing up-to-date inspections and seat installation.
“We’re kind of working from the inside out, and so if you look at the outside, it looks like a lot to be done. If you’re on the inside, it feels like you’re ready to play a football game.”
But despite various delays, the stadium will be ready for its Oct. 2 opening game, he confirmed, where the Northwestern Wildcats will face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Shortly following its debut, Ryan Field is expected to host the annual Evanston Township and New Trier Township High School football game on Oct. 16, with various community events to follow.
Continue reading...
Officials unveiled Tuesday the newly-installed turf playing surface, which will serve as the home field for the school’s Big Ten football games.
The 35,000-seat stadium, about 12,000 seats fewer than the former Ryan Field, also plans to host a number of local high school sports games, community events and up to six additional concerts at the venue beginning in the summer of 2027, an area of concern for neighboring Evanston and Wilmette residents.
Photos: Work continues at Northwestern’s Ryan Field
“Big milestones [are] coming up. We’re really in the closing up of all the interior spaces, the structure is done, we’re closing up the walls…it’s a hive of activity,” said Pat Ryan Jr., CEO of Ryan Sports Development.
Ryan has served as the primary lead for the project’s build following his family’s record-setting $480 million dollar donation to Northwestern to finance the new stadium, along with other university projects.
As costs have increased by roughly $13 million due to weather delays and inflation, the Ryan family has since committed an undisclosed amount to fund the project to completion, according to previous reporting.
Ryan told Pioneer Press pushing some “year two” items into year one of the stadium’s build has also contributed to additional fees, but will reduce costs long-term.
“We’ve added a club, we’ve added some suites, so it’s not quite apples to apples, but if you take a look at the base construction budget of what it cost, we expect to be within 1 to 2% of that,” Ryan said.
“We lost an additional five weeks to weather, rain, snow…and so the project has been on time, but the weather pushbacks are something we’ve had to make up and so to do 1-2% in order to get there was a decision we made about six months ago.”
Ryan previously told Pioneer Press that if Ryan Field had begun construction today, the estimated cost would be well over a billion dollars.
Ryan Field remains one of the few modern collegiate stadiums to be entirely privately funded, and the only Big Ten football arena that’s been built since Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium in 2009, according to Ryan.
“People call this the first NFL-type stadium in college football,” Ryan said.
“What that really means is that it’s a larger building — people say it’s smaller, but it’s actually larger with fewer seats.”
About 320,000 square feet in total, not including the surrounding festival grounds, the newly-built Ryan Field is designed to give spectators and football fanatics alike the “premium” viewing experience.
“No matter where you sit, you’re gonna sit in a comfortable seat with an armrest [and] cupholder, covered by a canopy, with access to premium concessions and free access to pregame festivals. A lot of other places, all of that is something you pay extra for,” Ryan said.
Ryan added that the stadium was built to be inclusive, serving every type of fan with every type of budget.
“If you’re an Evanston resident, or for example, [you] work at the local high school, we’ll have a program to get them discounted tickets,” Ryan said. “If you’re a student, same kind of thing.”
With a little over three months left until opening day, there’s still “a lot of work” to be done, he added.
“The big things will be finishing out the interiors,” which Ryan said includes installing all the building’s electrical and plumbing, along with completing up-to-date inspections and seat installation.
“We’re kind of working from the inside out, and so if you look at the outside, it looks like a lot to be done. If you’re on the inside, it feels like you’re ready to play a football game.”
But despite various delays, the stadium will be ready for its Oct. 2 opening game, he confirmed, where the Northwestern Wildcats will face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Shortly following its debut, Ryan Field is expected to host the annual Evanston Township and New Trier Township High School football game on Oct. 16, with various community events to follow.
Continue reading...
