Penn State Stadium Renovation Set to Kick Off in 2025

2022 Stadium White Out (A-22-Minn-MS) 15151.jpg

Penn State University football fans enjoy a fireworks show at Beaver Stadium as the Nittany Lions take the field against Minnesota in 2022. The school's Board of Trustees approved the first phase of a $700-million renovation to the stadium.

Photo by Mark Selders, courtesy Penn State Athletics

Penn State University’s Board of Trustees has given the go-ahead for the first phase of a planned four-year, $700-million renovation to Beaver Stadium, the school’s NCAA Division 1 football facility.

Approved May 4, the year-long $70-million project will target priority structural maintenance work, improved field lighting performance and insulation of pipes and other winterization work to allow the stadium to host revenue-generating events during the winter months, including potential college football playoff games. Construction is expected to begin in January 2025, following completion of Penn State’s 2024 football season.

The initial phase will also include A/E procurement and design for a complete reconstruction of Beaver Stadium’s west side, which the school says will maintain the traditional bowl-style seating while adding club and loge seats, and suites. Slated for completion in 2027, the full renovation program will also include ongoing code upgrades, improved stadium-wide circulation, additional seating options, and upgrades to restrooms, concessions, Wi-Fi and cellular access.

Penn State Athletics plans to issue bonds to pay for the renovation’s initial phase. The Board must still approve the funding strategy for the remainder of the program, which calls for a combination of stadium-generated revenue, including ticket sales, concessions, naming opportunities and sponsorships, as well as a planned $200-million fundraising campaign. According to the university, Beaver Stadium also has a $200-million deferred maintenance backlog.

Erected at its current site in 1960, Beaver Stadium has undergone multiple renovations and expansions over the years. The most recent upgrade, completed in 2001, increased capacity to more than 106,500 spectators through the addition of sixty skyboxes in a three-level structure above the East stands and completion of an 11,500-seat upper deck in the South end zone. The stadium is named James A. Beaver. A lawyer, a former governor of Pennsylvania and president of Penn State’s Board of Trustees.