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Keeping a historic collegiate stadium viable: best practices for the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum rehabilitation

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Keeping a historic collegiate stadium viable: best practices for the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum rehabilitation

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KEEPING A HISTORIC COLLEGIATE STADIUM VIABLE: BEST PRACTICES FOR THE
HISTORIC LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM REHABILITATION

By

Jennifer L. Cowell

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements of the Degree
MASTER OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION

December, 2013
i

Abstract

This thesis aims to provide, through case study analysis of the four large (over 50,000 seat) early
California collegiate stadiums, Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto (1921), The Rose Bowl in Pasadena (1922),
the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923), and California Memorial Stadium (1923), best practice
guidelines for the upcoming rehabilitation of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a National Historic
Landmark. These case studies will examine the four historic stadiums from construction in the early
1920s, to current day, where all but the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has undergone a recent major
renovation or rehabilitation before their 100
th
anniversaries. The scope of these rehabilitations and
current modernizations will be analyzed, to provide a set of best practices for the historic Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum based on information gained from the other stadiums. This information could also
be pertinent to other rehabilitations of early collegiate stadiums outside California.

ii

Table of Contents

List of Figures iii

List of Tables vi

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Context 2

Chapter 2: Case Study of Stanford Stadium (1921) 25

Chapter 3: Case Study of California Memorial Stadium (1923) 41

Chapter 4: Case Study of the Rose Bowl Stadium (1922) 66

Chapter 5: Case Study of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923) 90

Chapter 6: Analysis 114

Conclusion 138

Bibliography 140

Appendix – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Capital Improvements 153

iii

List of Figures

Figure 1.1: Dallas Cowboys NFL stadium 2009, $1.15 billion dollar stadium is the epitome of engineering
and opulence in the NFL.. ............................................................................................................................. 2
Figure 1.2: Cal (U.C. Berkeley) after winning the 1920 Rose Bowl. .............................................................. 7
Figure 1.3: Panathenaic Stadium in Greece .................................................................................................. 8
Figure 1.4: Yale Bowl, after rehabilitation in 2009, much the same as it was in 1919, but with more
interior restrooms. ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Figure 1.5: Section through a typical earthen berm stadium with three levels of seating (Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum).. .................................................................................................................................. 10
Figure 1.6: Postcard from 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco. .............. 13
Figure 1.7: Construction of the Rose Bowl, 1922. ...................................................................................... 14
Figure 1.8: Soldier Field after renovation and additions in 2002. .............................................................. 23
Figure 1.9: Orange Bowl demolition, 2008. ................................................................................................ 24
Figure 2.1: Original 1921 design of Stanford Stadium by C.B. Wing, Engineer. ......................................... 26
Figure 2.2: 1920s Aerial view of Stanford Stadium showing the open end, running track, and ample
parking. ....................................................................................................................................................... 27
Figure 2.3: Visible running track around Stanford Stadium and 'q' shape seating, 1970s. ........................ 29
Figure 2.4: Herbert Hoover's 1928 presidential nomination acceptance speech. ..................................... 31
Figure 2.5: Gunite colonnade around Stanford Stadium, 1927. ................................................................. 33
Figure 2.6: Earthen berm and landscape. ................................................................................................... 35
Figure 2.7: Location of Stanford Stadium in regards to Stanford campus. ................................................. 37
Figure 2.8: Renovation of Stanford Stadium. .............................................................................................. 38
Figure 2.9: Renovated Stanford Stadium grand opening, September 16, 2006. ........................................ 32
Figure 3.1: Cal Bears coached by Andy Smith, 1924. .................................................................................. 42
Figure 3.2: Stadium in 1924. ....................................................................................................................... 43
Figure 3.3: Esplanade along the top of the stadium, back of memorial arch at center left. ...................... 44
Figure 3.4: Image showing Hayward fault bisecting Memorial Stadium. ................................................... 45
Figure 3.5: Monumental arch. .................................................................................................................... 46
Figure 3.6: California Memorial stadium, dedicated as a war memorial. ................................................... 47
Figure 3.7: View of stadium interior showing entries and seating levels. .................................................. 48
Figure 3.8: Protestors protesting phase one of California Memorial Stadium rehabilitation. ................... 51
iv

Figure 3.9: Facade with flagpoles. .............................................................................................................. 53
Figure 3.10: View from the hill looking down onto California Memorial Stadium. .................................. 54
Figure 3.11: North facade of the stadium with SAHPC in foreground, with original landscaping. ............. 55
Figure 3.12: Image showing Hayward Fault bisecting Memorial Stadium. ................................................ 56
Figure 3.13: Interior bracing of memorial arch. .......................................................................................... 59
Figure 3.14: Rupture plate diagram. ........................................................................................................... 60
Figure 3.15: Seismic joints are visible between each seating section. ....................................................... 61
Figure 3.16: The press box. ......................................................................................................................... 62
Figure 3.17: California Memorial Stadium dedication as a war memorial to all wars.. .............................. 63
Figure 4.1: 1956 Aerial view of Rose Bowl stadium. ................................................................................... 66
Figure 4.2: Rose Bowl model by Myron Hunt, 1922, showing horseshoe shape of stadium derived from
Roman amphitheatres.. .............................................................................................................................. 68
Figure 4.3: Image showing Rose Bowl location, in the bottom of the arroyo, with the Arroyo Seco Bridge
in the foreground. ....................................................................................................................................... 68
Figure 4.4: 1916 Rose Bowl game. .............................................................................................................. 70
Figure 4.5: The Rose Bowl flea market. ...................................................................................................... 72
Figure 4.6: Rose Bowl façade. ..................................................................................................................... 76
Figure 4:7: Administration building and tunnels. ....................................................................................... 79
Figure 4.8: Toilet building in parking lot. .................................................................................................... 79
Figure 4.9: Retaining walls with rose bushes and tunnels. ......................................................................... 80
Figure 4.10: Bridges and fences. ................................................................................................................. 80
Figure 4.11: Ticket booths. .......................................................................................................................... 81
Figure 4.12: Current neighborhood of the Rose Bowl. ............................................................................. 82
Figure 4.13: Rear view of Rose Bowl pavilion with club locations. ............................................................. 85
Figure 4.14: Rose Bowl stadium pavilion, front view, January 1. ............................................................... 85
Figure 4.15: July 2012 Widening of tunnel. ................................................................................................ 86
Figure 4.16: Rose Bowl stadium, January 1, 2013, historically inspired scoreboard center. .................... 87
Figure 5.1: Stadium at 1932 Olympic games opening ceremonies.. ........................................................... 90
Figure 5.2 - Coliseum after completion 1923. ............................................................................................ 92
Figure 5.3 - First Annual, 1938 Southern California Open Ski Meet ski jump. ............................................ 95
Figure 5.4 - New scoreboard with lower level tunnel and police building, 2012. ...................................... 99
Figure 5.5: Dodgers baseball at Coliseum, 1958-1961. ............................................................................ 100
v

Figure 5.6: 1984 Olympic opening ceremonies. ....................................................................................... 101
Figure 5.7: Damaged rim of stadium with missing seating section. Note the smooth shear. ............... 102
Figure 5.8: Shear failure of upper seating support column. ..................................................................... 103
Figure 5.9: NYA retrofit drawing for new load bearing system, around the concourse utilizing moment
frames and new caissons. ......................................................................................................................... 104
Figure 5.10: Strengthening of peristyle, 1994. ......................................................................................... 105
Figure 5.11: Demolition and installation of new footing, note crack repair of exterior wall. .................. 105
Figure 5.12: Peristyle circa 1960. .............................................................................................................. 107
Figure 5.13: Left administration building. ................................................................................................. 107
Figure 5.14: 1948 Ticket boxes. ................................................................................................................ 108
Figure 5.15: 1956 Arial view of Coliseum and surrounding areas (similar to now). ................................. 109
Figure 5.16: Field chalked to one side. ..................................................................................................... 111
Figure 6.1: Multiple seating options at California Memorial Stadium. ..................................................... 129
Figure 6.2: The two video boards located above the peristyle, viewed from the interior, 1993. ............ 134
Figure 6.3: Video boards above the peristyle, viewed from the exterior. ................................................ 134

vi

List of Tables

Table 1.1: Ten most historic North American stadiums ............................................................................... 3
Table 1.2: Forty college stadiums built until 1930 still in use. ...................................................................... 5
Table 1.3: Common stadium modernizations with accepted current standards. ...................................... 18
Table 2.1: Summary of key events, Stanford Stadium ................................................................................ 30
Table 2.2: Summary of key alterations, Stanford Stadium ......................................................................... 32
Table 2.3: Remaining character-defining features, Stanford Stadium ....................................................... 34
Table 3.1: Summary of key events at California Memorial Stadium .......................................................... 49
Table 3.2: Berkeley activism at California Memorial Stadium .................................................................... 50
Table 3.3: Summary of key alterations to California Memorial Stadium ................................................... 52
Table 3.4: Remaining character-defining fatures of California Memorial Stadium. ................................... 53
Table 4.1: Summary of key events, Rose Bowl stadium ............................................................................. 71
Table 4.2: Summary of key alterations, Rose Bowl stadium ....................................................................... 75
Table 4.3: Summary of seating increases and decreases at the Rose Bowl ............................................... 77
Table 4.4: Remaining character-defining features, Rose Bowl stadium ..................................................... 78
Table 4.5: List of upgrades for Rose Bowl Stadium .................................................................................... 84
Table 5.1: Summary of key events at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ..................................................... 94
Table 5.2: Summary of key alterations to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. ............................................. 98
Table 5.3: Remaining character-defining features of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. .......................... 106
Table 6.1: Current collegiate stadium standards in regards to the case study upgrades......................... 119
Table 6.2: Secretary of the Interior’s Standards kept during case study upgrades.. ................................ 121
Table 6.3: Character-defining features and lease agreement modernizations that may affect them.. ... 125

1

Introduction

During the first three years of the 1920s, four major (more than 50,000 seat) collegiate
stadiums, used for football, were completed in California. Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto was completed
in 1921, of earthen mound and wood, The Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena was completed in 1922, of
earthen mound and reinforced concrete, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was completed in 1923, of
earthen mound and reinforced concrete, and California Memorial Stadium was completed in 1923, of
reinforced concrete and cut and fill (similar to earthen mound except no mound is created). These
stadiums incorporated modern conveniences of the time, including running tracks, restrooms,
concourses, and areas for automobile parking.
All four of these stadiums still exist and are used for their original purpose; football. In Northern
California, Stanford Stadium, and California Memorial Stadium are the home stadiums for the Stanford
Cardinal and the Cal Bears, while in southern California, the University of Southern California (USC)
Trojans play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the big east/west college game of the year is
held at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, where the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins
now play.
Much has changed over the years to keep these stadiums viable in a changing society, with the
advent of television, technology, disabled access requirements, earthquake requirements, natural
disasters, fan demands, and the economy. Each of these stadiums has changed and matured to remain
pertinent to the current generation. Three of the stadiums are listed on the National Register, with two
gaining the distinction as National Historic Landmarks.
This thesis aims to provide, through case studies of these four stadiums, insight into how they
have continued to draw crowds and remain financially viable for more than ninety years. Concurrently,
the thesis aims to provide a best practices focusing on the upcoming rehabilitation of the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum, a National Historic Landmark, and its continued viability using the major, recent,
100 year rehabilitation and modernizations made to the other three stadiums as case studies, as well as
outside sources, for insight, which can also be used for other upcoming rehabilitations of early collegiate
stadiums.
2

Chapter 1: Context

The Football Stadium as Cathedral
In 2001, Robert C. Trumpbour wrote The New Cathedrals: Politics and Media in the History of
Stadium Construction, in which he argued that stadiums are now the major civic monument for cities. In
his book, Trumpbour creates a progressive timeline of monuments; firstly, it was cathedrals, then
railroad stations, then skyscrapers, and now stadiums. Stadiums enhance a city’s image and are often
the most visible structure in town. As Trumpbour writes, “More Americans are likely to readily identify
Yankee Stadium than nearby St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Further, local newscasts are more likely to choose
the city’s stadium as a scenic backdrop for weather updates than a cathedral or skyscraper.”
1
Ty
Schalter took the idea further, stating that these iconic monuments were known for opulence, requiring
the use of state of the art techniques, and most modern materials available (Figure 1.1). These are
objects that show the wealth, artistic ability, and civic pride of their community.
2
The stadium has
become the major monument for the city, and historic stadiums, while they are few and far between,
are often imbued with a hallowed aura not present in newer stadiums.

Figure 1.1: Dallas Cowboys NFL stadium 2009, $1.15 billion dollar stadium is the epitome of engineering and opulence in the
NFL. Photo courtesy of Melissa Vasquez, taken 2011.

1
Robert C. Trumpbour, The New Cathedrals: Politics and Media in the History of Stadium Construction (New York,
Syracuse University, 2007).
2
Ty Schalter, “Why NFL Stadiums are the Modern Day Cathedrals,” Bleacher Report, April 26, 2012,
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1159057-why-nfl-stadiums-are-the-modern-day-cathedral.
3

People attend sporting events for a variety of reasons: the roar of the crowd, the excitement of
the stadium, the celebration of the football team with students and alumni, the opportunity to dress up
crazy with your friends, or the nostalgia of events or records that have been set there. Attending a
sporting event can be magical. In the sports world, not only is the age of the facility a factor, but events
that took place in the past play a role in the experience as well. For example, on a list of the ten most
historic North American sports stadiums on ESPN’s website, the list is not divided by year the stadium
was built and architectural details, it is organized based on major sporting events hosted, accomplished
teams, stand-out fans, or a memorable event that occurred there in our collective American memory.
On that list, for example, Los Angeles Coliseum (1923) is eighth, due to its hosting of multiple Olympic
Games, Super Bowls, and being the home to USC football. Based on the same criteria, the Rose Bowl
(1922) is listed as number six, for, among its other accomplishments, being the home of the “most
historic bowl game in college football…a staple in American Culture.” First on the list is Madison Square
Garden which was opened in 1968 (Table 1.1).
3
At the same time, these reasons do not make the
stadium immune to destruction.
Stadium Year Built Country
10 – Maple Leaf Gardens 1931 Canada
9- Notre Dame Stadium 1928 United States
8 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 1923 United States
7- Estadio Azteca 1966 Mexico
6- Rose Bowl 1922 United States
5- Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1909 United States
4- Mercedes-Benz Superdome 1975 United States
3- Fenway Park 1912 United States
2- Churchill Downs 1875 United States
1- Madison Square Garden 1968 United States
Table1.1: Ten most historic North American stadiums – ESPN.com. Table by Author.

Kyle Vassalo wrote in The Ten Most Storied Landmarks in NFL History, “The NFL has made a
habit of destroying its most storied landmarks.”
4
He includes examples of many classic stadiums that

3
Paul Donaldson, “Ten Most Historic North American Stadiums,” ESPN Playbook, accessed April 22, 2013,
http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/18833/10-most-historic-north-american-stadiums.
4
Kyle Vassalo, “The Ten Most Storied Landmarks in NFL History,” Bleacher Report, March 3, 2011,
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/625484-the-10-most-storied-landmarks-in-nfl-history.
4

have been replaced, like Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado, or Texas Stadium near Dallas, Texas.
Other stadiums have been heavily altered like Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The majority of current
NFL stadiums were built after the 1970s, due to technological and media advances with another rush of
new construction ongoing since 2000 to create revenue driven entertainment centers.
Chad Sifried explained in his dissertation, An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility:
Developing an Ideal Type on the Evolution of Professional Baseball and Football Structures, “professional
sports facilities grew to accommodate larger crowds and incurred modifications which made them into
highly effective selling machines.”
5
College football stadiums have survived better than NFL stadiums,
due in part to being owned by non-profit, public or educational facilities which derive funding from
sources other than ticket, and premium seating sales. College football standards, less stringent than
those of the NFL, make it easier for college stadiums to remain in operation for longer, with forty college
stadiums built until 1930 still in operation (Table 1.2).
Stadium Year Built College
Amon G. Carter Stadium 1929 TCU
Arizona Stadium 1928 Arizona
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium 1930 Florida
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field 1913 Georgia Tech
Boone Pickens Stadium 1920 Oklahoma State
Bryant Denny Stadium 1929 Alabama
California Memorial Stadium 1923 U.C. Berkeley
Camp Randall Stadium 1917 Wisconsin
Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium 1924 Texas
Davis Wade Stadium 1914 Mississippi State
Faurot Field 1927 Missouri
Folsom Field 1924 Colorado
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 1925 Oklahoma
Husky Stadium 1920 Washington
Kenan Memorial Stadium 1927 North Carolina
Kennick Stadium 1929 Iowa

5
Chad Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility: Developing an Ideal Type on the Evolution of
Professional Baseball and Football Structures,” (Dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005). pg. iii.
5

Kyle Field 1927 Texas A&M
Legion Field 1926 UAB
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 1923 USC
Memorial Stadium 1923 Illinois
Memorial Stadium 1921 Kansas
Memorial Stadium 1923 Nebraska
Blaik Field at Michie Stadium 1924 Army – West Point
Michigan Stadium 1927 Michigan
Neyland Stadium 1921 Tennessee
Nippert Stadium 1924 Cincinnati
Notre Dame Stadium 1930 Notre Dame
Ohio Stadium 1922 Ohio State
Peden Stadium 1929 Ohio
Rose Bowl 1922 UCLA
Ross-Aide Stadium 1924 Purdue
Ryan Field 1926 Northwestern
Sanford Stadium 1929 Georgia
Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium 1930 Tulsa
Spartan Stadium 1923 Michigan State
Stanford Stadium 1921 Stanford
Tiger Stadium 1924 Louisiana State
Vanderbilt Stadium 1922 Vanderbilt
Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium 1915 Mississippi
Wallace Wade Stadium 1929 Duke
Table1.2: Forty college stadiums built until 1930 still in use.
6
Table by Author.

6
Of the 124 stadiums listed, thirty percent of those were built before 1930. A large number of early stadiums also
incorporated the word Memorial into their title. Current Stadiums, Wikipedia, accessed June 18, 2013,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_football_stadiums.
6

Factors that shaped original development of stadiums:
The Rise of College football
During the early years of the twentieth century, before television became commercially
available, there were four major forms of sport entertainment; horse racing, football, boxing, and
baseball.
7
Baseball had lost much of its credibility due to the Black Sox scandal of the 1919 World Series,
and by 1920, football (started in the 1860s and 1870s in New England) was the height of entertainment.
8

In 1920, there were only nine large (50,000 plus seat) stadiums in the United States suitable for football,
with more large stadiums planned and built during the early 1920s building boom.
9

College and military football teams were popular, and their games would often reach full
stadium capacity. This prompted fans to find alternate methods to view the games, especially at
horseshoe shaped stadiums. This also caused the stadium owners to perpetually add seating to keep up
with demand. College football became even more popular with the development of modern rules and
techniques, such as the forward pass, four quarters in a game, and numbered jerseys. The
establishment of an Officials Advisory Committee in the late 1880s, created a safer and more organized
game and in 1909, at the request of President Theodore Roosevelt, the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) was created to organize and oversee collegiate athletic events.
10

College football matches were not only at colleges, but also at municipally owned venues such
as Solider Field or Tournament Stadium. By 1916, the west coast collegiate teams had reached the same
competitive ability as eastern collegiate teams. The major teams in California played for; Southern
California (USC), California (U.C. Berkeley), Leland Stanford (Stanford), Occidental, and Pomona.
11
The
Tournament of Roses Association New Years football game began gaining popularity in 1916, when the
association would invite two top ranking college football teams to play: one from the west and one from
the east. The number of spectators grew as the popularity of football improved, increasing the number
of attendees to the Rose Bowl game. More than a million people watched the 1918 and 1919 Rose
Parade, with tens of thousands attending the football game afterward, selling out the stadium in which

7
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Architectural Heritage
Association, 2006) pg31.
8
Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were caught intentionally losing games, allowing the Cincinnati Reds to
win the Super Bowl; fixing the game.
9
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 26, 30, 31; Rose Bowl HABS No.CA-2667,
(Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, April, 1997) pg. 11.
10
Alexander Weyland, American Football, its History and Development, (New York; Appleton and Company, 1926);
Allison Danzig, “The History of American Football: Its Great Teams, Players, and Coaches” (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:
Prentice-Hall, 1956); Michelle L. Turner, The Rose Bowl (Charleston S.C: Arcadia, 2010). pg. 7.
11
Weyland, American Football, its History and Development.
7

it was held (Figure 1.2).
12
College football, including the Rose Bowl and other Bowl games, continues to
draw huge crowds today, more than 100 years after it became popular. In 2010, college football drew a
combined 49.6 million fans, nearly three times as many as the NFL’s 17.4 million fans.
13

Figure 1.2: Cal (U.C. Berkeley) after winning the 1920 Rose Bowl. Photo from Pasadena Museum of History.
Organized professional football was founded in 1920, and when college football was at full
force. All ten original professional teams were mid-west or eastern teams, and no professional
championship game was played until 1933, with no Super Bowl taking place until 1967, at the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
14

Rise of college attendance
College attendance nationwide rose during the early twentieth century. At U.C. Berkeley, for
example, enrollment increased from 2,229 students in 1900, to 10,796 students in 1920, up 384

12
Rose Bowl HABS No.CA-2667, pg. 11.
13
“Football Attendance: Comparing the NCAA and Football,” Winthrop Intelligence, December 31, 2012, Accessed
August 27, 2013, http://winthropintelligence.com/2012/12/31/football-attendance-comparing-the-nfl-and-
ncaa/.;Joe Yogerst, “Americas Best College Football Stadiums,” Travel and Leisure, November 2011.
14
On August 20, 1920 the American Professional Football Association was created. In 1922, the name was
changed to the National Football League (NFL); “American Professional Football Association,” Ohio History Central,
Accessed April 23, 2013. http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=839.
8

percent.
15
Colleges saw the growing need to build additional structures, often calling upon major
architects, to accommodate the massive increase in students. These additional facilities frequently
included sports stadiums due to the national interest in the game of football and track and field. These
giant edifices, having more than 50,000 seats, were not built just for necessity, but were also symbols of
the college’s supremacy.

