Kenan Memorial Stadium

Kenan Memorial Stadium
Interior of the stadium in 2013
Location 78 Stadium Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Coordinates 35°54′25″N 79°2′52″W / 35.90694°N 79.04778°W / 35.90694; -79.04778Coordinates: 35°54′25″N 79°2′52″W / 35.90694°N 79.04778°W / 35.90694; -79.04778
Owner University of North Carolina
Operator University of North Carolina
Capacity 24,000 (1927–1962, expandable to 40,000)
48,000 (1963–1978)
50,000 (1979–1987)
52,000 (1988–1995)
48,500 (1996)
57,500 (1997)
60,000 (1998–2010)
63,000 (2011–present)
Field size 360 x 160 ft
Surface Tifway 419 Bermuda Grass
Construction
Broke ground November 1926
Built 1926–1927
Opened November 12, 1927
Renovated 1995–1998, 2003, 2007, 2010–2011, 2016
Expanded 1963, 1979, 1987–1988, 1995–1998, 2010–2011
Construction cost $303,000
($4.13 million in 2016 dollars[1])
Architect Atwood & Nash[2]
Corley Redfoot Architects, Inc. (renovations 1987–present)
Structural engineer LHC Structural Engineers (renovations 1979–present)
General contractor TC Thompson & Co.[2]
Tenants
North Carolina Tar Heels (NCAA) (1927–present)

Kenan Memorial Stadium is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and is the home field of the North Carolina Tar Heels. It is primarily used for football. Kenan Memorial Stadium opened in 1927 and holds 63,000 people. It is located near the center of campus at the University of North Carolina.

History

The previous home of the Tar Heels had been Emerson Field, which had opened in 1916 on the current site of Davis Library. By 1925, it was obvious that that 2,400-seat facility was not adequate for the increasing crowds. Expansion was quickly ruled out since the baseball team also used it, and any new football seats would have been too far away for baseball.

Funding for the stadium was originally supposed to come from alumni donations. William R. Kenan, Jr., a dairy farmer from Lockport, New York who would later become a prominent businessman in Miami,[3] got word of the initial plans and donated a large gift to build the stadium and an adjoining field house. Kenan was an 1894 UNC graduate and grandson of one of UNC's original trustees. He was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the University. Kenan persuaded UNC to build the stadium as a memorial to his parents, William R. Kenan and Mary Hargrave Kenan.

Ground was broken in November 1926. It was completed in August 1927. At the time, it was located on the far southern portion of campus, but expansions over the years have resulted in the stadium now being near the center of campus.

The stadium officially opened on November 24, 1927. The Tar Heels defeated Davidson College 27-0, with the first touchdown in the new stadium by Edison Foard. The first game at Kenan Stadium brought in 9,000 spectators. The stadium was officially dedicated to the Kenan family on Thanksgiving Day in 1927 in front of 28,000 fans, after the Tar Heels beat the Virginia Cavaliers 14-13.

The original stadium - the lower level of the current stadium's sideline seats - seated 24,000 people. However, temporary bleachers were added to the end zones to accommodate overflow crowds, allowing Kenan to accommodate over 40,000 people at times. This happened fairly often over the years, especially during the Choo Choo Justice era of the late 1940s.

Expansions

The stadium was expanded in 1963, when Kenan (who died in 1965) donated $1 million to double-deck the sideline seats and add permanent bleachers to the end zones, expanding capacity to 48,000. A seating adjustment in 1979 boosted capacity to 50,000. In 1988, the old press box and chancellor's box were replaced by 2,000 seats between the 40-yard lines, expanding capacity to 52,000.

The West End Zone addition in 1998 created a horseshoe.

The stadium's biggest renovation project to date took place from 1995 to 1998. Head coach Mack Brown wanted a better facility to showcase a resurgent football program, which had gone from consecutive 1-10 seasons in 1988 and 1989 to a run of success not approached since the 1940s. For instance, Kenan was one of the few Division I stadiums not to have permanent seating in at least one end zone; the only end zone seats at the time were the portable bleachers added in 1963. Also, the locker rooms were somewhat cramped by 1990s standards.

