Located within the campus of Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon, US, Reser Stadium is undergoing renovation and redevelopment. The renovation project involves the complete demolition and reconstruction of the Reser Stadium’s west side and the development of year-round university facilities to meet the needs of OSU students and faculty.
The US sports stadium, which is the home venue of the Oregon State Beavers football team, will be transformed into a world-class football facility with university amenities.
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The redevelopment will complement the additions to the northern and eastern parts of the university in the last 15 years.
The project was approved by the OSU Board of Trustees Finance and Administration Committee in January 2021 while its final approval will be considered by the board of trustees in May 2021.
Construction is set to begin after the final approval and completion of the university’s 2021 football season. The project is expected to be built with an investment of $153m and completed before the start of OSU’s 2023 football season.
Reser Stadium location and background
Located on the southwest corner of the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Reser Stadium has been operational since 1953. It was originally called the Parker Stadium and was renamed Reser Stadium in 1999.
Reser Stadium renovation details
The renovated stadium will include a 360° concourse, expanded concessions and restroom facilities. The project will deliver better accessibility, improved sightlines and other amenities for fans visiting the stadium.
Reser Stadium will feature year-round university facilities such as a new interactive welcome centre for prospective students interested in joining OSU, new health centre facilities for students of the university’s Corvallis campus, healthcare facilities for OSU’s faculty members and staff, and a new meeting area for university staff, students and faculty.
A new 35,000ft² four-storey Wellness Clinic will be built on the southeast corner of the stadium to provide whole-student care services, including counselling, primary care, x-ray and laboratory services. The university is also contemplating leasing a part of the wellness building to a community health partner to offer primary and urgent care services.
Design details
The 360° concourse will allow spectators to traverse and experience new spaces and amenities on the west side. It will provide a connection in the bowl and on the concourse, enabling a unified fan experience.
Urban streetscape elements will be incorporated in the expanded concourse, which is known as ‘Beaver Street’, and which will act as a crossroads between the south concourse and the existing open-air north terrace. A revolutionary design of the concourse will make it different from a regular football one, turning it inside out to enable an open-air direct view of the field to spectators.
Soft seating areas, drink rails, high top tables and several other non-ticketed seating options will be created along Beaver Street. The design offers protection from rain, although the concourse has an open-air environment. Concession areas will have more of a storefront appearance, reflecting the urban streetscape and the Pacific Northwest’s food hall culture.
Fast-casual dining and self-service grab-and-go stores will be incorporated to replace traditional walk-up stands. Food and beverage offerings have also been reimagined to reflect the OSU fanbase through popular local restaurants.
Seating options
Premium seating options will be made available for fans in Beaver Street, allowing them to get as close to the field as possible. The redesigned area will have 1,600 chair-back seats for season ticket holders. The seats arranged less than 80ft from the field, which is the closest seating for any collegiate stadium.
The premium seating deck, which will be located 100ft away from the sideline, will feature multiple covered options such as loge boxes, club seats, living room boxes and founders suite seats. The two distinct club spaces and central Founders Suite will provide open views to the interior seating bowl.
Financing
The renovation project financing will be arranged from multiple sources, including philanthropy, revenues from space lease within the stadium complex, premium seating and other revenues from the stadium and new facilities. OSU received two separate donations of $50m and $10.5m from anonymous donors for the project.
Contractors involved
Architecture design and planning firms Populous and SRG Partnership and construction contractor Hoffman Construction received a contract to design the new Reser Stadium project. Hoffman is the design-build partner of Populous.