Historic Stadiums (Greek and Roman)
‘Stadium’ comes from the Greek word ‘stadion (stade)’ which was a measure of length. People
would run along this length, often semicircular, while people sat and watched from tiers of seats
surrounding the track. Greek stadiums were often horseshoe shaped, similar to amphitheatres, with
one end open to receive breezes into the stadium and allow for longer running straight-aways similar to
the Panathenaic Stadium in Greece (Figure 1.3).
16
Roman stadiums were often elliptical; the Colisseum
in Rome is the most popular example of a Roman stadium. It consists of a large elliptical field with
multiple tiered seating rising up surrounding the field.
17

Figure 1.3. Panathenaic Stadium in Greece. Photo courtesy of tripomatic.com. Permission Pending.

15
Vern A. Stadtman, The Centennial Record of the University of California, 1868- 1968 (Berkeley: University of
California printing Department, 1967) pg. 216,218;Form, California Memorial Stadium (Berkeley CA: Berkeley
Architectural Heritage Association, 2006) pg. 30.
16
“Modern Bowls have Origin in Greek and Roman Stadia,” Christian Science Monitor, December 30, 1938.
17
“Stadium” Accessed July 10, 2013. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stadium.
9

Early Stadium Design
During the time when the stadiums studied in this thesis were being built, most stadiums were
rectangular, held 20,000 people, consisted of temporary wooden bleachers on either side of a field
marked for football, and they were not permanent structures. When permanent stadiums began to be
built, they were often multi-purpose venues, with the field in the middle and a running track around the
edge of the field and were based on the elliptical plan shape or horseshoe.
18
The first permanent
football stadium was Harvard Stadium, a horseshoe shaped stadium built in 1903, to seat 24,000
spectators.
19
Next was the Yale Bowl (1914) in New Haven Connecticut, an elliptical bowl shape
designed to seat 71,000 (Figure 1.4).
20
Many later stadiums, including the Rose Bowl and Stanford
Stadium were influenced by the design of the Yale Bowl, now a National Historic Landmark.
21
Other
early stadiums included the Palmer Stadium at Princeton (1914), and University of Washington (1920).
22

Figure 1.4: Yale Bowl, after rehabilitation in 2009, much the same as it was in 1919, but with more interior restrooms. Photo
courtesy of theexplanatianizer.com.

18
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. iii.
19
National Register Nomination Form, Harvard Stadium (Washington, D.C., National Park Service, 1986) pg. 2.
20
National Register Nomination Form, Yale Bowl (Washington, D.C., National Park Service, 1985) pg. 2.
21
From the same thematic recommendation as Soldier Field, the Rose Bowl and Harvard Stadium in 1986 for
American Recreational History theme. James H. Charleton, Recreation in the United States; National Historic
Landmark Theme Study (Washington, D.C., National Park Service, 1986).
22
Rose Bowl HABS No.CA-2667, pg. 14.
10

California collegiate stadiums from the early 1920s were built on the same basic design. An
earthen berm separates the exterior from the interior, where the field is located. The berm provides
footing for fan seating. Additional seating is added above, supported by reinforced concrete and piers.
These seating sections are accessed by a concourse, along the top of the berm. Most of the vertical
circulation takes place inside the structure, often taking up precious space (Figure 1.5). A press box is
often located near the fifty yard line at the top of the stadium.

Figure 1.5: Section through a typical earthen berm stadium with three levels of seating (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum).
Original photo courtesy of Nabih Youssef Associates; annotations by Author.

Comfort and Amenities in the 1920s
In the 1920s, people came to watch the game. Restrooms, and concessions were not a major
concern and were often placed far from the action and seats were long wooden benches, without backs,
which provided little comfort for fans. As Chad Sifried wrote, “The Yale Bowl, previously recognized as
the standard for major sports facilities, owned few indoor restrooms for its patrons. Consequently,
spectators at Yale Bowl events frequented open sheds outside of the facility to freshen up.”
23
With few
media outlets, press boxes were small, sometimes only a platform with a table and some chairs for
newspaper media. Mr. Sifried goes on to explain that with few necessary amenities, sports stadiums

23
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 145
Field Level
Concourse Level
Ground Level
Lower level – cut soil
Middle level –
compacted fill soil
Upper level – reinforced
concrete framing
Concourse - on top of middle
level compact fill, covered by
upper level concrete framing
Esplanade- no framing above
Tunnel to lower/middle
level seats from ground
level
Stairs to concourse to
middle/upper seating
Earthen berm
Pedestrian tunnel,
also referred to as a
vomitorium
Earthen/soil berm
11

were able to be built rather quickly.
24
He also notes that unlike newer stadiums, “early modern sport
facilities typically possessed narrow aisles, seats, and concourses within the structure which prevented
efficient, comfortable, and safe movement.”
25

Rise of California as National Power / Civic Pride and California Promotion
The early twentieth century was a boom time for California. The population increased from
1,485,000 in 1900, to 3,427,000 in 1920, a growth rate of more than 130 percent.
26
There were many
causes for this influx of population. World War I ended in 1918, causing many returning servicemen to
rethink their lives, and locations. The personal automobile became more affordable, with Henry Ford
building fifteen million model T’s between 1915 and 1927. The Lincoln Highway (highway 40),
completed in 1918, allowed paved travel from New York to San Francisco, opening up the country.
Shortly after, in 1923, Route 66 was completed. Railroad travel to California was well established by the
early 1900s, and commercial air travel was just beginning.
27

At the same time, California was promoting its mild climate, beautiful views, citrus fruit, and
mission history through postcards with flocks of tourists arriving, and deciding to stay. By 1920, Greene
and Greene, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bernard Maybeck, and Irving Gill were all working in California, with
Rudolph Schindler arriving the next year.
28

Los Angeles
In the Los Angeles area, population from 1900 to 1920 increased dramatically, with the
population in 1900, less than 170,000, more than doubling to 576,673 by 1920; the tenth largest
population in the country. By 1940, the population had doubled again to 1,504,277 which made Los
Angeles the fifth largest city in the United States.
29

In the 1900s, the film industry was relocating to California, with the first studio opening in 1911.
This allowed images of California landscape and activities to spread throughout the world through

24
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 145, 146.
25
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 195.
26
National Register Registration Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg 30; Historical Statistics of the United States,
Colonial Times to 1970, part 1 (Washington, D.C.: Bureau of the Census, 1975), pg 25.
27
Dr. Jean Paul Rodrigue, “Historical Geography of Transportation: The Setting of Global Systems, the Geography
of Transportation Systems,” Hofstra University. Accessed April 22, 2013,
http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch2en/conc2en/ch2c2en.html.
28
Esther McCoy, Five California Architects (New York, Reinhold Publishing, 1960).
29
“Population of the 20 largest US Cities, 1900 to 2010,” Infoplease website, tally of US Census Data, accessed April
22, 2013, http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0922422.html.
12

motion pictures.
30
Many influential people from eastern states moved to the Los Angeles area for
health reasons, or as a way to escape the winter months, in cities like Pasadena, which then created
festivals, like the Tournament of Roses, in celebration of the desirable California climate. Film footage of
the parade, and later football game, began in 1900 and was shown worldwide. This drew tens of
thousands of tourists to the parade every year, and created the positive image of Pasadena that people
still hold today. By 1900, there were several colleges in the area including University of Southern
California (1880), Pomona College (1887), Occidental College (1887), and the Normal School (becoming
UCLA in 1919).
31

San Francisco
The San Francisco Bay area population boom happened fifty years earlier during the Gold Rush.
By 1900, San Francisco had the ninth largest population in the United States, with 342,782 inhabitants.
San Francisco was well established by the 1920s, with a transcontinental railroad arriving in 1870, two
major colleges (University of California (1868) and, Leland Stanford (1885)) established by 1890, and a
newspaper empire founded by William Randolph Hearst in the 1880s. By the time of a major,
catastrophic earthquake in 1906, San Francisco had achieved worldwide recognition. In 1915, San
Francisco hosted the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the same year as the Panama-California
Exposition in San Diego (Figure 1.6). California became a popular destination for both tourists and
residents.

30
“Bronze Memorial will Mark First Hollywood Studio Site,” Los Angeles Times, September 25, 1940.
31
Rose Bowl HABS No.CA-2667, pg. 10; Alexander Weyland, American Football, its History and Development.
13

Figure 1.6: Postcard from 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco. Photo from Presidio
Collections, San Francisco. Permission Pending.

Technological advances
Major construction innovations in the nineteenth century allowed these large scale stadiums to
be built efficiently and in areas that previously would have been considered unbuildable. Work was no
longer done with horses and mules, but with machines. Skyscrapers started appearing in Chicago in the
1880s, about the same time large cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco were becoming widely
electrified and telephone service was becoming common. In 1913, William Mulholland finished the Los
Angeles aqueduct, providing water to the entire region.
Construction techniques also changed. Previously, buildings had been built of masonry or wood
frame construction. In the 1870s, reinforced concrete was used in California, pioneered by Ernest L.
Ransome of San Francisco, for strength and durability.
32
Steel making techniques improved, resulting in
stronger and more readily-available steel, to provide the framework for skyscrapers in major
metropolitan locations throughout America. Machinery built on automobile chassis replaced horse
drawn carts as a way to move soil and supplies, reducing the time and effort spent on construction. This

32
“Ransome, Ernest Leslie,” Encyclopedia.com, Accessed April 23, 2013,http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-
RansomeErnestLeslie.html.
14

allowed construction schedules to be shortened, saving time and money for the client (Figure 1.7). All
these advances allowed structures to become stronger, larger, and completed in shorter time frames.

Figure 1.7: Construction of the Rose Bowl, 1922. Photo from Pasadena Museum of History.
During the early 1920s advances were made in radio and journalism. Press boxes included a
small booth for sports radio, popularized in 1921. After 1929, public address systems became integrated
so an announcer could announce a game to the crowd.
33
Production equipment for live radio broadcast
came next. When film became popular, they included a film camera, as well as additional areas for
reporters. With the advent of television, the film location would turn into a video camera location, then
multiple locations throughout the field and a place to process the footage.

Ownership and funding for stadiums
Most early stadiums were either paid for by members of a committee who decided that their
town needed a stadium (Los Angeles and Pasadena) or as part of a college campus, to show who had a
more successful football team (Stanford and U.C. Berkeley). Funding was provided through
subscriptions, where people would buy tickets ahead of time to future events held in the un-built
stadium, allowing the stadium to be built. In the case of public lands, the committee would hand the
stadium over to the city after a set number of years. This was an early example of public-private
partnerships. In all situations, a new stadium bolstered civic pride in the community, and showed to
others what a town or school could do.

33
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 169, 171.
15

An opening paragraph for the Rose Bowl’s HABS report sums it up well; “The Rose Bowl is not
only a football stadium, it is also a civic monument, a physical manifestation of a small city’s ambitions,
and a central player in the ancient human drama of a festival.”
34
These monuments, whether civic or
educational, are more than football stadiums, they are monuments to their owners, the communities
who supported the fundraising drives, and to early twentieth century California.

Factors that shaped the changes to these stadiums:
Over the past ninety years, since these stadiums were constructed, football stadiums have been
used for many events besides football including the Olympics, Super Bowls, the World Series, and World
Cup matches. Soccer, although played in 1920, did not become popular until the second half of the
twentieth century. The stadiums have been filled with dirt and used for motorcycle racing, used to host
concerts, Easter egg hunts, Frizbee competitions and more. Stadiums have become more multi-use than
they were originally designed for. With these new uses come new facility needs.

Football from 1953 to 1991 – Modernization and the Media
From 1953 to 1991, the late modern era of stadiums, most upgrades were about modernization,
comfort, safety, and multi-functionality. Stadiums saw new scoreboards, television cameras, lighting for
televised night games, press box upgrades, more comfortable seating, modern concessions, and
upgraded restrooms with new technology (such as hand driers).
Television became popular in the 1950s -- in 1950 only nine percent of homes owned television,
but by 1952 half of American households owned a television, by 1955 that number grew to sixty-five
percent and by 1965, ninety-three percent of households owned at least one television. Television had a
profound effect on sports, as American families changed their daily rituals to coincide with television
broadcasts, and television overtook radio and print media as the preferred method to participate in
sports a home. At the same time, televised games improved gate attendance and provided lucrative
broadcasting deals with television stations, often as the main revenue source of the stadium.
35

Press boxes were upgraded as technology progressed. A new larger press box was often built at
this time to house the television announcers and camera operators broadcasting the games outside.
With live telecasts, a crew of skilled operators, and a production-control room are necessary, as well as
the ability to transmit video to television stations. Other facilities relating to the broadcasts were added

34
HABS stands for Historic American Building Survey; Rose Bowl HABS No.CA-2667, pg. 10.
35
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 189, 190, 224.
16

at this time as well, such as interview rooms, and press conference rooms within the stadium, and
floodlight structures above the stadium to light the game for night broadcasts. Scoreboards and
videoboards were improved as well. In the 1980s, color videoboards were introduced.
36

Circulation, restrooms, and concessions were expanded and updated for a better guest
experience. Seating was often modified, and artificial grass was introduced. Luxury boxes also began at
this time. The stadium held multiple types of events during this era, such as football, baseball, track,
etc. and the stadium was designed to change based on the event rather than the event changing to fit
the stadium.
37

Football Stadiums from 1992 to the present - Athletics as Big Business
The purpose of a sport stadium today is to make money. Chad Sifried wrote “We see the sport
facility transform from a place to play and showcase competition into a “tradium” which seeks to
encourage and maximize the spending of all individuals in attendance.”
38
In modern stadiums, comfort,
restrooms, concessions, and accessibility for the disabled are essential and taken for granted. The focus
is on making money, on premium seating and premium service areas for special guests, with fans willing
to pay more for nicer surroundings, appetizers, and televisions showing the game going on outside.
These amenities are often included in the press box, which has become a sort of view-post, providing
vast income for the stadium.
Outside the press box, dedicated fans, in multiple tier priced seating areas strive to get as close
to the action as possible. This is harder with older stadiums that featured running tracks, putting the fan
farther away from the action. Getting the fan next to the field has become a priority for stadium
owners. The accessibility of concessions, souvenirs, restroom facilities as well as the time it takes to go
and come back to ones seat is important in new stadiums, where sales of concessions and souvenirs
make as much money as entry tickets.
39

To meet the wants and expectations of today’s fans, many football teams build new stadiums
from the ground up to incorporate these modern features, or have gone through a costly, stadium-
altering renovation to comply with current stadium norms. Hall of Fame areas, picnic areas, restaurants,
and retail shops are often included as an added entertainment to keep guests at the facility, and

36
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 193, 207, 208.
37
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 195, 224.
38
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 3.
39
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 224.
17

spending money, as long as possible .
40
With the rise of NFL salaries, NFL owners need to make more
and more money, both to support the extravagant stadiums, as well as the professional players who the
fans go to watch.
41
College owned stadiums do not need to meet these vast monetary expectations,
and therefore are able to operate on lower budgets. However the fans want what the professional
stadiums have, so college stadiums capitalize on this. The most common modernizations in college
football stadiums today are listed below, along with the currently accepted standard for new
construction (Table 1.3).

Modernization Current Standards
Advertising, Naming Rights.
42
Used as source of funding. Necessity. See Naming Rights/Advertising
below. Used to develop brand recognition and maintain brand status.
43

Concessions. One point-of-sale per 150-200 visitors. Concessions make up twenty-
eight percent of a stadium’s revenue.
44

Directional Signage. Necessity, easy to see and understand.
Disabled Accessibility. 1% total stadium seating must be accessible seating. Wheelchair and
companion seats need to be provided in all areas of the stadium, with
good sight lines, not blocked by standing patrons.
45

Event Space – Premium. Necessity
Field – Good sightlines. Every seat should have an unobstructed view of the field.
Field – Fans proximity. Fans should be as close to the field as possible. Multiple levels of
seating may help to accomplish this.
Life Safety – Fire System. Fire systems must meet current safety standards.
Life Safety - Ingress/Egress. Quickly accessible entries and exits. Stairways, ramps and tunnels
adhere to current California Building Code for egress and Americans
with Disabilities Act standards.
Media – Current Standards. Necessity to adhere to these standards. See Media below.
Meets NCAA Requirements. Stadiums must contain more than 30,000 permanent seats, and must
average $15,000 in actual or paid attendance annually.
46

Press Box. Must have enough space for media and broadcasting, as well as
premium seating, event space and catering.
Restrooms. One fixture per 100 men, and one fixture for every fifty ladies.
47

Scoreboards/videoboards. Large scoreboards/videoboards with many pixels for viewing by fans in
the stands. Television screens along concourse showing game going on
outside. Television screens in premium areas showing game outside.

40
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 251, 259, 260, 264, 265.
41
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 246, 247.
42
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg.225.
43
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg.256.
44
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg.248, 249.
45
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg.250-251.
46
Division One NCAA requirements, “NCAA Legalization for Division 1-AA/1-A Football,” UTSA Athletics Feasibility
Study, Accessed July 15, 2013, http://utsa.edu/ucomm/athletics/iv.htm.
47
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg.248.
18

Modernization Current Standards
Seating – Number. Near 50,000, to provide for intimate stadium environment.
Seating – Multiple Types. Bench seats with backs, theatre, padded theatre, luxury seating.
Seating – Premium Available. Necessity. Indoor and outdoor premium seating to be available.
Average luxury suite size ranges from 500 to 700 sf. Facilities average
119.46 luxury suites and 6,994 club seats. Sport stadiums pay for
themselves through luxury suites.
48

Seating – Ample knee room. Necessity, at least 33 inches wide.
Seismic Safety. Complies with ‘very good’ seismic standard of governing educational
agency. See Seismic Ratings for Universities below.
Suburban location with
plenty of parking.
Necessity.
Table 1.3: Common stadium modernizations with accepted current standards. Table by Author.

Seismic Ratings for Universities
Since 1920 there have been many technological advances that have shaped how college
stadiums are strengthened due to seismic forces. In 1933, the Field Act was enacted after a major
earthquake that destroyed many elementary schools in Long Beach. The act applies to K-12 schools and
Community Colleges in California. It mandates that no unreinforced masonry buildings be used as
classrooms, and that all school buildings must be able to resist three times the lateral forces on the
buildings’ mass, ex 300 lbs as opposed to 100 lbs. Department of the State Architect requires all school
plans and renovations to be peer-reviewed to provide quality control and compliance with the Field Act.
As UC system schools and private universities are excluded from the Field Act, higher education
institutions have come up with their own seismic standards by which each building on campus is graded
based on a seismic study by a licensed structural engineer. The UC seismic safety grading system goes
from ‘Very Good,’ for a building that will survive without issue in an earthquake, to ‘Very Poor,’ for a
building for which collapse or major falling hazards are anticipated. Emergency funding for repairs is
often relegated to buildings rated ‘very poor’ to get them to a ‘good’ or higher rating.
49
Other schools
and universities use a similar rating scale from ‘poor’ to ‘very good.’

