Meeting with reporters this winter, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft described the moment of realization with Beaver Stadium. What had been a project taking up significant time and energy to get off the ground, rallying support and organizing designs on a $700 million revitalization project, had finally come to fruition in January.
“We were at the [Chicago outdoor game] in hockey. I flew back, got back at two in the morning. I’m getting home and we’ve got that blizzard. I was like, ‘Man, I bet there’s going to be nobody here to watch [the press box demolition],” said Kraft. “And sure as heck, there’s 400 people there. That’s why I love this place. The fans are so passionate. Then when it fell down, I’m like, ‘Oh boy. This is real.’”
Monday, two new updates from the Penn State athletic department offered milemarkers for the progress made on the project thus far.
Penn State offers Beaver Stadium progress report, 2027 West Club seating info
Meeting with reporters this winter, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft described the moment of realization with Beaver Stadium. What had been a project taking up significant time and energy to get off the ground, rallying support and organizing designs on a $700 million revitalization project, had finally come to fruition in January.
“We were at the [Chicago outdoor game] in hockey. I flew back, got back at two in the morning. I’m getting home and we’ve got that blizzard. I was like, ‘Man, I bet there’s going to be nobody here to watch [the press box demolition],” said Kraft. “And sure as heck, there’s 400 people there. That’s why I love this place. The fans are so passionate. Then when it fell down, I’m like, ‘Oh boy. This is real.’”
Monday, two new updates from the Penn State athletic department offered milemarkers for the progress made on the project thus far.
Laying the foundation
Though the earliest makings of the structure that will undergird the west side of Beaver Stadium were visible during the Blue-White Game last month, even more progress has been in the time since. And, the program has turned to former All-American linebacker Michael Mauti to deliver updates via its social media channels.
Monday, a video was released showing construction crews at work, with Mauti educating fans about the process of putting a new foundation in for the storied stadium’s west side.
As explained by Mauti, over 60,000 square feet in diameter of concrete will be put into the ground with over 1,200 micropiles due to be installed. And, critically, the entire footprint of the west side stadium project is expected to be finished by late-August, clearing the way for temporary seating at the start of the Nittany Lions’ 2025 football season.
