EVANSTON, Ill. — One year after announcing a transformative gift by the Pat ’59, ’09 H (’97, ’00 P) and Shirley Ryan ’61, ’19 H (’97, ’00 P) Family to build a new Ryan Field, Northwestern University today released renderings of a schematic design for the new stadium to replace the current 97-year-old structure.
The new Ryan Field stadium campus will be funded entirely with private dollars — requiring no taxpayer financing — and will create a world-class home for Northwestern University Athletics. When complete, the new stadium will create a best-in-the-nation football experience for fans, student-athletes and the community.
Proposed design highlights include:
- A more intimate setting: Significantly smaller crowds — designed for a maximum capacity of 35,000, more than 12,000 fewer than the current Ryan Field, with a state-of-the-art canopy designed to focus noise and light on the field;
- New community assets: The new Ryan Field is being developed as a modern stadium campus with beautiful plazas, an exceptional new community park as well as other publicly accessible greenspaces for residents to enjoy year-round community activities;
- Accessibility: The new stadium will apply Universal Design standards and will set a new standard for accessibility and inclusivity, making it among the most accessible stadiums in the country; and
- Sustainability: The project is designed to achieve Gold LEED certification.
The new stadium will be fan-centered, with the best sight lines in college football and a premium experience, including chair backs, for every fan as well as an innovative student section modeled on other sports; cutting-edge technology and scoreboards; upgraded concessions featuring food from local restaurants; and iconic design features inside and out.
“We are extremely excited to move forward with a transformational stadium project and grateful to our University leadership and to the Board of Trustees for their decision to take the next steps toward a new Ryan Field,” said Dr. Derrick Gragg, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation. “We are all grateful to the Ryan Family for their unwavering commitment to Northwestern University and our academic and athletics programs. I…
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