48
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 252-253.
49
“Findings and Implications, 1997,” U.C. Berkeley Website, accessed April 12, 2013.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/extras/1997/SAFER/Pages/findings.html#Costs; Earthquake Performance Levels
for Existing Buildings, (California State University, University of California, the California Department of General
Services and the Administrative Office of the Courts, 1995-2009).
19

Media/Television
Technological advances in current stadiums include LED display monitors, sound systems,
systems for the hearing impaired, individual seat technology, as well as television technology.
50

Stadiums began profiting from radio broadcasting in 1921, the profits increased further with the arrival
of television. ESPN began in September of 1979, and televised sports entered every home. At first, the
NCAA refused to allow its teams to profit from broadcasting their games on television believing that by
broadcasting, the number of fans attending the games would be reduced. But a 1984 Supreme Court
ruling, NCAA vs. University of Oklahoma, ruled that the NCAA could not do this, which allowed the
colleges to broadcast as many games as they wanted on television, making more money. In 1991, Notre
Dame signed an exclusive television contract with NBC for rights to show all their games for a large
profit. Network channels provide vast funding for football teams, for example NFL teams shared $8
billion dollars earned from CBS and Fox in 2011, not to mention agreements with other stations.
Although attendance at college games is higher than those at professional games, many fans watch from
home. Specialty networks, such as the Big 10 network and Pac 12, on cable, only play college athletic
games, providing television for fans, while making lots of money for the teams in their leagues.
51

Naming Rights/ Advertising
Naming rights and extreme advertising have become common place in professional sports
facilities. Naming rights is a recent money making venture, used to create name brand recognition and
provide money for the stadium, which thereafter is known as the ‘Sponsor’ stadium. One example
would be the Superdome, a well known sports icon, and number four on the ‘Ten most historic North
American stadiums list’ in Table 1.1. Due to naming rights, this historic stadium which had a significant
impact on American history as the first enclosed stadium, and a haven during hurricane Katrina, is now
Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The naming rights of the stadium, in a way, negate all previous history of
the stadium. Upon hearing the sponsor’s name, now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome sounds like a
brand new stadium. Similarly, the Home Depot Center (2003), in Carson, is now the Stubhub Center. All
public road signs and navigation still direct the visitor to Home Depot Center, and unless the visitor
knew of the name change, they would never find their destination. In extreme advertizing the fan is
overwhelmed by video banners surrounding the seating sections displaying brand names, as well as
sponsor names displayed along the field wall and on the large videoscreens, not to mention along the

50
Cameras all over the field as opposed to just three or four locations.
51
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg.258, 259.
20

concourse and at concessions. While these sponsorships and advertising provide massive financial gain
for the stadium.
College stadiums have funding sources not open to professional stadiums, in the form of large
donations from benefactors. Oftentimes these donations act as the sponsorships that professional
stadiums strive for. In response to this, new additions to the stadium are named after the benefactor,
such as the press box, plaza, or seating section, but not the overall stadium. College stadiums do not
need to use extreme advertising, because the funding sources for the college do not come from the
stadium. Advertising in college stadiums remains relatively modest and often is relegated to promoting
the college football team.

Multi-Use Stadium
Although it is not always practical in stadiums that were constructed just for football, a stadium
that can adapt to different events is a plus. Multiple sources of revenue, can be gained and new fan
bases created by having a stadium that can hold soccer tournaments, baseball games, or motocross.
Most football stadiums are also able to accommodate concerts and speaking engagements by
celebrities.
Keeping up with current standards, and providing a place that can adapt to the need of the
consumer, create funding sources for the stadium. Broadcasting the games on television also provides a
lucrative funding source for the stadium. With up-to-date facilities, fans will spend more money for
concessions, better seats, or for premium seating in the press box. With multiple avenues of funding,
the stadium will always remain viable.

Preservation and the National Historic Landmark:
All the properties case studied in this thesis are more than fifty years old and are eligible for
listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the national list of cultural resources worthy of
preservation, created and supported by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and subsequent
additions. With listing on the National Register of Historic Places additional funding sources and less
stringent code standards are available for preservation and maintenance of the historic property.
There are two national designations of a historic property set by the National Park Service. A
property listed on the National Register of Historic Places (National Register), and a property, listed on
the National Register of Historic Places, which reaches the National Historic Landmark (NHL) status.
Only about three percent of National Register properties are also designated as NHL properties. A NHL
21

property is recognized for having an effect on the nation as a whole, not just the state or local
community like a National Register property. National Historic Landmark is the highest designation a
historic building, site, district, structure or object can receive. The property is reviewed much more
critically and must achieve a higher degree of integrity than a National Register property.
52

The criterion for recognition is similar to that of a National Register property, except it focuses
on national importance. To be a National Historic Landmark, the building must meet at least one of the
six criterion below:
 Be the site of an event that had a significant impact on American history overall.
 The property must be associated with the significant life accomplishments of an important
person in American history.
 Provide a great idea or ideal of the American people.
 The best example of an American architectural style or significant development in American
engineering.
 Provide an outstanding illustration of a broad theme or trend in American history overall, both
as an architectural or cultural collective.
 A site that can provide nationally significant American archeological information.
53

The structure must have high levels of integrity for location, setting, design, materials, workmanship,
feeling, and association.
54

National Register properties are nominated for listing by the State Historic Preservation Officer
(SHPO) with approval from the Keeper of the National Register. National Historic Landmark properties
must be nominated by a National Park Service Advisory Board, which meets twice a year, and be
approved by the Director of the National Park service who gives the nomination to the Secretary of the
Interior, who reviews and approves potential NHL properties bi-annually.
NHL nominations are often prepared by the National Park Service for theme studies, such as
“Civil Rights in America: Racial Voting Rights,” or “Recreational Use in the United States,” under which
the Rose Bowl, Yale Bowl, Harvard Stadium, and Grant Park Stadium (Soldier Field) were listed along
with Boston Common and Indianapolis Motor Speedway to name a few. Not all nominated properties,
even within a theme study get approved. Condition of the property is to be monitored by the National
Park Service, and a report submitted to Congress every two years regarding their status. Work can be

52
“National Historic Recognition”, University of Illinois Memorial Stadium website, accessed July 10, 2013,
http://www.athletics.illinois.edu/premiumseating/history/recognition.htm.
53
“National Historic Landmarks Program,” National Park Service, Accessed July 11, 2013,
http://www.nps.gov/nhl/qa.htm#1.
54
Ibid.
22

done to the property, but should keep to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards of the Treatment of
Historic Properties and may be reviewed by the National Park Service.
55

Soldier Field, where the Chicago Bears play, is one of the stadiums which was approved within
the “Recreational Use in the United States” theme. Currently used for the NFL, collegiate and military
football games were often played there in the past. Originally built in 1924, the horseshoe-shaped
stadium resides in a public park, similar to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The NFL Chicago Bears
chose to renovate the stadium in 2002, at a cost of $682 million, with a two year renovation, which
demolished much of the interior, added 8,600 club suites, 133 suites, and the new three story Stadium
Club (Figure 1.8).
56
Unfortunately, too much of the original fabric was destroyed, compromising the
stadium’s integrity. The ‘flying saucer shape press box’ that many of the new features were housed in
was deemed visually incompatible with the classical colonnades of the original stadium. In 2006, after a
thorough review, the stadium was deemed ineligible, the National Historic Landmark status revoked,
and the stadium de-listed.
57
Changes to a NHL property not meeting the Secretary of the Interior's
Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, can result in loss of eligibility and delisting.

55
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties are a list of standards for treatment
of historic properties containing standards for preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction for all
proposed developments that receive federal money or grant-in-aid; “National Historic Recognition,” University of
Illinois Memorial Stadium website; National Historic Landmarks Program website.
56
It would also double the number of restrooms, triple the number of concession stands, add two 23x82’ video
boards, as well as ribbon panel LED signage, upgrade the sound system and provide nearly 1,000 new televisions,
wider seats with cupholders, an open air courtyard, and a water wall to honor American veterans of all wars.
57
Liam Ford, “Chicago Solider Field Renovation Busts Budget; Bears will Pay for Overruns,” Tribune Business News,
October 15, 2003; Paul Michael Peterson, Chicago’s Soldier Field, (Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2007), pg. 7,
93; Hal Dardick, “Chicago Stadium may Lose Historic Landmark Designation,” Tribune Business News, September
24, 2004; Grant Park Stadium, National Historic Landmarks Program website, accessed April 22, 2013,
http://www.nps.gov/nhl/doe_dedesignations/grant%20park%20stadium.htm.
23

Figure 1.8: Soldier Field after renovation and additions in 2002. Photos by soldierfield.com. Permission Pending.
The Orange Bowl began in 1935, and two years later, The Miami Orange Bowl stadium was built
specifically for the Orange Bowl game, which was held there until 1996. The game was then moved to
Sun Life Stadium (1987) in Miami Gardens, Florida, home to the NFL Miami Dolphins. In 2007, the
University of Miami also decided to leave the Orange Bowl Stadium for Sun Life Stadium.
58
As the Miami
Orange Bowl was not on the National Register and underutilized, it was demolished in 2008, and the
Florida Marlin’s stadium was built on the site (Figure 4.17).
59

The Sugar Bowl began in 1935 as well, and was originally played in Tulane Stadium in New
Orleans. It was the home stadium of Tulane University as well as of the NFL New Orleans Saints until the
day the Louisiana Superdome was opened in 1975. The stadium was condemned the day the
Superdome was opened, but portions of it were utilized for five more years, until Tulane Stadium was
demolished in 1979. Tulane Stadium was deemed too outdated for the NFL team, and the new,
modern, indoor venue was preferred to showcase New Orleans to the world.
The Sun Bowl, also begun in 1935, was originally played on Kitt Field at the University of Texas.
In 1963, on a hill above Kitt Field, Sun Bowl Stadium was constructed where the event now takes place.
Kitt Field is currently used for track and field meets.

58
“Future of Orange Bowl in Doubt.” BBC Sport, August 21, 2007,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/american_football/6957333.stm.
59
Wang, “History in the Remaking.”

24

Figure 1.9: Orange Bowl demolition, 2008. Photo courtesy of July 2012 Rose Bowl Roundup, Rosebowlstadium.com.
In 2009, Yale Bowl, in New Haven, Connecticut made upgrades to their stadium at a cost of $30
million. They upgraded concessions and restrooms and added a new three story building, named the
Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center holds team rooms, reception and event space, a rooftop terrace,
and alumni spaces which open up to the inside of the venue, like a press box. Changes made were
sympathetic and not overpowering, and did not take away from the historical character of the stadium.
Yale Bowl’s NHL status remains firm (Figure 1.4).
60

60
“Yale Bowl,” Yale Bulldogs Website, accessed July 11, 2013,
http://yalebulldogs.com/information/facilities/yale_bowl/index.
25

Chapter 2: Case Study of Stanford Stadium

Original Construction:
Purpose of Construction
Stanford Stadium was constructed on the Stanford campus in 1921. Stanford and U.C. Berkeley
were often in competition against each other in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries due to
benefactor competition amongst the widows; Phobe Hearst (U.C. Berkeley) and Jane Stanford
(Stanford).
1
Stanford was competing against U.C. Berkeley (known as California at the time) to see who
could construct a new 50,000+ seat stadium first. The prize was the opportunity to host the ‘Big Game’
between the two schools.

Ownership (Private)
Stanford University, a private university, under direction from their Board of Trustees and Board
of Athletic Control, endeavored to complete their new stadium as quickly as possible. The Stanford
Board of Athletic Control oversaw design and construction of the stadium.
2

Design Team
The stadium was designed by three engineering professors at Stanford; W.F. Durand, C.D Marx,
and C.B. Wing. The only directions they were given by the administration were that the stadium must
seat a minimum of 60,000 patrons, and the field had to be large enough to accommodate “American
and Rugby football and a running track with a 220 yard straightaway.” (Figure 2.1)
3

The contractor for the stadium was Palmer and McBryde, who had the largest San Francisco
contracting firm at the time and were builders of the Western Pacific railroad line. They also presented
conceptual plans for rival California Memorial Stadium in 1922.
4
The landscape architect was MacRorie
& McLaren, who also designed the landscaping for California Memorial Stadium.
5

1
Gary Brechin, “Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthy Ruin,” (Los Angeles, University of California Press,
2006). Pg. 284.
2
Harry Smith, “Great News is Given out at S.F. Luncheon,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 26, 1921.
3
“Stanford to Have a New Stadium,” The Christian Science Monitor, December 23, 1920.
4
Joseph R. Hickey, “Stanford Stadium Becomes Reality Six Months After Subject is First Broached,” San Francisco
Chronicle, November 6, 1921; Smith, “Great News is Given out at S.F. Luncheon,”; “UC Regents Plan “Bowl” Type
Stadium,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 1, 1922.
5
“Great Stadium Dedicated to California War Dead,” Los Angeles Times, November 24, 1923.
26

Figure 2.1: Original 1921 design of Stanford Stadium by C.B. Wing, Engineer. Plan courtesy of Stanford Historical Society;
additional notations by Author.
Funding
Funding for the original stadium was paid for by Stanford’s Board of Athletic Control through fan
subscriptions. For $100 per subscription, the buyer would get two choice tickets to every home game
for the next fifteen years at a discount. Once the stadium was paid off through ticket sales, the revenue
was to go into an endowment fund in which the buyers dictated where their donations would go.
Through this funding, the Board of Athletic Control secured $100,000 toward the stadium construction.
Field
Esplanade
Landscaped Berm
Seating
27

Additional funding was paid for by ten percent of gate receipts of all campus games and half of any extra
money left over in the Athletic Fund at the end of the year until the stadium was paid for.
6

Location
The stadium is located on the hill above the Men’s Gym within the Stanford Campus. Plenty of
parking was provided around the stadium (Figure 2.2).The stadium is separated from the city of Palo
Alto by Palo Alto High School.
N
Figure 2.2: 1920s Aerial view of Stanford Stadium showing the open end, running track, and ample parking. Photo courtesy
of Stanford Historical Society; annotations by Author.

Construction
Stanford Stadium took only six months to complete from design to end of construction. The
stadium was designed using a cut and fill, earthen mound technique, where the soil is cut from grade
and piled up in a mound surrounding the future field area to create seating risers, similar to the Yale

6
Roxanne Nilan, “Rivalry and Entrepreneurship Mark 1921 Construction of Stanford Stadium,” Stanford Historical
Society Newsletter, Autumn 1984, pg. 2; Paul Clyde, “Stanford Stadium Plans Made Plain,” San Francisco Chronicle,
March 29, 1921; “Stanford to Have a New Stadium,” The Christian Science Monitor, December 23, 1920.
City of Palo Alto
Palo Alto High School
Stanford Stadium
28

Bowl. At Stanford, a twenty-five foot wide hole was dug, and the excavated soil and stones were piled
thirty-six feet around the sides to form a berm. There were sixty-five tiers of seats reached by twenty-
two evenly spaced stairways surrounding the field with a fifteen-foot wide esplanade on top of the berm
which provided access to seating.
7
Stanford figured the stadium would have cost an estimated $750,000
and taken longer to complete had it been made of reinforced concrete, so they instead built it of
earthen berm and wood and it was completed for only $210,000. The stadium took 135 days of
construction to complete.
8

The original design provided for a portion of the field to be left open to allow for a 220 yard long
straight away for track events, as well as ventilation into the bowl. This created not quite a horseshoe,
yet not a complete oval, but a ‘q’ shape (Figure 2.2) and (Figure 2.3). The sloped berm of the stadium
was then planted with trees and hedges.
9
Parking for automobiles was included in the design of the
stadium, with forty acres of parking lots provided around the stadium for the parking of 6,000 cars.
10

Stanford Stadium was designed as a temporary stadium; it was designed to be added to and
changed. Upon questioning about the lack of concrete in the earthen berm structure, Dr. Williams,
president of the Stanford Board of Athletic Control stated in an interview in 1921, the stadium was a
temporary structure, but that the materials used in the stadium had, “lasted thousands of years and
would last thousands more.” He ended his interview by saying “we are perfectly safe in saying that we
have a stadium good for the next 10,000 years. Before the end of that period we hope to be in a
financial position to erect a permanent [concrete] structure.”
11

7
Nilan, “Rivalry and Entrepreneurship Mark 1921 Construction of Stanford Stadium,” pg. 5.
8
“Stanford Stadium Becomes Reality Six Months After Subject is First Broached”; Nilan, “Rivalry and
Entrepreneurship mark 1921 Construction of Stanford Stadium,” pg. 1, 3.
9
“Stanford Stadium Becomes Reality Six Months After Subject is First Broached.”
10
Ibid.
11
“Stadium to be Enduring, Says Stanford Head,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 8, 1921.
29

Figure 2.3: Visible running track around Stanford Stadium and 'q' shape seating, 1970s. Photo courtesy of Stanford Historic
Photograph Collection, Stanford University.

Historical Significance/Status:
Stanford Stadium, although built in 1921, and the only college stadium not listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, to host the Super Bowl, without being the home stadium of an NFL team, was
also eligible under Criterion A as the site of Herbert Hoover’s presidential nomination acceptance
speech and Super Bowl XIX (as referenced below). It is not on Palo Alto’s Historic Inventory due to it
being located outside the city boundaries, nor is it on the Santa Clara County Historic Heritage Resource
Inventory, nor rated by Stanford’s Historic Values Index.

Summary of Key Events:
The first game played in the stadium was the November 19, 1921 ‘Big Game’ against California
(U.C. Berkeley) in 1921. Hosting this game was the prize that Stanford won by completing their football
30

stadium ahead of U.C. Berkeley. Stanford lost the game forty-two to seven. U.C. Berkeley’s own
stadium, California Memorial Stadium would not be completed for two more years.
TYPE EVENT NOTES
NFL Football Super Bowl XIX - 1985 49ers defeated Dolphins 38-16
Only two non-NFL stadiums have
hosted the Super Bowl, the other
one being the Rose Bowl in
Pasadena.
12

Political Herbert Hoover’s 1928
Presidential Nomination
acceptance speech
(Figure 2.4)
Opera Multiple operas staged Multiple years.
Olympics 1960 Olympic Track Trials
Track 1962 Russian/American Track
Meet
Very controversial during the
era. Helped bridge the gap
between Russia and America.
13

Olympics 1984 Olympic Soccer
World Cup 1994 FIFA World Cup – Men’s
World Cup 1999 FIFA Word Cup – Women’s
College Football Stanford Cardinal Home Games From 1921 to 2005.
14

Table2.1: Summary of key events, Stanford Stadium. Table by Author.

12
“Super Bowl History,” accessed March 29, 2013, http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history.
13
Nilan, “Rivalry and Entrepreneurship Mark 1921 Construction of Stanford Stadium,” pg. 7.
14
Ibid. pg. 7; “Stanford Stadium History,” accessed March 26, 2013, http://www.gostanford.com/facilities/stan-
trads-stadium.html.

31

Figure 2.4:Herbert Hoover's 1928 presidential nomination acceptance speech. Photo from AmericaHurrah.com.

Summary of Key Alterations:
Additions to Sanford Stadium began soon after the stadium’s completion.
YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
1925  Open end of field partially
filled.
Stanford Revenue- additional
seating for 10,200
patrons.
1927  Esplanade enclosed,
creating concourse with
exterior gunite wall in
arcade pattern (Figure 2.5).
 14 rows of seats added
above concourse supported
by metal pilings.
 Radio broadcasting booth
added to existing press box.
Stanford Revenue/Modernization
– concourse designed to
house concessions and
restrooms previously
only available outside
stadium.

