KU Jayhawks’ renovations at Allen Fieldhouse, Memorial Stadium take center stage
Bill Self walked through a construction zone to reach his Kansas basketball office during the morning/afternoon hours on Friday in Allen Fieldhouse.
Later, Self, Kansas’ 22nd-year men’s hoops coach, dodged steel beams en route to the stage at the bottom of Campanile Hill for an 8:20 p.m. “Traditions Night” speaking engagement in front of 5,000 or so KU students outside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
There’s certainly a lot of heavy lifting going on, as a pair of projects estimated at a combined $505 million are ongoing as the 2024-25 school year begins at KU. There’s the $450 million remodeling of the west, northwest and north sides of Memorial Stadium, to be completed by August 2025, and the $55 million sprucing up of KU’s basketball palace, which is slated for completion in time for Late Night in the Phog on Oct. 18.
“I’m looking forward to seeing this place filled (next August),” Self said Friday, turning around to face Memorial Stadium, home of the Jayhawks football team. “Nothing creates more energy on campus in the fall as football.
“These players work so hard. It’s time to see what they can do when they have a playing field that can compete against the nation’s best and that’s getting ready to happen. This (football) stadium will allow us to do that.”
At some point, when fundraising is complete, the east stands of Memorial Stadium also will be renovated as part of KU’s “Gateway District” project. The overall project could include a hotel plus potential dining, entertainment and retail to go with a convention center that’s currently under construction.
“The Gateway renovations …. it will be generational changing for our university,” Self said when plans were first announced. “It’ll be fantastic. It will pay for itself from enrollment and a lot of different things moving forward. Certainly we need help now (in donations) but I’m so excited for what it can be. I think we are doing a good job moving it in that direction.”
The fieldhouse renovation includes a new center scoreboard, upper-level video boards, improved concessions and concourses as well as additional chair-back seating.
“I think we are obviously not spending the (same) money (on the fieldhouse) as here, in knocking it down,” Self told the students at Traditions Night. “We’re putting put about $50 million into already the most historic basketball venue in America. It’ll make it where it’s even better inside the building, and the amenities are going to be a 10 on scale from 1 to 10. You’ll love it.
“We need you there and need you to camp out in helping playing a big role in hopefully helping us bring home another natty (national title).”
Earlier this summer, KU athletic director Travis Goff explained the rationale behind renovations that reduce the fieldhouse’s capacity from 16,300 to 15,300.
“It started with the notion of: What things are in play for us to do to really maximize the fan experience in Allen?” Goff said. “There certainly is exposure to as many fans as possible as part of the evaluation. There are financial considerations as part of that evaluation.
“There is that commitment to the history, heritage and tradition we all love about historic Allen Fieldhouse ... and ultimately where we land is about 1,000 less seats, mostly implicated by the crow’s nest in the corners. That’s not just for experience, even though we’ll have two adjacent video boards up there that I think the fans will love. It’s also to really hide the mechanical that needed to come out, in particular the third upper-level concourse.”
Goff said the fieldhouse renovations will help fans “have a great concourse experience with restrooms and concessions. Taking that mechanical out necessitated the removal of the crow’s nest (in the corners). We are adding and mirroring the chair-backs on that west side, like we have on the east, so same number, same look, same feel on chair-backs (on both sides).
“That has some reduction in total capacity and accessibility, as we’ll be enhancing our ADA opportunities, giving additional ADA and better sight lines for our accessible patrons, as well.”
Goff has said the student body should not lose seats as part of the renovations.
At Traditions Night, Self thanked the students in advance for their support.
“The thing we probably take the greatest pride in, and our students have always played a huge role in this, is we haven’t played for less than a sellout since 2001,” Self said. “It’s your responsibility to make sure that tradition continues, to be really candid with you.
“Hopefully you’ll have a team you’ll like to support.”