Several generous gifts resulted in the addition of a new playing field and a brand-new facility for the football team, the Frank H. Kenan Football Center, named for the great-grandson of the stadium's original benefactor. The Kenan Center includes a memorabilia section showcasing the football program's history. The most visible addition, however, was 8,000 new seats in the west end zone, which turned the stadium into a horseshoe. Also added was a "preferred seating box" atop the north stands. Due to state law, only 6,000 of the new end zone seats were available in 1997. Capacity dropped to 48,500 in 1996, but leaped to 57,800 in 1997. The other 2,200 seats were added in 1998, bringing the stadium to a capacity of 60,000, not eclipsed until the 2011 season. In 2003, a modern scoreboard with video capability was added in front of Kenan Field House. The next addition came before the 2007 season, when the old matrix boards on the sidelines were replaced with ribbon boards.

The 2011 renovation and expansion fully enclosed the stadium for the first time in its history. This facility will house the Loudermilk Center for Student Excellence as well as 3,000 additional premium club and suite seating and lounge areas in the east end zone, bringing the total stadium capacity to 63,000. As part of this addition, high-definition video boards were installed on each end of the stadium. In 2016, new ribbon boards and updated concessions were added.[4]

Recent expansions

In December 2006, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved changes to UNC's development plan that included at least 8,800 additional seats for Kenan Stadium.[5]

The Loudermilk Center in the east end zone, which turned the stadium into a bowl. Includes the Blue Zone.

In October 2007, athletic director Dick Baddour announced plans for extensive renovations to Kenan Stadium. Plans call for a new academic support center in place of Kenan Field House, plus anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000 additional seats. The new seats will be added in the east end zone, turning the stadium into a bowl. Plans would have to be approved by the chancellor and the board of trustees, and will almost certainly require a fundraising effort by the Rams Club. No specific timetable had been set, but Baddour had said that he hoped to begin construction within 18 months.[6]

Masterplan

This "masterplan" would be divided into two phases; phase one covering the west end zone and two covering the east end zone. The first phase consisted of adding a fifth floor (for recruiting and media space) along with remodeling the existing offices and team spaces in the Kenan Football Center. Approved on July 23, 2008, by the Board of Trustees for $50 million, Phase I renovations were completed on August for the 2009 Football Season.[7]

A third and final phase of the project is also planned. This will include new club-level seats around the perimeter of the stadium, a new suite level above the club seats, a much larger press box, and a brick facade encircling the outside of the stadium. Construction of this phase has not been scheduled, however, due to budgetary constraints.

Phase II and the Blue Zone

On May 27, 2010, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees approved the immediate commencement on construction of the "Carolina Student-Athlete Center for Excellence", a $70 million expansion that would replace Kenan Field House, which was built in 1927. The entire project was funded by private donations and the selling of club seats and individual suites. This facility would be a combination of an academic center, "Carolina Leadership Academy", Olympic sports' strength and conditioning center, and visitor lockers within a span of two floors.[8][9]

However the most significantly visible portion of the renovation would be the addition of 2,980 seats, turning the stadium into a bowl. The additional seats in the end zone, named the Blue Zone, would be "1,836 seats in the Concourse Club just a few feet from the field, 824 seats in the Upper Club/Loge on the fourth floor and 320 seats in 20 suites on the fifth floor". The individual suites, each of which has 16 seats, will sell for $50,000 per year. Each seat in the club levels range from $750 to $2,500 per season.[10] Furthermore, the construction of a new concourse in front of the Carolina Student-Athlete Center for Excellence would allow fans to move around the entire perimeter of Kenan Stadium for the first time. The exterior of the new section is similar in appearance to the Bell Tower.

Interesting facts

The original video board, replaced in the 2011 expansion

References

  1. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Bishir, Catherine W.; Southern, Michael T. A guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont, North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-80782-772-X. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  3. Brown, David E. (September 2002). "Southern Beauty". UNC General Alumni Association. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  4. http://www.goheels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3350&ATCLID=211147792
  5. Pickeral, Robbi (July 24, 2007). "Plan to Expand Kenan Excites UNC's Davis". The News & Observer. Raleigh. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  6. Pickeral, Robbi (October 9, 2007). "Kenan Expansion Planning 'On Target'". The News & Observer. Raleigh. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
  7. Pickeral, Robbi (July 23, 2008). "Economic Woes Halt Addition to Kenan Stadium". The News & Observer. Raleigh. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  8. "Kenan Ready for Phase I Expansion". Fifth Corner. July 28, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  9. Spies, Samuel. "Kenan Expands". The News & Observer. Raleigh. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  10. "Board of Trustees Approve Carolina's Student-Athlete Center For Excellence". University of North Carolina Athletic Department. May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
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