1960  Press box replaced with
larger press box and
current amenities.
Stanford Modernization
32

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
1973  Two ground level tunnels
added to west side of
stadium, reducing number
of seats by 800.
Stanford Safety – Easier access to
seating. Seating reduced
to 86,000.
1978  Artificial turf lawn added.
 New north and south
scoreboards added.
Stanford Modernization
1984 Super Bowl
Upgrades
Discussed Below:
 New locker rooms.
 Elevator to press box.
 Luxury Seating.
 Updated concessions and
restrooms.
Stanford/NFL cost of
$2.3 million.
Event, Revenue,
Modernization
1993 Master Plan
Scope to include:
 Expand three level press
box.
 Add second concourse with
concessions and restrooms.
 Improve accessibility for
disabled visitors.
Stanford Large modernization,
partially executed.
Designed by DeBartolo
Pan Matarai.
15

1994 World Cup
Soccer Upgrades
Discussed Below:
 flattening the 16 inch crown
of the field.
 Removal of track.
 New aluminum bleachers.
 Three level press box was
re-configured to provide VIP
seating and a trophy staging
area.
 Premium seating section
created under the press box.
World Cup/Stanford
cost of $5.4 million.
16

Event, Safety, Revenue
Table2.2: Summary of key alterations to Stanford Stadium. Table by Author.

15
Sarah Thalling, “Stanford Goal: Upgrade Stadium of World Cup,” San Francisco Business Times, April 9, 1993.
16
Nilan, “Rivalry and Entrepreneurship mark 1921 Construction of Stanford Stadium,” pg. 5; “Stanford Stadium
History”; “Stanford to Improve its Stadium,” Los Angeles Times, February 18, 1973.
33

Figure 2.5: Gunite colonnade around Stanford Stadium, 1927. Photo courtesy of the Stanford Historic Photograph Collection,
Stanford University.

Super Bowl Upgrades
In 1984, the NFL was interested in playing the Super Bowl game near San Francisco, but the
existing NFL stadiums in the area had lower seating capacity than was necessary. The 86,000 seats at
Stanford Stadium provided an appropriate number.
17
When the stadium was picked to be host of the
Super Bowl, upgrades were needed. The visiting team’s locker rooms were in a separate building and
the visiting team had to walk through crowds of opposing fans to reach the stadium. There were no
elevators to the press box, the stadium had outdated facilities, and there were no luxury
suites.
18
Stanford rose to the challenge. The press box received an elevator, premium seats were added,
and a new visitor’s locker room was added inside the stadium. The number of restrooms was increased,
and dressing room space was provided for officials at a cost of $2.3 million paid by private donations

17
Chris Dufresne, “It’s Hardly Superdome, but it’ll do: Stanford Stadium, 64, Has Had a Face-Lift for NFL’s Big
Game,” Los Angeles Times, January 15, 1985.
18
Ibid.
34

and fundraising by Stanford, including a $300,000 donation from one alumnus. The NFL also provided
$700,000 for the repairs.
19

World Cup Soccer Upgrades
Changes were made to the stadium for the men’s World Cup soccer tournament in 1994,
including flattening the sixteen inch crown of the field, removing track-and-field sports equipment, and
replacing the wooden bleachers with new aluminum bleachers. The three level press box was re-
configured to provide VIP seating and a trophy staging area on the lower levels, and a premium seating
section was created under the press box, where the fans were provided theatre style aluminum seating.
Even with these upgrades, fans and the media were concerned the stadium was not up to FIFA
standards. The upgrades cost an estimated $5.4 million dollars. The World Cup paid about four million
of this and Stanford paid an estimated $1.4 million.
20

Remaining Character-Defining Features:
CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES YEAR PHOTO
Earthen Berm Construction 1921 (Figure 2.6)
Berm Landscaping 1921 (Figure 2.6)
Table 2.3: Remaining character-defining features of Stanford Stadium per Stanford. Table by Author.

Earthen berms were very popular for stadium construction in the early 1920s, and remain
popular today. The landscaping master plan for Stanford was designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead,
making landscaping at the campus an important feature. The overall ‘q’ shape of the earthen berm was
not considered character-defining, although it is the only one in a large scale stadium in America.
21
The
wooden structure and arched exterior were not considered contributing features due to deterioration.
A mitigated negative declaration (meaning the new stadium was approved with revisions) was prepared
for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) based on this information.
22

19
“Stanford Stadium History”; Dufresne, “It’s Hardly Superdome, but it’ll do.”
20
Julie Cart, “Stanford Stadium has Become Simply Another Fixer-Upper Soccer FIFA wants to see Plenty of
Improvements Before World Cup Next Year,” Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1993.
21
The closest stadium design found was old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Used primarily for baseball, the
stadium had a horseshoe-type seating structure, with a built-in section along the majority of the open end.

22
CEQA is a state-wide mandatory policy in California for public and private projects, which requires state and local
agencies to give major consideration to environmental issues, and propose mitigation options for environmental
impacts, including preservation issues, and not approve projects where there is a feasible environmental
alternative to the project; Nilan, “Rivalry and Entrepreneurship mark 1921 Construction of Stanford Stadium,”
35

Figure 2.6: Earthen berm and landscape. Photo by Author.

Current Setting:
Stanford Stadium is located on the Stanford University campus in Santa Clara County, not in the
city of Palo Alto. The stadium is within easy access to the 101 Freeway and public transportation, on
the north eastern side of campus, and there is still plenty of parking areas surrounding the stadium. The
stadium is separated from nearby residential neighborhoods by a large shopping center and high school
(Figure 2.7). The main complaints by neighbors consist of noise and traffic along Embarcadero Road, the
main road into campus.
23

pg.5; Marina Rush (Project Planner for Santa Clara County, Stanford Stadium Renovation), e-mail message with
author, July 9, 2013.
23
Steve Staiger (Palo Alto City Historian), e-mail message with author, June 10, 2013.
36

N
Figure 2.7: Location of Stanford Stadium in regards to Stanford campus. Map by Parsons; notations by Author. Permission
pending.

Latest Major Renovation:
Scope of Construction
In 2005, articles started appearing in newspapers about Stanford’s planned massive renovation
of their football stadium, which was greatly needed. The upgrade would include removal and new
construction of all seating, restrooms, concessions, (both along the concourse and outside) and press
box. It would also include lowering the field fourteen feet, removing the running track and redesigning
the bowl to enclose the open end and form a complete shape. The expansiveness of these changes
made the county planner assigned to the project, Camela Campbell ask, “Is it a renovation or a
demolition?”
24
When interviewed about the new stadium, Stanford senior associate athletic director
Ray Purpur said “we almost had to start from scratch.”
25
(Figure 2.8) After visiting the new stadium,
Jonathan Okanes of the Tribune Business News wrote, “The stadium looks like it was built from scratch
rather than being the product of a renovation” and “[the renovation] has made the stadium virtually
unrecognizable except for the word ‘Stanford’ painted in big white letters at each end zone.”
26
The

24
“Stanford Maps Radical Remake of its Football Stadium,” Tribune Business News, May 27, 2005.
25
Jonathan Okanes, “Stanford All Set to Unveil its Renovated Stadium,” Tribune Business News, September 14,
2006.
26
Ibid.
Stanford Stadium
Stanford Campus
Residential
Shopping Center
and Palo Alto High
School
37

renovation cost 475 times the cost of the original stadium, and took forty-two weeks of almost around-
the-clock construction for completion by Stanford’s first 2006 season home game.
27

Figure 2.8: Renovation of Stanford Stadium. Photo courtesy of newsource.stanford.edu.
The new stadium is a different shape than the old stadium, not ‘q’ shaped, or even an oval, but a
rectangle with angled corners. This shape was driven by the programmatic need, similar to current NFL
stadiums built during the first decade of the 21
st
century, to get spectators as close to the sidelines as
possible (Figure 2.9).
28
It is a dual-deck concrete structure on piles with the lower tier of seats on
earthen berm and a concrete balcony level that extends over the lower level. There are two concourses;
one lower and one upper, with seven tunnels that enter the stadium providing ingress, egress, and
disabled accessibility. There are only 50,000 seats, with seat backs, and ample knee room, as compared
to the old stadium which had 85,500 seats, and tight rows. There are 200 concession stands; four times
as many as before and twice as many toilets. The plantings on the sides of the stadium have been
replaced and two new video scoreboards have been added. The press box has been re-named the
Skybox and changed to a four level building that includes seven luxury suites, 400 director’s level seats,
and 16,510 square feet of meeting space. The running track has been removed and the field is natural
grass as opposed to artificial turf.
29

27
“Stanford Stadium Website,” accessed March 23, 2013, http://www.gostanford.com/facilities/stan-stadium.html
28
Other examples include Dallas Cowboys Stadium (2009), Lucas Oil Stadium (2008) Ford Field (2002), Gillette
Stadium (2002), Reliant Stadium (2002), Heinz Field (2001).
29
Ray Delgado, “Trustees Approve Plan to Renovate, Modernize Stanford Stadium,” Stanford Report, June 8, 2005;
Okanes, “Stanford All Set to Unveil its Renovated Stadium”; “Stanford Stadium Website”.
38

Figure 2.9: Renovated Stanford Stadium grand opening, September 16, 2006. Photo courtesy of newsource.stanford.edu.

Reasons for Renovation
One of the issues the Athletics Department was facing before the new stadium was built was
low fan turnout. There were too many seats for too few fans. In 2005, Stanford averaged 43,590 fans
per game, in a stadium that could hold 85,500. The new stadium holds 50,000 which creates a more
intimate atmosphere. With less seating, Stanford is able to charge more per seat, increasing their
revenue.
30

One of the main reasons was explained by the Santa Clara Project Planner, Marina Rush, who
described the existing stadium as “dilapidated and unsafe.”
31
Another issue with the old stadium was
the distance of the concourse from the football field. The previous concourse was located 115 feet
away from the field, while the new lower concourse is located forty-five feet from the field, which allows
fans to access the concourses and get back to the game quickly. This also means fast restroom trips and
more concession sales.
A 2002 feasibility study had pointed out many issues with the structure of the stadium itself,
concluding that much of the infrastructure had reached the end of its service life. The study went on to
say that restroom and concession facilities were outdated and that existing sightlines made the first
fourteen rows of the stadium unusable. The report also commented that the extensive stairs and
narrow corridors throughout the stadium made circulation difficult for visitors and disabled accessibility

30
Okanes, “Stanford All Set to Unveil its Renovated Stadium.”
31
Rush, e-mail message with author, July 9, 2013.
39

nearly impossible.
32
Inaccessible paths of travel for the disabled are a problem most stadiums built
before 1990 face.
33
Feasibility studies are often worst-case scenario documents with cost attached for
each worst case scenario. While many of these could have been solved by a major rehabilitation,
Stanford decided it was more feasible financially to rebuild the stadium.
The stadium was demolished and replaced with a new and different shaped stadium as opposed
to rehabilitated based on cost. Stanford wanted a cheap, modern stadium completed within a short
period of time. A brand new stadium fit the bill. The cost of fixing the old stadium, from the point of
view of the 2002 Feasibility Study, was enormous.
The program of the building no longer worked for the current needs of Stanford, which had
much lower seating demand than what the existing stadium provided. The new stadium, with 20,000
less seats, while increasing revenue, also meant less traffic and noise on game days for the surrounding
community. Because of this, public opinion was favorable.

Funding
The new stadium cost 100 million dollars to construct and was approved by the Stanford Board
of Trustees. The project is noted as being privately funded, in large part by billionaire Stanford donor
John Arrillaga. Additional funding to offset the costs of the Athletics Department came from sales of
‘the Champion’s Club’ premium seating.
34

Lessons Learned:
While the stadium became financially viable and up to date, any historical value was lost in the
process. According to an article in the Stanford Report, preservation was considered during the
renovation: “The proposed plan would address all of those issues while trying to maintain the
architectural character of the stadium by retaining the earthen berm and the current extensive
landscaping.”
35
Why Stanford University and Santa Clara County decided that the berm and landscaping
were the main character-defining features makes the author think their team didn’t do much research.
The reason the landscaping was character-defining was because Fredrick Law Olmstead designed the
landscape master plan for Stanford University in 1888. He did not design the berm or landscaping for

32
Ray Delgado, “Trustees Approve Plan to Renovate, Modernize Stanford Stadium,” Stanford Report, June 8, 2005.
33
The Americans with Disabilities Act legislation is passed. “History of Accessibility laws,” accessed March, 29,
2013, http://www.access-board.gov/about/history.htm.
34
Dan Stober, “With Stadium, Billionaire’s Stanford Legacy Grows,” Tribune Business News, June 16, 2005; Darren
Sabedra, “Stanford has a Plan if Stadium is not Ready,” Tribune Business News, January 31, 2006.
35
Delgado, “Trustees Approve Plan to Renovate, Modernize Stanford Stadium.”
40

the Stadium as he died eighteen years before the stadium was planned. This would nullify landscaping
as a character-defining feature. Other features that could be considered character-defining features are
lacking, such as the ‘q’ shape of the berm, and wooden structure. National Register worthy criteria was
ignored as well, such as being one of two non NFL stadiums to host a Super Bowl, and the location for
Herbert Hoover’s presidential nomination acceptance speech. If the stadium had been granted National
Register status, the changes would have been less intrusive, so as to keep the National Register status,
and gone by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation if they were to receive any
federal funding or grants. Although this may not have saved the stadium, the destruction and re-
building of the stadium would not have happened. Even the two character-defining features Stanford
decided on were altered. With the berm, its size, and slope were adjusted, and the original landscaping
was destroyed and replaced with similar plantings.
36

Stanford Stadium, with its ‘q’ shaped field would have made for an interesting rehabilitation.
Finding ways for the design team to use the ‘q’ shape to their advantage may have been a challenge.
They could have added a second level of seating above the curve of the q, making a sort of two-story
elliptical shape, which could have been a reversible addition. As fans want to sit along the fifty yard line,
not at the end of a field, Stanford could have added seating nearer the field on each side and left the
ends virtually untouched. Unfortunately, with the choice to demolish, we will never know what they
could have come up with.

36
Hickey, “Stanford Stadium Becomes Reality Six Months after Subject is First Broached”; Okanes, “Stanford All Set
to Unveil its Renovated Stadium.”
41

Chapter 3: Case Study of California Memorial Stadium

Original Construction:
Purpose of Construction
Similar to the beginnings of Stanford Stadium, California Memorial Stadium began as part of the
rivalry between the University of California, (now called U.C. Berkeley) and Stanford. Stanford finished
their stadium in 1921, and was able to host the big game first. Two years later, California Memorial
Stadium, dedicated to those who died in World War I, was completed, and hosted the Big Game in 1923,
which Berkeley won.
California Memorial Stadium was built to replace the aging California Field (with 2,000 seats)
which was no longer able to hold the crowds that came to watch University of California coach Andy
Smith and the California Golden Bears (Cal Bears) beat every team they played. California Memorial
Stadium is sometimes referred to as ‘the house that Andy built’ after Coach Andy, who completed a fifty
game winning streak between 1920 and 1925, during which the stadium was funded and built. The
stadium’s large seating capacity of up to 85,000 seats was most likely directly associated with the
massive turnouts to the Cal Bears games during that era. Coach Andy’s skills were exhibited in other
stadiums profiled in this thesis (Figure 3.1). The Cal Bears played the inaugural ‘Big Game’ at Stanford
Stadium in 1921, defeating Stanford forty-two to seven and at the first football game played in the new
Rose Bowl stadium on October 28, 1922, they beat USC (prior to the first official Rose Bowl game in the
new stadium).
1

1
Dan Peterson, “Golden Oldie,” ESPN The Life, November 12, 2009,
http://espn.go.com/espn/thelife/news/story?id=4647075; Michelle Turner, The Rose Bowl (Charleston S.C:
Arcadia, 2010) pg. 15.
42

Figure 3.1: Cal Bears coached by Andy Smith, 1924, in California Memorial Stadium. Photo courtesy of Stanford Image
Gallery, Image 502.
Funding
The stadium was funded entirely by 10,000 seat subscriptions sold by California, each costing
one hundred dollars. The one million dollar funding drive sold out in ten days thanks to Coach Andy. No
additional funding was necessary for the original construction of California Memorial Stadium.
2

Ownership (Public/Private Partnership)
University of California is a publically funded university, which also receives contributions,
creating multiple funding resources. The stadium was approved and placed on the controversial site by
the U.C. Regents board, while funding was managed by the Dean and volunteer committees.
3

Design Team
The original stadium design was by Palmer and McBryde (contractors for Stanford stadium) in
the southwest corner of the campus. Those plans were eventually scrapped and the final stadium
design was by University of California professor, campus master-planner, and campus architect, John
Galen Howard, who designed many significant buildings around campus. The structural engineer for the
stadium was Thomas F. Chace, general contractor was Clinton Construction Company, and the landscape

2
“UC Regents Plan Bowl Type Stadium,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 1, 1922; “Stadium Planned for
California,” The Christian Science Monitor, October 18, 1921.
3
“UC Regents Plan Bowl Type Stadium.”
43

architect was MacRorie & McLaren, who also designed the landscape for Stanford Stadium. The design
was based on the Colosseum in Rome.
4

Location
The location of the stadium was the product of some debate and protest. The residents who
lived above Strawberry Canyon were wary of the additional traffic a giant stadium would create. Plans
were thereby drawn up for the location in the south west corner of the campus, but the board decided
that Strawberry Canyon was the better choice. The site picked was in a creek ravine at the foot of the
Canyon (Figure 3.2).
5

Figure 3.2: Stadium in 1924. Photo courtesy of U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Library, URAC PIC 10D:56; Annotations by Author.
The site slopes steeply toward the west and was described as ‘the world’s most difficult stadium
site’ by architect Walter Steilberg.
6
The ravine location allowed U.C. Berkeley to build into the hillside
on the upper (east) side of the stadium, saving cost. Three-fourths of the stadium, the crescent section,
was built on grade using reinforced concrete, while the eastern end of the stadium was built into the

4
“Great Stadium Dedicated to California War Dead,” Los Angeles Times, November 24, 1923; National Register
Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, 2006)
pg. 39, 27; “Stadium Planned for California”; Peterson, “Golden Oldie.”
5
“Residents and Faculty Decry Stadium Site,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 11, 1922; “California Stadium to
be Built at Southwest Corner of Campus,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 17, 1921; “Steven Finacom, “Q&A
About the Oak Woodland West of California Memorial Stadium,” U.C. Berkeley News, October 25, 2006.
6
Walter T Steinberg, “UC Stadium Proposed Repairs and Changes, 1948: Preliminary Report to A.S.U.C,” (Berkeley,
CA. March 12, 1948).
Panoramic Hill
Strawberry
Canyon -
Residential
U.C. Berkeley
City of Berkeley
California
Memorial
Stadium
N

44

side of the hill using cut and fill (similar to earthen berm, but no berm is created). The water from
Strawberry Canyon creek runs under the stadium in a box culvert hidden from view.
7

The placement of the stadium, in the valley of a hilly wooded area, allowed for unobstructed
views to San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, while on the other side, the stadium is
surrounded by wooded hills. An esplanade surrounds the top of the stadium, allowing fans to take in
this view. The esplanade begins at street level, on the east side of the stadium, and continues along the
top row of seats surrounding the entire stadium (Figure 3.3).
8

Figure 3.3: Esplanade along the top of the stadium, back of memorial arch at center left. Photo by Author.
Hayward Fault
The Hayward Fault, a major fault in the bay area, runs directly through the middle of the
stadium, almost from goalpost to goalpost (Figure 3.4). This fault was known when the stadium was
built in 1923. Precautions were put in place at that time by mandating that the entire stadium be

7
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 7.
8
“UC Regents Plan Bowl Type Stadium”; National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 19.
45

emptied in nineteen minutes in case of an emergency. More reinforcing was used in the concrete
during construction as well, to create a stronger stadium.
9

Figure 3.4: Image showing Hayward fault bisecting Memorial Stadium. Photo courtesy of US Geological Survey, Department
of the Interior/USGS.
Construction
The stadium was designed to be a complete oval with a monumental entry and 75,000 seats
with an additional 10,000 temporary seats for larger events, with a view of the surrounding landscape.
10

California Memorial Stadium is designed in the Classical Revival style. The façade of the stadium is
highly decorative as compared to most stadiums of the time. The curved façade, made entirely of
reinforced concrete cast in wooden formwork and covered in stucco, is a peristyle of twenty six
rusticated arches with rectangular openings below and cornice and parapet above. A memorial arch,
centered in this peristyle, acts as the main entryway onto the field, with the words ‘California Memorial
Stadium’ carved into a large parapet on top, and a dedication to the war dead from World War I
inscribed into the base of the wall (Figure 3.5, Figure 3.6). While the east side of the stadium was of cut
and fill, the rest of the stadium is supported by large board formed reinforced columns, beams, and
girders. These divide the stadium into twenty-four inner, middle, and outer bays.
11
The concourse is
located on the interior, between the lower level of square entryways and the arched colonnade above
and separates the upper and lower tiers of seats. Around the top of the parapet are fifteen sets of

9
“UC Regents Plan Bowl Type Stadium.”
10
Ibid.
11
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 6, 12, 16.
46

flagpoles placed above arched openings. There are twenty-eight entries from the concourse into the
bowl (Figure 3.7).
12

Figure 3.5: Monumental arch. Photo by Author.

