If you were to fly over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum today, it might seem like the venue is being disassembled. Many of the seats have been eliminated and an entire section of concrete seating has been pulled out, exposing the dust beneath. On the field, the place inexperienced sod used to be, there’s grime and heavy machinery.
But it’s all part of the graph as the 96-year-old stadium barrels towards the completion of what will be an 18-month renovation.
Work has to be carried out in time for the stadium to host the Rams’ preseason opener this summer. To make sure that it is, two cranes and 350 people are plugging away up to six days a week, says Jeff Moe, USC senior assignment manager.
One of the most remarkable consequences of the renovation will be fewer seats, as the 93,000-seat venue slims down to seat about 77,500.
But the $315 million renovation will additionally add features, consisting of new seats and Wi-Fi, that will make it less difficult for the venue “to compete in the marketplace” that includes the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and the flashy new NFL stadium underneath construction in Inglewood, says Dan Stimmler, chief working officer of the Coliseum.
The new Scholarship Tower, which will upward shove seven testimonies at midfield alongside the southern part of the stadium, is a huge part of staying competitive, says Stimmler. The tower will contain new meals offerings, top rate seating, press boxes, a rooftop lounge, and 24 high-end suites that are handy on 20-year phrases for upwards of $7.5 million—each. All how everyone is sold.
Stimmler says revenue from the suites has funded the upgrades. Also helping to pay for the renovation is a $69 million deal USC struck with United Airlines to sell naming rights to the stadium, which will officially come to being August the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum.
Initially expected to cost $270 million, the renovations have gone over budget. USC has attributed the overages to increased labor costs associated with needed to meet the project’s inflexible deadline.
“A lot of the decisions that were made… are because, in contrast to different buildings, we have a company completion date because you have soccer scheduled for the fall,” says Stimmler.
Once the renovations are complete, the 1923-built Coliseum will host video games for USC and the NFL (at least, until the Inglewood stadium opens). It will also play a role in the 2028 Olympics, internet hosting track and field events as well as the closing ceremony for the games.
