The University of Cincinnati’s venerable Nippert Stadium is starting to take shape as its renovation stays on pace.
Construction crews from Turner Construction are enclosing the huge structure on the west side of the football stadium with glass. That will house the press box, suites, club seats and loge boxes/patio suites. They’re also doing mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. Construction is about to move to the phase of furnishings, fixtures, equipment and finishes, Ryan Koslen, UC’s associate athletic director for communications, told me on Tuesday.
Check out the slideshow at right for a look at where things stand just four months before Nippert re-opens to the public.
“It’s still on schedule,” Koslen said.
That means the $86 million renovation that shut down Nippert for a season last year is on target to be ready for UC’s football home opener on Sept. 5 against Alabama A&M. In fact, the stadium might be ready in time to host some high school football games as part of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown in late August. That could serve as a test run before the UC opener.
The next major tangible sign of progress should come later this month when the access road for construction vehicles to enter the stadium is removed and the tarp comes off the field. That will provide access to the field for the first time in a year and a half, Koslen said.
“That’s a big sign that the heavy lifting is getting done,” he said.
The addition will take UC from virtually no premium seating to 1,100 scholarship club seats and 53 suites. Koslen said it’s still a little early to tell how season ticket and club seats are going, but he’s seeing positive signs.
“We’re still in the season-ticket renewal phase, but I know there’s excitement there,” Koslen told me. “We’re seeing a lot of interest. And we have a lot of meetings scheduled for club seats. That’s a whole new thing for us.”
Those prime seats go for $2,500 per seat for a season, Koslen said. They include access to a club lounge with a bar and TVs as well as food and non-alcoholic beverages.
The project – which includes expanded restrooms and concession areas – will add more seats to 91-year-old Nippert, increasing capacity from 35,097 to about 40,000. UC has been playing football at that campus location since 1901, making it the second-oldest college football site in the nation behind only Penn’s Franklin Field.