12
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 6, 10, 11, 16, 35.
47

Figure 3.6: California Memorial stadium, dedicated as a war memorial. Photo by Author.
The field is located below the concourse level, with height from field to parapet being 150 feet.
Unlike the other stadiums profiled in this thesis, California Memorial Stadium was designed without a
running track, allowing the fans to get closer to the action of football games.
13

13
“UC Regents Plan Bowl Type Stadium”; National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 7,
15, 18, 33.
48

Figure 3.7: View of stadium interior showing entries and seating levels. Photo by Author.
Metrics
California Memorial Stadium broke ground in December of 1922, and was completed in June
1923. The overall dimensions of the stadium are 760 feet by 570 feet. The field dimensions are 460 feet
by 268 feet and the farthest seat from the field is 265 feet, as compared to 415 feet at old Stanford
Stadium. The stadium cost one million dollars and was completed with plenty of time before the annual
‘Big Game,’ where they beat Stanford nine to zero in the brand new stadium (Figure 3.1).
14

14
Joseph R. Hickey, “Stanford Stadium Becomes Reality Six Months After Subject is First Broached,” San Francisco
Chronicle, November 6, 1921; Roxanne Nilan, “Rivalry and Entrepreneurship mark 1921 Construction of Stanford
Stadium,” Stanford Historical Society Newsletter, Autumn 1984, pg. 2; “UC Regents Plan Bowl Type Stadium”;
“California Memorial Stadium,” accessed 4/5/13, http://gamedayinberkeley.com/california-memorial-stadium.
49

Historical Significance/Status:
California Memorial Stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November
27, 2006.
15
Berkeley, as a city, has a strong architectural and landscape preservation constituency. The
local architectural preservation organization, Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association’s (BAHA)
website lists 314 city designated landmarks in Berkeley. BAHA also hosts tours, promotes involvement
in preservation issues, laws and endangered structures, presents preservation awards, and has a
bookstore. Nearby National Register sites, both on campus and off campus, include Piedmont Avenue,
the street running next to the stadium, designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead in 1885. And across the
street, Bowles Hall and the Hearst Greek Theatre, designed by John Galen Howard and Julia Morgan are
listed on the National Register and City designated landmarks. Properties nearby that are not on the
National Register, but are State and City designated landmarks include the International House (1930)
next door to the stadium, five homes located along Piedmont directly in front of the stadium, and the
Panoramic Hill Historic District overlooking the stadium. The stadium is surrounded on all sides by
buildings and infrastructure whose importance has given the area a high level of preservation.
16

Summary of Key Events:
TYPE EVENT NOTES
Speech John F. Kennedy- 1962
NFL Football Oakland Raiders Game – 1973 Raiders VS. Dolphins
Due to the traffic generated by
this game, the City of Berkeley
created a Professional Sports
Events License Tax of ten
percent of game receipts,
thereby making the area
unattractive to professional
sporting events.
17

College Football Home of Cal Bears from 1923 to
current.

Table 3.1: Summary of key events at California Memorial Stadium. Table by Author.

Berkeley Activism

15
Peterson, “Golden Oldie.”; “Memorial Stadium now on National Register,” BAHA Website, November 29, 2006,
http://baha-news.blogspot.com/2006/11/memorial-stadium-now-on-national.html.
16
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 25.
17
“Picket Line Marches at Scene of Speech,” Los Angeles Times, March 24, 1962.
50

The stadium has also served as the site of various acts of civil disobedience.
REASON EVENT NOTES
Anger over a Loss. 1946 Big Game Berkeley fans tore up the
wooden bleachers, causing the
athletics department to install
‘rip-away proof’ seating.
18

Political Activism. John F. Kennedy Speech - 1962 When Kennedy arrived to give
his speech, he was greeted by a
group of protestors protesting
Federal Administration actions
(nuclear testing, Cuba, Vietnam,
House on Un-American
activities).
19

Destruction of Oak Trees. Construction of Simpson Center
for Student-Athlete High
Performance (SAHPC), 2007-
2009 (Figure 3.8)
Besides the lawsuits and protests
by teachers and students alike, a
group of tree-sitters lived in a
grove of trees to the north of
Memorial stadium, which were
slated for destruction, for almost
two years.
20

Table 3.2: Berkeley activism at California Memorial Stadium. Table by Author.

18
Art Rosenbaum, “Ripaway Proof Seats, Football Conversation Occupies San Francisco Sporting Fanatics,” Los
Angeles Times, September 7, 1949.
19
Robert Hartmann, “Communist Tide Wanes, Kennedy tells 88,000 in Berkeley Stadium,” Los Angeles Times,
March 24, 1962.
20
Kristen Bender, “Ruling in Cal Lawsuits could take 90 days: In a surprise argument on opening day of trial,
attorney says 1972 seismic law doesn’t apply to UC,” Tribune Business News, September 21, 2007.

51

Figure 3.8: Protestors protesting phase one of California Memorial Stadium rehabilitation. Photo courtesy of U.C. Berkeley
Digital Images.

Summary of Key Alterations:
Over the years, California Memorial Stadium has had few major changes and the seating has
stayed the same. In the 1980s, tarps covered sections of seats to reduce capacity and later, sections
were blocked off due to seismic safety concerns of cracked and sinking infrastructure. The majority of
upgrades had to do with the press box and technology, such as lighting and scoreboards.
YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
1940s  Original press box (open
platform with seating and
counters for press to write
on) expanded with canvas
awnings and a camera loft.
 After World War II, areas
along the main concourse
were enclosed to create
offices, restrooms,
U.C. Berkeley Modernization
52

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
concessions, group meeting
rooms, lounges, visiting
team locker rooms, and
storage rooms.
1954  Home team lockers
expanded.
 New scoreboards and
advertising displays added.
 Field replaced with artificial
turf.
21

U.C. Berkeley Modernization
1968  Existing press box
demolished and replaced
by a two story, steel
framed structure with
occupiable roof for video
cameras.
 Elevator to the new press
box was added which rose
above the field in a ‘visually
domineering’ way.
22

U.C. Berkeley Modernization
1980s  The 1968 press box became
unsteady and was
demolished.
 A smaller, temporary press
box was built in its place,
with a large fence behind it
imitating the size of the
previous building as a way
to ‘save the space’ for a
future press box.
23

 Interior concourse areas
remodeled.
U.C. Berkeley Modernization - The
temporary press box
was replaced by a new
two story one during
the massive seismic
retrofit and
rehabilitation of the
stadium completed in
2012.

Table 3.3: Summary of key alterations to California Memorial Stadium. Table by Author.

21
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 14, 29.
22
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 18.
23
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 12.
53

Remaining Character-Defining Features:
The character-defining features for California Memorial Stadium are visible in the façade.
CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURE YEAR PHOTO
Decorative façade with memorial
arch and rusticated design.
1923 (Figure 3.9)
Flag poles around top of
stadium.
1923 (Figure 3.9)
Great views. 1923 (Figure 3.11)
Original Landscaping. 1323 (Figure 3.11)
Table 3.4: Remaining character-defining features of California Memorial Stadium. Table by Author.

Figure 3.9: Facade with flagpoles. Photo by Author.

Current Setting:
The site is now surrounded by U.C. Berkeley, and in the hills above, by the Panoramic Hill
residential Historic District. Directly behind the stadium, along the path of Strawberry Canyon are
athletic fields and running paths. Views to the ocean are still magnificent, and the city has grown to fill
in the distance between the two (Figure 3.10).
54

Figure 3.10: View from the hill looking down onto California Memorial Stadium. Photo by Author.
Landscaping
The landscaping of the site has always been important, and was included in the National
Register Nomination Form. Much of the original landscaping has been replaced by parking, especially on
the eastern and southern sides. On the western side of the stadium, the upper mezzanine landscaping
was removed during the recent rehabilitation, and has been replaced by brick paving. Some areas still
exist from the original MacRorie & McLaren landscape plan especially along the northern side of the
stadium on a hill between Stadium Rim Way and the stadium, with many original conifers remaining.
The lower mezzanine, between Piedmont Street and the upper mezzanine, contain original plantings,
stone retaining walls, and concrete stairs. A small knoll at the south west corner of the upper mezzanine
remains with its original conifers. Many trees at the site either pre-date the construction of the stadium
or are from the original landscape plan in 1923. The existing conifers are healthy and contribute to the
overall design of the stadium (Figure 3.11).
24

24
National Register Nomination Form, California Memorial Stadium, pg. 23, 24; California Memorial Stadium,
Historic Landscape Report (San Francisco, Page & Turnbull, 2006) pg. III-1, III-10-14, V1-V5.
Lawrence Berkeley
Laboratory
California Memorial
Stadium (Press Box
Visible)
City of Berkeley
San Francisco Bay
Strawberry Canyon-
Recreation
Panoramic Hill
Historic District -
Residential
Golden Gate Bridge
N

55

Figure 3.11: North facade of the stadium with SAHPC in foreground, with original landscaping. Photo by Author.

Latest Major Rehabilitation:
Reasons for Rehabilitation
Over time, issues associated with the stadium’s location on the Hayward fault have caused
structural concern. Shear fractures in the concrete, associated with the active creep of the fault, have
caused fractures, differential motion cracks in supporting columns, and directional separation in
bleachers. A report published in 2004 found that an area ten meters wide between seating sections XX-
A on the north side, and L-LL on the south side had extensive damage due to the movement of the
Hayward Fault (Figure 3.12).
25
These sections were subsequently closed off to fans during games.

25
D.L.Wells, N.T. Hall, F.H. Swan, D. Doolin, P. Williams. “Geological and structural constraints on active faulting
and fault displacement at California Memorial Stadium,” Seismological Research Letters 73.2 (University of
California, Berkeley, April 2002); Doolin, David M and D.L. Wells. “Constraining the Location of the Hayward Fault
at California Memorial Stadium Using Structural Fracture Patterns.” 11th International Conference on Soil
Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering and the 3
rd
International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical
Engineering Proceedings, Volume 11. (Berkeley, CA. 2004).
Hill of original conifers Knoll with three
original conifers
56

Figure 3.12: Image showing Hayward Fault bisecting Memorial Stadium. Diagram by Forell/ Elsesser, 2010; annotations by
Author.
An earlier, 1998 seismic study gave California Memorial Stadium a UC Seismic Safety Grade of
‘Poor’.
26
This means that in the case of an earthquake, the stadium could be a serious life hazard with
twenty to fifty percent seismic damage or destruction of the property.
27

Because the stadium was listed on the National Register, and considering the preservation
minded citizens, demolishing California Memorial Stadium and building a new stadium in its place was
not an option. A major seismic retrofit and rehabilitation was chosen. The plan for the rehabilitation
was portioned into three phases. The cost of the entire project was $321 million, with construction of
phase two, the California Memorial Stadium retrofit, to be completed in twenty one months, in time for
the 2012 Big Game.
28

Scope of Construction – Phase 1
Phase one consisted of building the Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance
(SAHPC), home to many of U.C. Berkeley’s track and field offices, originally located within the stadium’s
shell. The sports center is located to the north of the Memorial Arch of California Memorial Stadium. It

26
“Findings and Implications, 1997,” U.C. Berkeley Website, accessed April 12, 2013.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/extras/1997/SAFER/Pages/findings.html#Costs;
27
Earthquake Performance Levels for Existing Buildings, (California State University, University of California, the
California Department of General Services and the Administrative Office of the Courts, 1995-2009).
28
Julian Smith, “Ready to Rumble,” Wired, V.19.1, January 2010; Tracy Taylor, “Cal Memorial Stadium Revealed
after 21 Month Renovation,” Berkeleyside, August 27, 2012.
XX-A seating
L-LL seating
57

is a three story, 142,000 square foot, underground facility with soccer field and large plaza on top, level
with the stadium. The SAHPC contains offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, four aquatic therapy pools,
training areas, a full medical clinic and areas for sports medicine as well as the athletic center.
29

Students and residents alike were upset about phase one of the project, which destroyed a field
of oak trees dating from before the school, next to the stadium. The university was taken to court by
three groups to stop the project; the City of Berkeley, The California Oak Foundation, and the Panoramic
Hill Association. All three groups argued that due to the close proximity of the Hayward Fault, U.C.
Berkeley was violating the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Zoning Act, and the California Environmental
Quality Act by adding the new Simpson Center.
30
Panoramic Hill Association was also upset about the
added noise and traffic that the sport center would encourage and the Oak Foundation was upset about
the destruction of a grove of first growth oak trees.
31
Eventually, U.C. Berkeley won out, and the project
went forward, but these injunctions delayed the project from beginning for more than two years. Phase
one of the project was completed in 2010.

Scope of Construction – Phase 2
Phase two of the California Memorial Stadium seismic retrofit and rehabilitation began in June,
2010, with little fanfare compared to phase one.
32
Phase two sought to accomplish multiple tasks:
 Create a seismically stable ‘very good’ rated stadium through a major retrofit.
 Reduce seismic creep throughout the stadium.
33

 Update stadium infrastructure, bathrooms, concession, widen the concourses and add
television and audio along concourses.
 Provide wheelchair seating with better accessibility and access around the stadium.
 Lower the field four feet to improve the view from seating and for television.
 Create a new seismically separate press box with club seating and entertainment space.

29
Connor Byrne, “Training Day: Cal unveils the Simpson Student-Athlete High Performance Center,” The Daily
Californian, April 22, 2013.
30
A 1972 state seismic law which bans new construction on earthquake faults and limits additions and alterations
to existing structures to less than 50% the value of the structure.
31
Bender, “Ruling in Cal Lawsuits could take 90 days.”
32
Nur Kasdi and Larry Totten, “Seismic Retrofit of California Memorial Stadium,” Shotcrete Magazine, Vol. 14.4, Fall
2012.
33
Continuous movement of plates on either side of a fault.
58

 Modernize public address system, lighting system, and install state-of-the-art
scoreboards within the existing scoreboard structures at the north and south ends of
the field.
 Restore historic façade to match original 1923 appearance. Repair damaged concrete
and flagpoles at the rim of the stadium.
 Finish in time for the ‘Big Game.’
34

U.C. Berkeley Capital Programs decided the best way to do this while retaining Historic Register
eligibility and character-defining features of the stadium, was to stabilize the exterior of the stadium,
where the character-defining features are located, with temporary bracing and demolish the entire
interior of the stadium, leaving one and a half feet of the exterior walls remaining (Figure 3.13). A large
portion of seating along the east side of the field, the portion built by cut and fill technology also
remained. The interior would be totally rebuilt according to current International Building
Code/California Building Code with seismic issues corrected. The new stadium interior would be of steel
reinforcing with Shotcrete for added strength. The architect for the project was HNTB and Studios
Architects, with Forell/Elsesser Engineers as structural engineer, Knapp Architects as Historic Architect,
and Webcor Builders as general contractor.
35

34
Taylor, “Cal Memorial Stadium Revealed after 21 Month Renovation,”; “California Golden Bears Website,
Memorial Stadium”, Accessed July 10, 2013, http://.calbears.com/facilities/memorial-stadium.html.
35
Frederic Knapp, “WCAPT Annual Meeting” (Lecture, U.C. Berkeley, CA, February 26, 2013); Chris Petteys,
“WCAPT Annual Meeting” (Lecture, U.C. Berkeley, CA, February 26, 2013); “Roselind Electric Begins Construction
on California Memorial Stadium Seismic Retrofit Project,” PR Newswire, March 3, 2011; Totten, “Seismic Retrofit of
California Memorial Stadium.”
59

Figure 3.13: Interior bracing of memorial arch in 2010. Image courtesy of Forell/Elsesser.
The seismic retrofit consisted of dividing the stadium into seven sections separated by one foot
wide expansion joints which allow the stadium to move up to six feet horizontally and two feet vertically
based on the extremes of the Hayward fault during a 7.5 magnitude earthquake without damage to the
stadium.
36

The two sections of seating under which the fault crosses received special attention. The
sections, originally under the reinforced concrete section of the stadium, were set on a sub-foundation
of pylons, above which is a layer of sand with a layer of plastic membrane in the middle (to reduce
friction), above that is a concrete mat slab foundation with the concrete bowl above and additional
shear walls. The field edge of each section contains a crushable foam insert to relieve stress in the
vertical direction during an earthquake (Figure 3.14). The seating above, while appearing continuous, is
not connected, and small separations can be seen between seats (Figure 3.15).
37

36
Chris Petteys, “WCAPT Annual Meeting”; Catherine Cardno, “Retrofit of Stadium Straddling Active Fault Moves
Forward,” Civil Engineering, V.80.2, February 2010; Totten, “Seismic Retrofit of California Memorial Stadium.”
37
Chris Petteys, “WCAPT Annual Meeting”; “Roselind Electric Begins Construction on California Memorial Stadium
Seismic Retrofit Project”; “California Memorial Stadium,” Forell/Elsesser Website, accessed April 16,
2013,http://www.forell.com/projects/academic-university/uc-berkeley-california-memorial-stadium-seismic-
upgrade.
60

The current capacity of the stadium is 63,000 aluminum bleacher seats with portions of the
seating near the field on the west side having backs and more leg room. About 3,000 premium seats are
available in the press box.
38

Figure 3.14: Rupture plate diagram. Image courtesy of Forell/Elsesser, 2013.

38
Taylor, “Cal Memorial Stadium Revealed after 21 Month Renovation”; “California Golden Bears Website,
Memorial Stadium.”

Stadium Bowl

Figure 1.2: Cal
(U.C. Berkeley)
after winning the
1920 Rose Bowl.
Photo from The
Rose Bowl
(Arcadia
Publishing).

Foundation Slab

Figure 1.2: Cal (U.C.
Berkeley) after
winning the 1920
Rose Bowl. Photo
from The Rose Bowl
(Arcadia Publishing).

Sand

Figure
1.2: Cal
(U.C.
Berkele
y) after
winning
the
1920
Rose
Bowl.
Photo
from
The
Rose
Bowl
(Arcadi
a
Publishi
ng).

Plastic Sheets

Figure 1.2: Cal
(U.C. Berkeley)
after winning the
1920 Rose Bowl.
Photo from The
Rose Bowl
(Arcadia
Publishing).

Stone Columns

Figure 1.2: Cal
(U.C. Berkeley)
after winning the
1920 Rose Bowl.
Photo from The
Rose Bowl
(Arcadia
Publishing).

Ground Level

Figure 1.2: Cal
(U.C. Berkeley)
after winning the
1920 Rose Bowl.
Photo from The
Rose Bowl
(Arcadia
Publishing).
Crushable Foam

Figure 1.2: Cal (U.C.
Berkeley) after
winning the 1920 Rose
Bowl. Photo from The
Rose Bowl (Arcadia
Publishing).
61

Figure 3.15: Seismic joints are visible between each seating section. Photo courtesy of Trudi Sandmeier.
The new press box, designed as a steel space frame, floats 100 feet above the field. There is a
one hundred foot span between two sets of reinforced concrete pylons, which support the structure,
contain circulation, and supporting infrastructure. The two-story, 375 foot long press box is seismically
separated from the stands below by tuned mass dampers, which move the press box independently of
ground motion during a seismic event. The box features three tiers of club seating; University, Stadium,
and Field, with padded seating both inside and out, and a large reception area on the upper floor (Figure
3.5). On the west side, away from the field, is a twenty five foot wide cantilevered balcony, the length
of the curved press box, which allows for fantastic views of Berkeley, San Francisco Bay, and the Golden
62

Gate Bridge. The lower floor of the press box holds facilities for television, radio, and written media
(Figure 3.16).
39

Figure 3.16: The press box. Photo courtesy of Trudi Sandmeier.
The historic exterior of California Memorial Stadium also got a face lift. Missing pieces were
replaced, cracks were repaired, and boarded up windows and doors were opened up once again.
Missing flag poles and bases were re-cast (along with other missing ornaments) and re-installed on the
façade around the stadium. The exterior concrete walls had suffered over the years due to biological
growth, spalling due to rust, rebar corrosion, and issues with the original brush coat and subsequent
painting with an asbestos based paint. The biological growth around the structure was removed, the
rebar issues in the concrete either fixed or coated with epoxy, and a new layer of potassium silicate

39
Taylor, “Cal Memorial Stadium Revealed after 21 Month Renovation”; Chris Petteys, “WCAPT Annual Meeting”;
“California Memorial Stadium.”Forell/Elsesser website.
63

mineral stain was applied to all exterior walls of the stadium, protecting it with its original concrete
texture, albeit irreversibly, against further biological growth and water absorption.
40

On October 6, 2012, at the dedication of the rehabilitated California Memorial Stadium, the
stadium was re-dedicated not just as a memorial to those who died in World War I, but in memory of all
Californians who have lost their lives in war (Figure 3.17).
41

Figure 3.17: California Memorial Stadium dedication as a war memorial to all wars. Photo courtesy of Trudi Sandmeier.

