Penn State will hold a special event on Saturday morning for fans to watch the demolition of the Beaver Stadium press box, which marks the start of major work on the venue’s $700 million renovation.
Demolition will take place at approximately 8 a.m., with a watch party starting at 7:30 a.m. in the Stadium West lot, according to an email from Penn State Athletics. The morning will include a DJ, hot beverages and breakfast pastries available for purchase (credit card only), an opportunity for fans to write favorite memories on a bleacher from the stadium’s upper west side and a drawing to win construction hats signed by Penn State head coaches.
Items salvaged during construction preparations, such as upper West stadium signage and bleachers, will be available for purchase at a later date.
Parking for the watch event will be available in the Yellow H Shields lot near Pegula Ice Arena, the Orange A lot at Katz Building and the Eisenhower Parking Deck using the ParkMobile or HONK apps for $1 per hour. East Parking Deck parking will be available at $2 for the first hour and $1 per hour after that.
No parking will be available in the Jordan East, Stadium West and Porter North lots.
Several roads around the stadium will be closed or have stopped traffic for the demolition, according to the university.
Curtin Road from University Drive to Porter Road will be closed from 7 a.m. until the area is cleared by safety crews. For both University Drive from Park Avenue to Curtin Road and Park Avenue from University Drive to Porter Road, traffic will be held during detonation at approximately 7:55 a.m.
The Beaver Stadium press box was originally part of New Beaver Field before it was moved, along with the grandstands, and reassembled for the construction of Beaver Stadium after the 1959 season. It was expanded in 1980.
Its demolition marks what the athletic department described as “the start to a large-scale demolition of the upper West side of Beaver Stadium.” Workers will be on site 24 hours a day for the next six weeks to prepare the area for construction that will take place before the start of the 2025 season.
Crews have been on hand since Dec. 22, the day after Penn State hosted SMU in the College Football Playoff opening round, to begin preparations for the start of substantial work on the renovation project.
Smaller scale work, including winterization, new video boards and some new amenities, took place prior to the start of the 2024 season.
Work in 2025 will include the removal of the press box and upper level seating to eventually be replaced by a new structure with suites, club seating and a new press box with broadcast level. Temporary bleachers will be in place for the 2025 season. Lower bowl seating will be removed in 2026, with temporary seating in place, to be replaced with club seating.
Concourses also will be substantially widened, and fencing is being added for new security perimeters that create plazas for new fan experience spaces. The new perimeters expand what is considered a ticketed area outside the stadium structure, as was already implemented on the east side for 2024.
The project also includes a new 21,000-square-foot welcome center on the west side.
Work is expected to be completed in time for the 2027 season.
Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved an initial $70 million for the Beaver Stadium renovation in 2023 and authorized up to $630 million more in May (with two members voting no and three abstaining). Penn State officials said no tuition or tax dollars will be used, and the project will be financed by university-backed debt to be paid by the athletic department, along with donations.
