Tiger Stadium...

I know we're deep in recruiting and (sigh) basketball, but as someone that works in the construction industry, I wonder what's next for Tiger Stadium. I know there's been a lot of improvements done in recent years: the squad room, new scoreboards (both done by a company I worked for in Baton Rouge) and the new east upper deck. But what's next?

Here's what I think:

1) Recently I heard of a plan to remove and replace the west upper deck. The reasoning is to make it mirror the new upper deck. I assume that part of this would be to add more luxury boxes, but the long-range plan could be to...

2) Close the bowl on the upper deck. If you notice, there is a gentle curve to the southern end of the new deck. I can only assume that this is a prelude to allowing the end to be closed.

Now, here's what I wonder...

1) How many people could fit into Tiger Stadium then? Do you think we could push 110,000+? I think it's possible.

2) Could the architectural heart of the stadium be preserved? Neyland Stadium here in Knoxville had a beautiful concrete facade that's now hidden behind cheap-looking bleacher steel. It's a real shame. Now, the current upper decks at Tiger Stadium are done very nicely in concrete to blend with the old facade. I think if this expansion were to happen one day that no expense should be spared to keep the original look of Tiger Stadium by replicating the arched concrete facade out under the new end zone upper decks.

I do NOT want a choppy-looking stadium like Florida has. I think it looks like 4 different architects designed it with no knowledge of what each other was doing. And I don't want to use exposed steel supports for the upper decks just to cheaply add seats. It's not dignified for a structure that's meant so much to us as fans.

Am I the only LSU fan that thinks that preserving the "natural" beauty of Tiger Stadium is important? What do you all think?

 

I think leave it the way it is however do a major renovation. It needs a good coat of paint (theatrically speaking) those bleachers are miserable (For those of us in the endzones Section 5 can I get an Amen)
Just clean and make what we have state of the art.

Fix up the bathrooms and Concession stands.

Just a good overhaul. Tiger Stadium itself is great, I just think a good once over would do it some justice.

However this post should be directed at the PMAC, that is the place that needs all the work. IMHO

 

I'd get rid of the old upper deck and replace with one like the east side. It's just too steep and you can't hear the band or the crowd. Good view of the bridge, though.

 

I think the plan was to replace the West Upperdeck in the near future and eventually bowl in the entire stadium. I don't think they would be able to keep the facade as it is now because the new upperdecks would be outside the stadium.

Another problem would be where to put them. I think it would spill into that street by the north endzone b/t Tiger Stadium and the PMAC. Maybe that's why the "Master Plan" for LSU is to eliminate the interior streets and make everything based on pedestrian traffic.

 

We need to leave the endzone of the student section open but close up the the otherend zone. We also need to make the West Upper Deck the same as the East Upper. Priority should be made to keep the stadium the way it looks now. I agree that we don't want it to look trashy like Tennesee's stadium. We could add 10,000 seats and bring the capacity up to around 100,000 people. I also herd somewhere that LSU wanted to have a greater capacity than Tennesse.

 

I guess I wasn't clear enough on that. I mean that the new outer facade should project the look of the then-hidden original facade. I know that keeping the original facade visible would be next-to-impossible, but there could be a nice walkway between the new exterior and original exterior facade. If you could walk up to Neyland Stadium and see what they've done to it, you can surely see what I mean.

As for the traffic problem...just close that street. There's no need for it there. Traffic already flows around the east side (...or used to. Is there still a street there in the post-east upper deck campus?). Just close off the section between Tiger Stadium and PMAC. Of course, I'm not sure where the new habitat is going for Mike V, so I don't know how it will affect my ideas. Closing off the street would create a seamless sports complex there.

Maybe I'm just dreaming too big...

 

You could close it but that would leave S. Stadium as the only street that drains the west side of campus straight to Nicholson. And at 4:30 that S. Stadium is already about a 20 minute wait to make a left onto Nicholson. But, if they eliminate all interior campus traffic as called for in the "Master Plan" that would no longer be a problem. Smells fishy to me.

 

Wouldn't it be something to remove all the interior traffic on game day except to pedestrians? I think that's a great idea...IF you can work out the logistics of moving that many people with efficiency. It would take a lot of shuttle buses.

Maybe they could put in monorails like Disneyworld!?

 

I'm not talking about only on game day. Eventually LSU wants to have all pedestrian traffic on the interior of campus. There would be parking garages (Alex Box site) on the exterior and an outer loop (Highland, Nicholson, 2 others). All professors that have class in the quad will have to hoof it 1/2 a mile just like us students.