40
Knapp, “WCAPT Annual Meeting”; Frederic Knapp (Knapp Architects), e-mail message with author, April 16, 2013.
41
“Special Events Lined up for Renovated Memorial Stadium,” California Golden Bears Website, August 17, 2012,
accessed April 8, 2013. http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081712aah.html.
64

Instigators of Change
Because U.C. Berkeley is a University of California school, a ‘poor’ U.C. Seismic Rating is very
bad, and allowing students to occupy the stadium in an earthquake could be disastrous. Therefore the
seismic deficiencies were required to be corrected.
42
As a public university, liability issues needed to be
mitigated as soon as possible. A safe atmosphere for students is very important, both from a moral and
legal standpoint.

Funding
Funding for the rehabilitation was provided by the pre-sale of 3,000 premium seats,
philanthropy, and other sources no taxpayer money was used. Portions of the stadium were named
after large donors, creating areas like the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Plaza and the Haas Grand Stair.
Even with large donations, fund raising potential for the $321 million dollar project was over-estimated
and real funding did not reach that mark. Therefore, phase three of the rehabilitation, which involved
renovating the east end of the stadium and adding a concourse around the eastern rim with concessions
and restrooms has been delayed to an unknown date due to budgeting restraints as well as the late start
to phases one and two.
43

Lessons Learned:
Conservation of the existing stadium exterior was maintained in this rehabilitation while the
interior was demolished. As California Memorial Stadium is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, the design and construction of the new interior was executed in a way as to not affect the
exterior wall, while retaining historical character. The project was a ‘facedectomy,’ a term used among
preservationists, and did not try to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of
Historic Properties, except where the character-defining features were concerned, although they were
careful to complement the historical character of the stadium. The team did a successful rehabilitation
and no mention was made about delisting the stadium, and most newspaper reviews mentioned how
much the new interior of the stadium reminded them of the old interior.
Could U.C. Berkeley have rehabilitated the entire stadium, built on an active fault, that was
sinking due to seismic activity, with a UC seismic rating of ‘Poor’ and created a functional stadium with a

42
Earthquake Performance Levels for Existing Buildings, (California State University, University of California, the
California Department of General Services and the Administrative Office of the Courts, 1995-2009).

43
“California Golden Bears Website, Memorial Stadium.”
65

UC seismic rating of ‘Very Good’? Of course, anything is possible. Would it have been feasible on a
realistic budget and accomplished all their modernization goals, such as more knee space and wider
egress? No. This project was about saving the character-defining features, and overall shape and feel of
the stadium, the items listed on the National Register nomination. Integrity of the existing stadium was
not a governing factor. Limiting the seismic intervention to the two portions directly above the fault
(sections XX-A and L-LL) and select seismic joints, as well as limiting press box intervention to only the
pillar footprints below the new press box was possible, and would have created the same effect, while
keeping much of the original stadium seating and tunnels intact, as opposed to demolishing it. But
would keeping more of the historic stadium reduce the cost of the overall project or increase it? A
removal of the interior of a historic building introduces many questions, and leaves many wondering,
why did they even leave the façade? The building loses much of its historical character when its insides
are torn out.
California Memorial Stadium, with its historic façade and modern, seismically stable interior, will
continue to function for many years to come. For a ninety year old stadium, built directly on a 7.5
magnitude earthquake fault, things could have been worse.
44

44
“The Hayward Fault,” U.C. Berkeley Seismology Laboratory, Accessed April 14,
2013,.http://seismo.berkeley.edu/earthquake/hayward.html.
66

Chapter 4: Case Study of the Rose Bowl

Original Construction:
Purpose of Construction
In 1890, the Valley Hunt Club of Pasadena put on their first winter showcase of the Pasadena
Tournament of Roses. They wanted to create a festival to show off the “mild winters and abundant
citrus and roses that grew in Pasadena” to the rest of the country.
1
By 1915, the event had grown so
large that the Club created the Tournament of Roses Association, a private organization, to oversee the
development of the parade.
2
The association added additional events such as footraces and chariot
races after the parade and in 1902, they added a football game. The interest in football was low, so
another football game was not played for twelve years, in 1914, when the first official Rose Bowl
football game took place. Interest in the Tournament of Roses football game continued to grow, as did
the size of the temporary stadium in Tournament Park. In 1920, the Tournament of Roses Association,
decided to build a permanent stadium with 100,000 seats (Figure 4.1).

Figure 4.1: 1956 Aerial view of Rose Bowl stadium. Photo by USC Digital Image Library, Examiner-m12499.

1
Michelle L. Turner, The Rose Bowl (Charleston S.C: Arcadia, 2010) pg 7.
2
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” (Pasadena: Historic Resources Group,
October 1997) pg 9.
67

Ownership (Public Private Partnership)
The Tournament of Roses Association, who paid for the original construction of the stadium,
after construction was complete, gave the stadium to the city. The permanent stadium was specifically
designed for the Tournament of Roses Association’s New Year’s Day football game.
3
Once the stadium
was in Pasadena’s hands, the Association began leasing the Rose Bowl stadium from the City, and the
City pays for maintenance and upgrades to the stadium.
4

Design Team
Myron Hunt, a Pasadena native and successful architect was chosen to design the stadium. The
Association provided Hunt the ability to visit great stadiums in the United States, including the Yale
Bowl, as well as studying traditional Greek and Roman stadiums (Figure 4.2). Myron Hunt was one of
the best known and respected architects in Southern California at the time and is considered a master
architect.
5
Some of his masterpieces include the Huntington Mansion and ancillary buildings (1909-
1934), Occidental College (1911 through 1940), the Huntington Hotel (1914), the Ambassador Hotel
(1921), and Pasadena Public Library (1925).

Funding
The Rose Bowl Association made enough money to pay for the first phase of the stadium by pre-
selling seats to future games. The stadium was planned in phases so that low pre-sell sales would not
stop construction with the stadium partially finished. Due to funding issues, the basic stadium was built
with wooden seats and floorboards, and without a decorative grand façade. The basic stadium sat
57,000 in benches and box seats, although the goal had been 100,000. It would take until 1950 for that
goal to be realized. The original stadium cost $272,198 to build in 1922, with many later additions.
6

3
Ibid. pg 9,10,12; Turner, The Rose Bowl, pg. 7 & 9.
4
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 20.
5
Ibid. pg. 7, 11, 12.
6
National Register Nomination, Rose Bowl, pg. 67; “Rose Bowl Facts, Rose Bowl Website,” accessed 3/12/13,
http://www.rosebowlstadium.com/RoseBowl_history_154_facts.php; “Historic Structure Report and Preservation
Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 12, 13, 38-40; Rose Bowl HABS No. CA-2667, (Washington D.C.: National Park Service,
April, 1997) pg. 4.
68

Figure 4.2: Rose Bowl model by Myron Hunt, 1922, showing horseshoe shape of stadium derived from Roman
amphitheatres. Photo courtesy of The Rose Bowl (Arcadia Publishing).
Location
The Rose Bowl was built on city-owned land gifted to the Association in the base of the arroyo
riverbed which had been full of trash and transients, and was prone to flooding. The stadium was built
into the rocky arroyo riverbed. The areas around the site were sparsely populated in the 1920s (Figure
4.3).

Figure 4.3: 1935 Image showing Rose Bowl location, in the bottom of the arroyo, with the Arroyo Seco Bridge in the
foreground. Photo courtesy of USC Digital Library, CHS-M6016; annotations by Author.
Rose Bowl Stadium
Single Family
Residences
Arroyo Seco bridge
Arroyo Riverbed
Downtown
Pasadena
N

69

Construction
The basic Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena was completed in 1922 and designed in a horseshoe
shape, based on Roman amphitheatres, with the south end open, which permitted breezes into the
arena. The original stadium was made of earthen berm construction with reinforced concrete tunnels.
The field was excavated twenty-five feet down to reach field level, and the soil and rubble was put to
the side. Twenty-four, seven foot wide concrete tunnel forms were cast around the future field, then
the multitude of river rocks and rubble excavated from the site were piled up on top to form the berm
shape of the bowl. Two large tunnels enter the field from opposite corners on the south end for athlete
access to the field (Figure 4.2).
The tunnels leading to the stadium are of painted board formed concrete. The exterior earthen
berm retaining walls are covered in arroyo stone. Restrooms and concessions were available outside
the stadium along the berm.

Metrics
The overall dimension of the stadium was originally 293 yards by 232 yards. The size of the
field was 79,156 square feet in 1922, which is a little less than two U.S. Survey acres. The stadium has
increased in size over the years.
7

Historical Significance/Status:
The Rose Bowl was named a California Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1969, and was
placed on the National Register as a National Historic Landmark in 1987, due to its importance in
American college football as home to the first ‘bowl’ game. It is one of only five college stadiums listed
as National Historic Landmarks including the Yale Bowl, Harvard Stadium, Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum, and Hinchliffe Stadium.
8
The Rose Bowl, Yale Bowl, and Harvard Stadium achieved National
Historic Landmark status at the same time under the “Recreation in the United States” theme study.
9

The inaugural Rose Bowl game in the new stadium took place on New Years Day in 1923,
between USC and Penn State (Figure 4.4). The Rose Bowl game is traditionally played between the top

7
National Register Nomination, Rose Bowl, pg. 67.
8
Peggy McGlone, “Paterson’s Hinchliffe Stadium Named National Historic Landmark,” The Star Ledger, March 12,
2013.
9
James H. Charleston, “Recreation in the United States Theme Study,” (Washington D.C. National Park Service,
1986).
70

ranked football teams from the Big 10 (east coast) and the Pac 12 (west coast) college football divisions.
After the Rose Bowl was created, other bowl games followed throughout the country for championships
among other college football leagues. This gave the Rose Bowl game, and its stadium, the nickname
‘Granddaddy of them all.’
10
The centennial Rose Bowl game is scheduled to take place January 1, 2014.
The game took place in temporary stands in Tournament Park before the Rose Bowl was completed.

Figure 4.4: 1916 Rose Bowl game. Video still from film recorded at the 1916 game. Courtesy of Tom Benjey.
Summary of Key Events:
TYPE EVENT NOTES
College Football Rose Bowl – every year since
construction except one year
during WWII (1942).
Between Pac 12 and Big 10 winner (East vs.
West).
College Football BCS National Championship
Games.
Rose Bowl has been in circulation for the
game since 1998. Game between the #1 and
#2 Bowl winner teams.
NFL Football Super Bowl XI - 1977
Super Bowl XIV - 1989
Super Bowl XVII- 1983
Super Bowl XXI - 1987
Super Bowl XXVII - 1993
Has hosted five super bowls, only two non-
NFL stadiums have hosted the Super Bowl, the
other one being Stanford Stadium.
11

College Football UCLA Home Stadium since 1982 Before this they played at the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum.
College Football Caltech Home Stadium – 1922-
1993.
Caltech gave up football in 1993.
Junior College
Football
Junior Rose Bowl 1946-1971. No game at the Rose Bowl from 1972-1975.

10
Turner, The Rose Bowl, pg. 25.
11
“Super Bowl History,” accessed March 25, 2013. http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history.
71

TYPE EVENT NOTES
Soccer Los Angeles Galaxy – 1996 to
2003.
While Home Depot Center was being built.
Track 1932 Olympics. Track Events.
Cycling, Soccer 1984 Olympics. Cycling and Soccer events.
World Cup 1994 FIFA World Cup – Men’s. Finals
World Cup 1999 FIFA Word Cup –
Women’s.
Finals
Miscellaneous
Sporting Activities
Motocross, Rodeos, Circuses,
Frisbee Championships, Charity
Walks.
12

Multiple Years
Concerts Depeche Mode - 1988
Guns N’ Roses - 1992
U2 - 2009
Pink Floyd - 1994
Metallica - 1992
A 2009 U2 concert reached full capacity, with
a sell-out crowd of 97,014 attendants.
13

Graduations and
Homecoming
Games
Put on for surrounding high
schools.
Multiple Years
Fireworks Yearly on the Fourth of July. Yearly since 1926.
Flea Market In the parking lot (Figure 4.5). Takes place every second Sunday of the
month, rain or shine for over 45 years. Rated
the best flea market in America by Travel and
Leisure.
14

Table 4.1: Summary of key events at Rose Bowl stadium. Table by Author.

12
Turner, The Rose Bowl, pg. 7, 8.
13
“U2 360 Tour Presented by BlackBerry: Fastest Sell Out and Largest Concert Attendance in Rose Bowl History,”
PR Newswire, April 6, 2009.
14
“The Rose Bowl Flea Market page”, from flea market management website, Accessed July 10, 2013.
http://www.rgcshows.com/RoseBowl.aspx; Valerie Reins, “America’s Best Flea Markets,” Travel & Leisure
Magazine, November 8, 2012.
72

Figure 4.5: The Rose Bowl flea market. Photo by Kaitlin Schulter.
Summary of Key Alterations:
Additions to the stadium, from the basic design in 1922, were by Myron Hunt until 1947. After
that time renovations were made by Hunt and Chambers (final seating north and south ends) and
Bennet & Bennet (misc. work and press box) through the 1960s.
15

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
1927  Four toilet buildings were
added. Two at the south
entrance and two at the
north.
City of Pasadena Modernization,
Revenue
1929 Discussed Below:
 Elliptical Shape completed
by filling in horseshoe at
south of stadium.
 Administration building
was added under South
entry.
 Perimeter fence
City of Pasadena at a
cost of over $118,000.
16

Modernization,
Revenue

15
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 23, 33.
16
This was also a way to stop fans from gathering at the horseshoe end and watch the game for free; Turner, The
Rose Bowl, pg. 16 ; “Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 14.
73

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
Added.
 Stadium lighting installed.
 Scoreboards installed.
 Seating placed on
concrete foundations.
1930  Temporary wooden press
box, (wood frame
structure with shed roof)
rebuilt in reinforced
concrete with five bays
and open north and south
ends with updated radio
amenities.
17

City of Pasadena Modernization
1936  Pedestrian bridges across
the arroyo added.
 Landscaping of the Rose
Bowl was completed.
 Arroyo stone walls added
above the existing
retaining walls.
 Plantings of roses and
shrubs around the
stadium.
 Multiple restroom
facilities and concession
stands were added around
the perimeter of the Rose
Bowl with concession
stands integrated into the
side of the restroom
building.
18

City of Pasadena Modernization,
Revenue.
1940  Administration Building
location changed.
 Ticket counter added.
City of Pasadena Revenue
1950  Bowl is completed by the
addition of seats to upper
north and south ends to
create a smooth upper
edge around the bowl.
 Administration building’s
front bays are shifted due
to the need for support
City of Pasadena Modernization

17
“Rose Bowl to be Reopened,” Los Angeles Times, September 28, 1930; Rose Bowl HABS No. CA-2667, pg. 4;
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 14.
18
Rose Bowl HABS No. CA-2667, pg. 4.
74

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
columns.
 These plain round
concrete columns with no
capitals and no bases
create an entry area.
 The neon ‘Rose Bowl’ sign
is added above the
columns (Figure 4.6).
19

1961  Press box rebuilt as a 285
foot long, two story steel
frame structure with
occupy-able roof space
and attached by exterior
bridges to an elevator.
20

 Stadium lighting replaced.
City of Pasadena Modernization
1968  Toilets and concessions
get upgrades.
City of Pasadena Modernization
1972  Running track added to
field.
City of Pasadena Event
1973  Lockers moved to a
subterranean location
underneath the south
plaza in front of the court.
 Previous location turned
into a multipurpose media
room.
City of Pasadena Modernization
1982  Seismic retrofit completed
by Ben Schmid, Structural
Engineer.
City of Pasadena – cost
$1.5 Million.
21

Safety - The majority of
the work focused on
the south end, where
concrete footings were
replaced and shear
walls were added,
gunite was also added
for additional
strengthening.
22

1984  Subterranean lockers
upgraded for Olympic
soccer tournaments.
 Restrooms and
concessions substantially
upgraded.
City of Pasadena Modernization,
Revenue

19
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 13,14,23.
20
Rose Bowl HABS No. CA-2667, pg. 5.
21
“Rose Bowl has Safety Problems,” The Hartford Courant, January 12, 1987.
22
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 16.
75

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
1989  A Court of Champions was
added, it is located at the
south entrance and along
the concourse.
Chrysler Event – added for Rose
Bowl’s 75
th
birthday.
23

1992 – for Super
Bowl and World
Cup games
 Press box rebuilt on same
frame, increasing the
capacity from 350 to 900
people with thirty eight
luxury suites spread out
over three levels and
extensive room for the
press.
24

 Stadium lighting was
replaced.
Rose Bowl Operating
Company, City of
Pasadena. Cost of $11
million dollars.
Revenue,
Modernization, Event
1994  Field size increased to
75x115 yards for World
Cup.
25

 Wheelchair locations
added.
Federal Emergency
Management Agency
Event - This widened
the corners of the field
beyond the seating
lines, destroying the
elliptical bowl feel of
the stadium.
26

1996  New sound system added.
 New scoreboard.
 New video boards.
27

Rose Bowl Operating
Company
Modernization
2007  Subterranean lockers
upgraded, adding 28,000
square feet to the existing
size (expanding them by
four times their original
size).
28

Rose Bowl Operating
Company
Modernization
Table 4.2: Summary of key alterations to Rose Bowl stadium. Table by Author.

23
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 15,16.
24
Kenneth Reich, “Sitting Pretty Remodeling of Rose Bowl Proceeding Smoothly,” Los Angeles Times, January 14,
1992; Vicki Torres, “Rose Bowl Face Lift May be a Super Attraction Renovation,” Los Angeles Times, February 8,
1990; “Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 35.
25
“Rose Bowl Facts, Rose Bowl Website,” accessed 3/12/13,
http://www.rosebowlstadium.com/RoseBowl_history_154_facts.php.; National Register Nomination, Rose Bowl,
pg. 67; “Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 23.
26
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 15, 16.
27
Rose Bowl HABS No. CA-2667, pg. 4; “Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 14,
15.
28
Turner, The Rose Bowl, Pg. 21; “Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 15, 16.
76

Figure 4.6: Rose Bowl façade. Photo by Author.
Summary of Seating
The original plan was that Rose Bowl stadium would seat 100,000 patrons, although this took a
while to complete. Seating has been upgraded at the stadium many times. The largest number of seats
was in 1972, at 104,696. In 1998, the seating was reduced to about 90,000, including theatre style seats
at the east and west sidelines. The new configuration, and seats, were not met with satisfaction by the
users due to lack of leg room and small aisle sizes, a concern common to historic stadiums.
29
As the

29
“New Rose Bowl not a Good Fit,” Los Angeles Times, September 19, 1998.
77

Sports Desk writer for the Los Angeles Times wrote about the narrow tread, “They make economy class
seats on an airline seem like heaven.”
30
The seating is currently at 92,542 (Table 4.3).
Year Seats Added Total Seats
1922 57,000 wooden benches and box seats over
wood flooring.
57,000
1929 19,000 wooden benches and seats – completed
elliptical.
76,000
1930 10,000 wooden benches
Replaced floor under seating with reinforced
concrete frame and risers.
86,000
1937 4,000 wooden. 90,000
1949 10,531 wooden seats added to incomplete
north and south ends.
100,531
1967 Wooden benches replaced with aluminum
benches with seat backs at north and south
ends and theater type aluminum seating on
east and west lower areas.
No change
1972 94,000 aluminum seats with seat backs
installed on north and south of field
Box seat dividers removed.
104,594
1998 -14,696. Theatre style seats installed at select
locations and new seating configuration
providing seating for disabled fans.
90,000
2013 2,542 seats added. Aluminum seating
upgraded, premium seating added as well as
seating configuration changes .
92,542
31

Table 4.3: Summary of seating increases and decreases at the Rose Bowl. Table by Author.

1929 Elliptical Bowl Completion
Additional seating closing in the open south end of the horseshoe shaped field was added in
1929 using reinforced concrete and steel truss bridge construction with wooden board forms. Parts of
these board formed concrete areas were then plastered over to create a smooth texture. This addition
was not earth berm construction, but reinforced concrete.
32
Underneath the newly created seating, an
administration building was added as part of the Works Progress Administration program, perimeter
fence was also added, stadium lighting added, and north and south scoreboards added. At the same
time the soil foundation under all seats was replaced by concrete, and four additional bridges (referred

30
“New Rose Bowl not a Good Fit.”
31
Turner, The Rose Bowl, pg. 16, 19; “Rose Bowl to be Reopened,” Los Angeles Times, September 28, 1930; “New
Rose Bowl Track Planned,” Los Angeles Times, April 13, 1966; “New Rose Bowl not a Good Fit,”; Rose Bowl HABS
No. CA-2667; “Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 14, 15, 16, 24.
32
Rose Bowl HABS No. CA-2667, pg. 4.
78

to as tunnels for continuity) accessing the new south seating section were added. Nineteen thousand
wooden bleacher seats were installed, making a total of 76,000 seats at a cost of $118,000.00.
33

Remaining Character-Defining Features:
The final stadium is simple and un-adorned. The main character-defining feature is the bowl
itself, which has an elliptical, ‘bowl like’ curve in both plan and section, achieved by slightly increasing
the intervals between seating rows (Figure 4.1).
34

CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURE YEAR PHOTO
Elliptical Bowl Shape. 1922 (Figure 4.1)
Concrete Tunnels leading to
seats, 1-22A, 23&28, 23A, 28A.
1922, 1930 (Figure 4.7)
Bowl reconstruction (in
concrete).
1930 (Figure 4.1)
Earthen Berm with arroyo stone
retaining walls.
1922 (Figure 4.9)
Rose bushes surrounding
stadium.
1931 (Figure 4.9)
South end addition (current
main entryway) and forecourt.
1927 (Figure 4.6)
North and South bowl
enlargement.
1948 (Figure 4.1)
Scoreboard Shells. 1927 (Figure 4.16)
Toilet in Parking Lot. 1935 (Figure 4.8)
Wire fence, perimeter gates and
bridges into bowl.
Multiple
Years, 1935
(Figure 4.10)
Administration Building. 1927, 1939,
1948
(Figure 4.7)
Neon Rose Bowl Sign. 1949 (Figure 4.6)
Ticket Booths. Multiple
Years
(Figure 4.11)
35

Table 4.4: Remaining character-defining features of Rose Bowl stadium. Table by Author.

33
This was also a way to stop fans from gathering at the horseshoe end and watch the game for free; Turner, The
Rose Bowl, pg. 16; “Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 14.
34
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 13.
35
Ibid. pg 13, 26, 38-40; Rose Bowl HABS No. CA-2667, Pg. 5.
79

Figure 4.7: Administration building and tunnels. Photo by Author.

Figure 4.8: Toilet building in parking lot. Photo by Author.
80

Figure 4.9: Retaining walls with rose bushes and tunnels. Photo by Author.

Figure 4.10: Bridges and fences. Photo by Author.
81

Figure 4.11: Ticket booths. Photo by Author.
During the current rehabilitation, original character-defining features that were previously
removed will be replaced including the interior bowl hedge and a rehabilitation of the Rose Bowl
stadium’s original elliptical field shape, which was changed for the 1994 World Cup to allow soccer to be
played.

Current Setting:
The Rose Bowl is now located within Arroyo Seco Park, a public park which runs the length of
the arroyo and includes a golf course, miles of running/walking track, pools, baseball courts, huge
parking lots, and large grassy areas. The community surrounding the park is very organized. The
stadium is surrounded by National Register listed Historic Districts of single family houses, and upper to
upper middle class professional households. Many who live in the area are active in making sure their
82

neighborhood is safe, quiet, without much traffic, and have been described as ‘famously fussy’. Their
collective power has had a major impact on the Rose Bowl (Figure 4.12).
36

The community’s major accomplishment is an ordinance that dictates how many events can be
held at the Rose Bowl stadium annually. Per Pasadena city ordinance, the Rose Bowl can only hold
twelve events yearly with contracts more than $75,000 or events with 20,000 fans or more. The City
Council has to approve these large events as well as the Rose Bowl Operating Company. As of August
2000, the number of events was tentatively raised to twenty-five a year, as a way to pay for the current
rehabilitation of the stadium. This has yet to be initiated and no articles have surfaced suggesting a date
for the implementation.
37

Figure 4.12: Current neighborhood of the Rose Bowl. Photo by Author.

36
“Pasadena to Double Events at Rose Bowl; Leisure,” Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2000.
37
Rick Holguin, “Pasadena Community Panel to Take Over Management of Rose Bowl,” Los Angeles Times, March
9, 1995; Winton, “Pasadena to Double Events at Rose Bowl.”
Upper Class Neighborhood
Rose Bowl Stadium
Arroyo Seco Park
Historic Neighborhood
N

83

Latest Major Rehabilitation:
Reasons for Rehabilitation
The current upgrade plan for Rose Bowl stadium was finalized in 2010, to be completed in four
years. The groundbreaking for the $152 million renovation took place on January 25, 2011. The
project’s main goals are:
 To improve public safety
 Enhance the fan experience
 Improve facility operations
 Maintain the National Historic Landmark status of Rose Bowl Stadium
 Develop revenue sources to fund the project and other long-term improvements to the
stadium’s facilities.

Goals of the Rehabilitation are achieved by; expediting tunnel ingress/egress, improving
concourse circulation, adding fifty percent more concessions, adding more restroom fixtures, providing
premium seating in a newly built press-box, installing new scoreboard and cutting edge video board,
replacing a field hedge which was removed after the 1920s, and updating stadium infrastructure needs
(Table 4.5). The entire project was scheduled to be completed by August 2013.
38

38
Jack Wang, “History in the Remaking,” Daily Breeze, December 23, 2012; Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for
$152 Million Renovation of Iconic Rose Bowl Stadium; Press Release (Pasadena: Rose Bowl Directors, January 25,
2011) pg. 1; Ben Bolch, “College Football: Rose Bowl to get a Facelift,” Los Angeles Times, October 13, 2010.
84

Table 4.5. List of upgrades for Rose Bowl stadium. From the Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for $152 Million Renovation of
Iconic Rose Bowl Stadium, Press Release currently available for download from the Rose bowl website, Rosebowl.com.

Scope of Work
The most visible addition to the Rose Bowl stadium is the new pavilion / press box. The pavilion
is the same height as the previous four story press box but cantilevers over the stadium, creating four
extra seating and event space. The new pavilion is similar in form to the previous press box but longer,
and is designed to complement the existing stadium by using board formed concrete and influences
from the administration and restroom buildings. The four story pavilion provides three stages of
premium seating; loge, suite, and club. Both indoor and outdoor seating is provided. The club areas
include a lounge, dining area, and roof terrace. The 2013 press box increases capacity from 1,000 in the
1994 press box, to 3,000 occupants, and will act as the main income generator of the stadium upgrade.
39

The new pavilion is named after the most successful UCLA coach ever, Terry Donohue. The
pavilion also includes new control center, broadcast rooms, and seating for the media (Figure 4.13)
(Figure 4.14).
40

39
Chad Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility: Developing an Ideal Type on the Evolution of
Professional Baseball and Football Structures,” (Dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005) pg. 252.
40
“Rose Bowl Strategic Plan 2009,” accessed March 12, 2013, http://www.rosebowlstadium.com/RoseBowl-Press-
Box.php; Wang, “History in the Remaking.”
PHASE I (2011)
New electrical service upgrade and utility loop backbone
South tunnels and concrete deck repair/waterproofing
South scoreboard and advertising panels
North video board and advertising panels, including signature element
East LED game information sign and advertising panel
Remodel of east restroom building
Press box foundations

PHASE II (2012)
North press box wing and center section (continues through 2013)
North tunnels 7A and 15A
Field-level entrances and exits
Field wall restoration and installation of new field-level advertising panels
New south restrooms and south restroom building remodels

PHASE III (2013)
South-press box wing and escalator tower (construction begins January 2012)
Concourse improvements (concession stands/restrooms/entry gates/perimeter fence)
North tunnels and concrete deck repair/waterproofing
85

Figure 4.13: Rear view of Rose Bowl pavilion with club locations. Photo by Author.

Figure 4.14: Rose Bowl stadium pavilion, front view, January 1. Photo by Author.
Upper Club seats
Upper Media
Suite / Club seats
Suites
Loge Box / Club
seats
Club Terrace
Elevator (1 of 2)
Upper Concourse
Concessions
Club Lounge
86

During the current rehabilitation, eight of the twenty-eight tunnels leading from the bowl
seating to the concourse have been widened from seven feet to fifteen feet, allowing quicker egress and
ingress, as well as disabled access to previously inaccessible areas. A secondary benefit is quicker access
to updated restrooms and concession areas (Figure 4.15). Four more tunnel widenings are planned but
have been deferred until more funding is available.
41

Figure 4.15: July 2012 Widening of tunnel. Photo courtesy of July 2012 Status Report, Rosebowlstadium.com.
Both the restrooms and concessions have been upgraded during the current rehabilitation to
modern standards. This modernization creates quick and orderly access by fans, who will thereby
purchase more concessions.
42
With easier access for everyone, including the disabled, the sale of
concessions is increased with this modernization. Trips to the restroom are also made easier, allowing
fans to purchase more beverages knowing that restrooms are readily available. This also increases
ticket sales, as the facility is easy to access and maneuver within, and guests want to come back.

41
Peyton Hall (Historic Resources Group), Notes to the author, March 26, 2013.
42
“Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl,” pg. 16.
87

The preservation aspect of the Rose Bowl rehabilitation is very important. The Rose Bowl is a
National Historic Landmark, therefore there are more stringent preservation standards that need to be
considered for the stadium to remain listed. Great care is taken to provide similar material repair to the
existing stadium, for example, at portions of the reconstructed rim wall, concrete was reinstalled at the
specifications of 1929 concrete so it will age the same way as the existing, and keep the same level of
integrity.
43

Further additions during the current rehabilitation include modern video screens installed in the
tile roofed alcoves that held the previous video boards and scoreboards, updating the technology within
a historic setting (Figure 4.16). Naming rights were not a part of the rehabilitation, and advertising has
been relegated to specific areas around the stadium.

Figure 4.16: Rose Bowl stadium, January 1, 2013, historically inspired scoreboard center. Photo by Author.
Although much of the rehabilitation has been completed, Many tasks are yet to be performed
including re-installing the perimeter hedge, a lower, field level entrance for lower level seats, and a

43
Peyton Hall, “Arch 551, Conservation Methods and Materials” (Lecture, University of Southern California, Spring,
2012).
88

return to the field’s historic elliptical shape, which will be the final change made to the stadium under
this contract.

Ownership
The Rose Bowl stadium and adjacent golf course have been under the stewardship of the Rose
Bowl Operating Company since 1995. The Company consists of a nine member non-profit organization
created by the City and managed by a board selected by the City of Pasadena City Council, with one
member elected by UCLA.
44

The design team for the rehabilitation consists of D’Agostino Izzo Quirk Architects as architect,
Historic Resources Group as Preservation Architect, Brandow Johnson as Structural Engineer,
Bernards/Barton Mallow as Project Manager for the stadium, PCL construction for stadium upgrades,
and Clark Construction for the new press box.

Funding
All stadium upgrades have been a partnership between the Rose Bowl Operating Company and
the City of Pasadena through pre-sale and special fundraising efforts as well as grants from the City and
State.
45
Financing the Rose Bowl rehabilitation has been difficult, due to timing and the current
recession. Funding sources include UCLA and the Tournament of Roses pre-paying their leases for the
next thirty years. Bonds were issued by the City of Pasadena as well to finance the project. Legacy
Connections, a philanthropic organization developed for the Rose Bowl restoration has conducted
additional fundraising campaigns to fill the funding gap.
46

Unforeseen Conditions
A historic building has many unforeseen conditions that are only found during the rehabilitation.
Often existing information is lacking and if no testing is done, the structure, and materials cannot be
verified. In the case of the Rose Bowl these unforeseen conditions included electrical systems and

44
Holguin, “Pasadena Community Panel to Take Over Management of Rose Bowl,”; “Rose Bowl Operating
Company,” accessed March 14, 2013, http://www.rosebowlstadium.com/RoseBowl_contact.php.
45
Kenneth Reich, “Sitting Pretty Remodeling of Rose Bowl Proceeding Smoothly,” Los Angeles Times, January 14,
1992; Funding has been a major issue during this current intensive rehabilitation, causing delays to the existing
schedule.
46
Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for $152 Million Renovation of Iconic Rose Bowl Stadium; Press Release
(Pasadena: Rose Bowl Directors, January 25, 2011) Page 2.
89

technology, which added cost to the project.
47
A historic project needs a higher budget associated with
unforeseen circumstances than a new construction project. The current project is over budget but on
time, the scope for the project has been reduced due to budgetary constraints. The widening of four
tunnels is being delayed, some new concession stands are being put on hold, as well as one new
restroom building, and improved new entry gates.
48

Lessons Learned:
The Rose Bowl’s upgrades are of utmost importance if it wants to remain viable, especially in an
era when newer is better, and the stadium is only allowed to host twelve major (more than 20,000
occupant) events a year.
49
UCLA, although they consider the Rose Bowl their home field, could
potentially build a new stadium in Westwood if the Rose Bowl is unable to provide amenities to their
standards, losing a major tenant, and cutting the stadium’s income drastically. If the stadium is not up
to par it could also lose the Rose Bowl game, as other historic stadiums have lost their bowl games to
newer stadiums as discussed in the context chapter.
To keep a historic stadium viable it has to be able to adjust to multiple events and sell seats,
especially premium seats, and concessions. To do so it has to provide plenty of comfortable premium
seating with premium amenities and great views. It also needs to provide a good experience for the
fans not seated in premium, this means comfortable, safe surroundings and plenty of easily accessible
concessions and souvenirs. All these changes needed to take place while keeping the stadium’s existing
historical character. The Rose Bowl’s rehabilitation with modern conveniences, its premium seating
pavilion with high end amenities, as well as its possible future allowance to hold twenty-five events a
year with more than 20,000 patrons as opposed to only twelve, are on their way to accomplishing these
goals of viability and profit.

47
Adolfo Flores, “Rose Bowl Redo goes Over Budget: Stadium Renovation is $35 Million Past the Original Estimate,
Officials Say,” Los Angeles Times, June 10, 2012.
48
“Photos: Rose Bowl officials considering deferring about $14.3 million in construction,” Pasadena Star-News, July
16, 2012.
49
Winton, “Pasadena to Double Events at Rose Bowl.”
90

Chapter 5: Case Study of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Original Construction:
Purpose of Construction
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was built in publicly owned Exposition Park, by the citizens
of Los Angeles, to signify the growth of the new city from a small town into a metropolis. Like many
stadiums at the time, it was dedicated to the soldiers of World War I.
1
The Coliseum was designed to be
a multi-use stadium with a running track and a grass field for football and other field sports (Figure 5.1),
similar to Soldier Field. Even though the population of Los Angeles was less than 577,000 at the time of
construction, the stadium was originally designed for 76,000 patrons (thirteen percent of the existing
population).
2
The stadium was also designed as a cornerstone to lure the 1932 Olympics to Los
Angeles.

Figure 5.1: Stadium at 1932 Olympic games opening ceremonies. Photo from USC Digital Library.Whit-neh-24789.

1
National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, (Washington, D.C.; National Park
Service, 1984), Page 3, 7; Chris Epting, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Charleston S.C: Arcadia, 2002) pg. 14.
2
National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 3.
91

Ownership (Public Private Partnership)
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was built by the Community Development Association, a non-profit
organization, in conjunction with Los Angeles City and County governments. The Association was made
up of wealthy leaders from the community who worked for the betterment of Los Angeles. The
Community Development Association ran the Coliseum with the City and County of Los Angeles paying
rent to use the facility for the first ten years, then management was transferred to the City and County.
3

Design Team
The stadium was designed by John and Donald Parkinson with construction finishing in the fall
of 1923. John and Donald Parkinson were leading architects in the Los Angeles area. During the
construction of the Coliseum, they were simultaneously working on the design for the main structures of
the USC campus nearby. Among their many commissions are Los Angeles City Hall (1928), Bullocks
Wilshire (1929), and Union Station (1939). The contractor for the project was the Edwards, Wildey &
Dixon Company, who also built the Shrine Auditorium (1925).
4

Funding
Funding was provided by the Community Development Association from donations made to
their non-profit organization. Any revenue made by the Coliseum was to go into a fund for future
upkeep of the stadium so that the stadium would never become a burden to taxpayers.
5

Location
The stadium was constructed in an old gravel quarry within the racetrack, on the grounds of
Exposition Park. North of the Park was the beginning of the USC campus, and beyond that was the
affluent neighborhood of West Adams, where influential people like the Doheny’s lived.
6
The
surrounding areas were middle or working class single family homes and duplexes (Figure 5.2). The area

3
“Los Angeles Coliseum Soon to be Reality,” Los Angeles Times, October 3, 1922.
4
Ibid.
5
Ibid.
6
Mr. Doheny was an oil tycoon who was the first to drill in Los Angeles, and became very rich.
92

was perfect for a large stadium which could draw fans from the nearby areas, and throughout Los
Angeles.

Figure 5.2 - Coliseum after completion 1923. Photo from The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Arcadia Publishing);
annotations by Author.
Construction
The existing site was excavated thirty-two feet below grade and the excavated sand and gravel
from the site was used to create the sloped sides of the lower level of seating. The fill was then
compacted into an earthen berm and the middle level of seats placed on top. The visible structure of
the Coliseum was built of reinforced concrete using wood board forming. This included the columns,
piers, beams, and peristyle arched entry. The basic stadium was supported on shallow spread footings
on natural soil and compacted fill.
7
Restrooms and concessions were located outside the stadium.

Metrics
The groundbreaking took place December 21, 1921, with the dedication and the stadium
opening in June of 1923. The phased project was on time and on budget, at the cost of around one
million dollars and taking eighteen months to construct.
8
The peristyle at the entry to the Coliseum is
400 feet long and seventy five feet high with seven arches on either side of the main arch. The original
design had a seating capacity of 80,000 with a 680 foot (227 yard) long, 344 foot (115 yard) wide field,

7
Report of Geotechnical Investigation, (Los Angeles, Law Crandall, Dec 26, 1991) pg. 7; National Register of Historic
Places Nomination, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 2.
8
“Los Angeles Coliseum Soon to be Reality,” Los Angeles Times, October 3, 1922; Chad Sifried, “An Analysis of the
American Outdoor Sport Facility: Developing an Ideal Type on the Evolution of Professional Baseball and Football
Structures,” (Dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005) pg. 330.
Coliseum
Exposition Park
Gardens
Middle/ Working
Class
Neighborhood
Exposition Park
Rose Garden
Exposition Park
Racetrack
USC Campus
West Adams,
Upper Class
Neighborhood
N
Middle Class
Neighborhood
93

much larger than the standard football field dimensions of 120 yards long by fifty-three yards wide,
including end zones.
9
The overall dimensions of the ellipse are 1,038 feet long by 738 feet wide at the
midpoint. The stadium is now 105 feet high and has seventy-nine stepped tiers of seating divided into
three sections.
10

Historical Significance/Status:
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was declared a National Historic Landmark the day before it
hosted its second Olympic Games in 1984. The property was designated for its significance as being the
only stadium to host two Olympic games (Figure 5.1). As the NHL nomination writer wrote, “The Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which will be the centerpiece of the 1984 Olympics, possesses national and
international historical significance as the focal site of the Xth Olympiad of the modern era, the Los
Angeles Summer Games of 1932.” He went on to state that although the Olympics have been held in
other cities more than once, “only the Coliseum will possess the distinction of twice having been the
principal stadium.”
11
Because of these and other reasons, the Coliseum was given National Historic
Landmark status. It also became California Historical Landmark number 960 in 1984.
12

Although the Los Angeles Coliseum is undoubtedly eligible for listing as a Los Angeles Historic
Cultural Landmark, it will most likely not be listed, because it is owned by the State, County, and City;
two of which are above the City’s legal jurisdiction.

Summary of Key Events:
The first football game in the new stadium took place on October 23, 1923 between the
Coliseum’s neighbor USC and Pomona College, where USC won twenty-three to seven.
13

TYPE EVENT NOTES
College Football USC Home stadium – 1923 to
present.

Olympics 1932 Olympics Host stadium
Olympics 1984 Olympics Host stadium

9
“Los Angeles Coliseum Soon to be Reality,”; Epting, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 14; Beginners Guide to
Football – NFL Enterprises, 2008, Accessed April 6, 2013, http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/beginnersguidetofootball.
10
National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 2.
11
Ibid. pg. 3, 9.
12
“List of National Historic Landmarks,” accessed March 24, 2013,
http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/listsofnhls.htm.
13
“History, Los Angeles Coliseum Website,” accessed February 11, 2013,
http://www.lacoliseumlive.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=69;
Epting, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 7.
94

TYPE EVENT NOTES
NFL Football Super Bowl I - 1967
Super Bowl VII - 1972

Hosted first Super Bowl ever
played in 1967 between the
Packers and Chiefs.
MLB Baseball Dodgers Baseball – 1958-1961 While Dodger Stadium was
under construction.
MLB Baseball World Series - 1959 Dodgers vs. White Sox.
College Football UCLA Home Stadium –1933 to
1981.
They moved to the Rose Bowl for
the 1982 season.
Professional Football NFL – Rams – 1946-1979
NFL – Chargers - 1960
NFL – Raiders – 1982-1994
AAFC – Dons – 1946-1949
USFL – Express – 1983-1985
XFL - Extreme - 2001

World Cup / Soccer The World Cup and local
Professional Matches
Multiple Years beginning in 1991
with the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Extreme Sports X-Games Host stadium multiple times.
Extreme Sports Super Bowl of Motocross – 1972-
1990’s
Part of the Supercross Series.
Car Racing 1982 Speedway World Finals Rally cars
Snow Sports Long Jump and Ice Skating- 1938 (Figure 5.3)
Speeches Franklin Delano Roosevelt - 1935
John F. Kennedy- 1960
Bill Graham – 1963
Martin Luther King Jr.- 1964
Pope John Paul II- 1987
Nelson Mandela- 1990
The 1963 appearance by Billy
Graham set the largest crowd
record for the Coliseum at
134,254 patrons.
Concerts The Who – 1982, 1989
Bruce Springsteen- 1985
Metallica – 1998, 1992
Pearl Jam - 1991
Rage Against the Machine- 2011
Raves – 2007 on
The recent raves are very
controversial and were stopped
in 2010 when a 15 year old girl
died of an overdose, but started
back up the following year.
14

Table 5.1 –Summary of key events at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Table by Author.

14
“History, Los Angeles Coliseum Website,”; Epting, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 7; Brian Kamenetzky, “A
Coliseum of Dirt: LA Coliseum Back to Motocross Roots in X Games,” ESPN News, July 28, 2010.
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/news/story?id=5415906; “USC Trojans Football Website,” Accessed July 9,
2013, http://www.usctrojans.com/facilities/usc-memorial-coliseum.html; Linda Deutsch, “Raves at the LA
Coliseum: Patrick Lynch, Ex-Official, Pleads Guilty to Conflict of Interest,” Huffington Post, March 28, 2012.
95

Figure 5.3 – First Annual, 1938 Southern California Open Ski Meet ski jump. Photo from The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
(Arcadia Publishing).

Summary of Key Alterations:
Additions have been made to the Coliseum over its lifetime. Since its completion in 1923
hundreds of seats have been added reaching a maximum of 105,000 seats in 1935. The current seating
capacity has been reduced to 93,607.
15

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
1930-31–For
Olympics
Discussed below:
 Fourteen additional rows of
seating on top, creating
30,000 seats providing nearly
102,000 seats total.
16

 Police building added to west
side of stadium.

Community
Development
Association, City of
Los Angeles, County of
Los Angeles–cost
1,750,000.
17

Event, Modernization,
Revenue

15
“Ballpark Trivia,” accessed February 12, 2013, http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/laxcol.htm; “Los
Angeles Coliseum Website.”
16
National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 2, 5.
17
Sifried, ”An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 331.
96

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
 Bronze Olympic torch added
to peristyle.
 Restrooms and
concessions added outside
and along concourse. (Figure
5.1)
1935  4,000 seats added
 Scoreboard Replaced.
18

Coliseum Commission Revenue / Modernization
1946  Stadium lighting added. Coliseum Commission Modernization
1948  Press box expanded to hold
250 journalists with new
amenities for press and radio.
 Elevator added to press box.
 Space for TV cameras
provided on press box roof.
 Two new two story
administration buildings
added to the north and south
of the peristyle.
 Two additional stories added
to one story police building
behind the west wall of
stadium.
 Letters that spell out Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum
and the Olympic rings were
added to the peristyle.
 13,000 square foot
underground dressing room
complex added.
19

Coliseum Commission
– cost $950,000.
20

Modernization
1954  Escalators added allowing
guests more convenient
access to the press box area.
Coliseum Commission Modernization
1958- For
Dodgers
Discussed Below:
 Lights
 Dugouts
 Two large protective screens
for foul balls installed.
 Restroom and concession
Coliseum Commission
– cost $200,000.
Event, Safety,
Modernization

18
Sifried, ”An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 5.
19
Ibid. pg. 3; “Building Added to Los Angeles’ Huge Stadium”, Los Angeles Times, Sept 6, 1953.
20
Sifried, ”An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg. 363.
98

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
1994 –
Northridge
Earthquake
Discussed Below:
 Deep pile underpinning.
 New reinforced concrete
shear walls and moment
frames added.
 New drilled caissons were
added inside the structure .
 Peristyle was strengthened
using reinforced concrete
shear walls, shotcrete, and
core columns.
 The existing press box was
condemned and demolished
and a new, forty yard long,
600 seat, steel-framed press
box was completed in 1995.
FEMA, State of
California– cost of $93
million, press box - $6
million.
Safety, Modernization
2009  Elevator added to all levels of
press box.
Coliseum Commission Modernization
2011  Daktronics scoreboard added
at rear of the stadium on a
separate footing, with no
connection (besides bracing)
to the existing historic
structure (Figure 5.4).
Coliseum Commission Modernization- This 150’
long by forty feet high
scoreboard is easily read
from the 110 freeway and is
the second largest in college
sports.
25

Table 5.2 –Summary of key alterations to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Table by Author.

25
“Los Angeles Coliseum Website.”
99

Figure 5.4 - New scoreboard with lower level tunnel and police building, 2012. Photo by Author.

1932 Olympics
In 1930-31, at the bequest of the City of Los Angeles, John and Donald Parkinson designed
30,000 additional seats, above the existing seating, adding fourteen rows to the existing stadium using
reinforced concrete in preparation for the tenth annual Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies which
were held at the Coliseum on July 30, 1932.
The top tier of seats is supported by reinforced board formed concrete columns and beams.
Below the new seating, a concourse was created in the connection between earthen berm and upper
seating. Amenities, restrooms and access to the upper seating areas are located along the interior
concourse. Some spaces between reinforced concrete columns on the concourse level are infilled with
hollow clay tile to form rooms. Access to the lower seating is through tunnels leading directly from the
exterior with amenities located outside while access to the concourse is by stair. This expanded the
seating from 75,000 to 101,573 seats.
26

26
Report of Geotechnical Investigation, (Los Angeles, Law Crandall, Dec 26, 1991) pg. 7; National Register of Historic
Places Nomination, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 2.
100

The bronze Olympic torch was placed on top of the peristyle at that time and lit for the 1932
and 1984 Olympic games as well as other historic events. Concession and restrooms were added around
the stadium perimeter, as well as in the concourse (Figure 5.1).
27

Dodgers Baseball
In 1958, in preparation for use as the temporary home of the MLB Dodgers baseball team, lights,
dugouts and two large protective screens for foul balls were installed, as well as a new press box.
28

Bennet & Bennet acted as architect for these renovations, while Don E. Webb Construction was hired to
make the $200,000 changes to the stadium. The stadium was not built to be used for baseball, and the
field, with only 250 feet from home plate to left field and a vast foul area near third base and virtually
none behind first, became one of the most unusually designed fields of all time (Figure 5.5).
29

Nonetheless the 90,000 seat stadium often sold out for Dodger games.
30

Figure 5.5: Dodgers baseball at Coliseum, 1958-1961. Photo from The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Arcadia Publishing).

27
National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 2, 5.
28
Frank Finch, “Dodgers Set to make Decision on Coliseum,” Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1957; Epting, Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 8.
29
Rob Neyer, “Coliseum’s Dimensions Affected the Play on the Field,” ESPN.Com, Accessed March 29, 2008,
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=3319270.
30
“History, Los Angeles Coliseum Website”; Frank Finch, “Webb Signed to Convert Coliseum,” Los Angeles Times,
January 31, 1958.
101

1984 Olympics
In preparation for the 1984 Olympics, the stadium was given concession and restroom upgrades,
and a pastel paint scheme by Jerde Partnership. There was little budget or time to prepare for the 1984
Olympics and Jerde re-used architectural pieces at multiple sites to create continuity.
31
The two large
scoreboards above the peristyle were added for the Olympic Games at this time (Figure 5.6).

Figure 5.6: 1984 Olympic opening ceremonies. Photo courtesy of Jerde.
1994 Northridge Earthquake
After the January 17, 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the Coliseum was very badly damaged and
demolition was discussed. The City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, and State of California
decided to save the stadium with a $93,000,000 emergency retrofit and repair plan. FEMA funded the
majority of the emergency seismic retrofit work, paying ninety percent of the cost while the State of
California paid ten percent.
32
The seismic retrofit and repair was designed, constructed, and completed
with great effort, and six months of round-the-clock work by the project architect, HNTB, structural

31
“Jerde Website,” accessed July 9, 2013, http://www.jerde.com/featured/place9.html.
32
“Cost of Coliseum Quake Repairs Hits $72 Million and is Still Rising,” Los Angeles Times, November 3, 1994.
102

engineer, Nabih Youssef Associates, preservation architect, John Ash Group, with monitoring for the
California Office of Historic Preservation by Historic Resources Group, and general contractor, Tudor -
Saliba, managed by Don Webb. The project came in on time and on budget and was completed before
the first regular season USC football game against Washington State.
33

The Coliseum’s original sand and gravel fill had shifted during the earthquake and compromised
the shallow foundations of the columns. Concrete throughout the structure was cracked and large gaps
had opened up between the original and newer construction. A large portion of the upper seating wall
had collapsed as well as smaller portions above the concourse (Figure 5.7). Many columns that held the
upper seating levels had been badly damaged and would need replacement (Figure 5.8).
34

Figure 5.7: Damaged rim of stadium with missing seating section. Note the smooth shear. Photo courtesy of Nabih Youssef
Associates.

33
Peyton Hall (Historic Resources Group), Note to the author, March 26, 2013; Nabih Youssef (Nabih Youssef
Associates), interview with author, April 3, 2013.
34
“Los Angeles Coliseum Suffers in Quake,” Architecture, April 1994, pg. 113.
103

Figure 5.8: Shear failure of upper seating support column. Photo courtesy of Nabih Youssef Associates.
The seismic retrofit utilized deep pile underpinning at each column around the stadium to
strengthen and stabilize the existing columns. They also added new reinforced concrete shear walls and
moment frames at integral locations.
35
New drilled caissons were added inside the building, and pre-
loaded with Osterberg cells to reduce potential future settlement and minimize the lengths of piles
(Figure 5.9, Figure 5.11).
36

35
Seismic Assessment of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles: Nabih Youssef Associates, March 14,
2012), pg. 4, 5.
36
An Osterberg Cell is a sacrificial bearing installed near the end of a pile driven into the ground which separates
loads and allows quick accurate calculations to test load capacity. Website accessed March 23, 2013,
http://www.loadtest.co.uk/Loadtest%20Ltd/the%20osterberg%20cell_files/ocell.htm; Ryan Wilkerson (Senior Vice
President, Nabih Youssef Associates) interview with author, June 18, 2013.
104

Figure 5.9: NYA retrofit drawing for new load bearing system, around the concourse utilizing moment frames and new
caissons. Image courtesy of Nabih Youssef Associates.
The peristyle, extensively damaged during the earthquake, was strengthened using reinforced
concrete shear walls, shotcrete, and core columns, twelve inches in diameter, which were drilled
vertically from the top of the peristyle, through the structure, to the base.
37
The hole was then filled
with rebar and high strength concrete, reinforcing from the interior and not altering the historic exterior
appearance (Figure 5.10).
38

The press box was severely compromised in the earthquake and condemned. A new, forty yard
long, 600 seat, six million dollar, steel-framed press box was built in its place and finished in 1995 with
state-of-the-art technology for the day, and an overhanging structural system with vertical steel
columns and diagonal supports. The following year, existing welds holding up the new press box were
replaced over concern about delayed cracking in the existing welds.
39

37
Seismic Assessment of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 10.
38
Nabih Youssef (Nabih Youssef Associates), Interview with author, April 6, 2013.
39
“Concern Raised over Coliseum Construction,” Los Angeles Times, May 5, 1996.
105

Figure 5.10: Strengthening of peristyle, 1994. Plan courtesy of Nabih Youssef Associates; annotations by Author.

Figure 5.11: Demolition and installation of new footing, note crack repair of exterior wall. Photo courtesy of Nabih Youssef
Associates.

New concrete shear
walls - solid
Center core columns
drilled through
peristyle- yellow
Shotcrete -dashed
106

Remaining Character-Defining Features:
Character-Defining Features Year Photo
Arched peristyle with bronze
torch, signage and travertine
finish.
1923,1932,1948,1968 (Figure 5.12)
Stadium bowl including concrete
structure and concourses.
1923 (Figure 5.16)
Concrete tunnels leading to
seating.
1923 (Figure 5.4)
Earthen berm with landscaping. 1923 (Figure 5.4)
Police building, with addition. 1931, 1948 (Figure 5.4)
Top tier of seating and tunnels
added.
1931, (Figure 5.4) (Figure 5.7)
Administration buildings. 1948 (Figure 5.13)
Ticket booths. Multiple Years, 1948 on. (Figure 5.14)
Exterior concession
stands/restrooms.
Multiple Years, 1931 on.
40
(Figure 5.14 rear)
Table 5.3: Remaining character-defining features of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Table by Author.
A major character-defining feature of the stadium and part of the original design, is the peristyle
entryway, with dramatic views across the entire bowl. Original stones from the Roman Colosseum were
added to frame the central arch during construction. The Olympic Torch on top of the peristyle was
added during the 1932 Olympics, the neon letters ‘Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’ and Olympic rings
were added in 1948, and travertine cladding was added in the 1960s (Figure 5.12).

40
Raymond Girvigian, Application for Registration of Historic Landmark, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los
Angeles: Coliseum Commission, 1984).
107

Figure 5.12: Peristyle circa 1960. Photo courtesy of USC Digital Library, whit-m2651.

Figure 5.13: Left administration building. Photo by Author.
108

Figure 5.14: 1948 Ticket boxes. Photo by Author.

Current Setting:
The Exposition Park racetrack has been demolished and many additional public buildings built
within Exposition Park including the Natural History Museum addition, the California Science Center, the
California African American Museum, the Sports Arena, and the space shuttle Endeavour. The park is a
major destination for many locals, schools, and tourists because of its museums and open space. USC
has grown to encompass a larger area to the north of the stadium, stretching all the way to Jefferson
Boulevard (Figure 5.15). The economic status of the residential areas has downgraded since the stadium
was built ninety years ago. The surrounding area is home to lower income residents made up of
students, resident aliens, and first generation Americans. Many homeless reside in Exposition Park.
Chad Sifried notes that negative economical changes in surrounding communities often led
owners to move their teams to the suburbs, especially during the late modern era of stadiums (1953-
1991). People in lower income areas are not able to afford going to sporting events, and may not be of
the football demographic. Urban residents with disposable income tend to live in the suburbs, and that
is where stadiums wanted to be. As the Los Angeles Coliseum is owned by the City and not a football
109

team and moving the stadium was not an option, professional football attendance dropped, and the
football clientele diminished ending in the departure of the NFL Raiders in 1994.
41

Lack of safe parking is also an issue when visiting Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Parking at the
stadium is expensive while street parking is hard to find, further reducing the number of fans willing to
travel to watch a game. USC fans do not have similar issues as they often park at USC and walk over.
The new Metro Expo line has two stops right next to Exposition Park, opening the park and stadium to
tourists and Angelinos who would not otherwise travel to the area due to the economic reasons listed
above.

Figure 5.15: 1956 Arial view of Coliseum and surrounding areas (similar to now). Photo courtesy of USC Image Archive whit-
m992; annotations by Author.

Upcoming Major Rehabilitation:
Management and Current Contract
The Coliseum is managed by a commission made up of six members from the State of California,
the City of Los Angeles, and the County of Los Angeles, having no lead agency. These members

41
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility, ” pg. 210-212, 225.
Coliseum
Los Angeles Sports
Arena
Lower income
multi-family
neighborhood
Exposition park
rose garden
110 freeway
USC campus
West Adams
Historic District –
lower income,
single/multi
family housing
METRO EXPO line
N
Lower income
multi/single family
housing
110

represent the owners of the land, building, and parking of this public stadium.
42
This committee has a
history of poor stewardship, from issues ranging from promoting segregation, lack of coliseum upkeep,
and inability to upgrade the stadium to get a new NFL team.
43
Recently, they have been in the news for
misappropriation of funds, kickbacks, prison sentences, and not being able to keep their end of a
contract with USC to complete a fifty million dollar upgrade to the Coliseum.
44
This allowed USC, based
on the terms of their lease, the option to manage operations of the Coliseum and Sports Arena for
twenty to forty-two years while making the upgrades on their own dime.
45
The stadium is currently
falling into disrepair, with out-of-date facilities, broken pipes, and lack of cash registers or refrigerators
at concessions.
46
The agreement between the Coliseum Commission and USC states that the
commencement of renovations by the Coliseum Commission, must start no later than April 1, 2014 and
end by December 31, 2021, in time for the Coliseum’s 100 year anniversary.
47

Funding
The Coliseum relies on revenue earned from the Coliseum, and Sports Arena next door. No tax-
payer money is used to fund the Coliseum.
48
Due to the misappropriation of funds by the Coliseum
Commission, there is not enough money for the scheduled upgrades.
USC is currently in the process of procuring authority to manage operations at the Coliseum
from the governing agencies. If this procurement is reached, USC will pay for the scheduled upgrades
and any additional changes they decide to make to the Coliseum and Sports Arena. Otherwise, with lack
of funding from the Coliseum Commission, the Coliseum could further deteriorate, creating a situation

42
“Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission Website.”
43
Samuel Raymond, “To the Coliseum Commission,” LA Sentinel, Oct 30, 1952; Alan Abrahamson, “Huddle Up; A
new spirit of cooperation between the NFL and the Coliseum Commission just might bring pro football back to Los
Angeles,” Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2005.
44
Paul Pringle, “Coliseum had scant controls over spending; A city audit finds officials routinely squandered public
funds in a culture lacking oversight,” Los Angeles Times, April 13, 2012; “Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Commission website; “Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission and USC Ink Deal Keeping the Trojans in the
Historic Venue for 47 More Years,” Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2008.
45
Paresh Dave, “Details Emerge on USC’s New Pact for LA Coliseum,” Neon Tommy, January 11, 2012.
46
Ian Lovett, “New Plan Yield Glimmer of Hope for Ramshackle Los Angeles Coliseum,” New York Times, June 2,
2012.
47
Joey Kaufman, “USC to control parking under amended lease”, Daily Trojan, April 17, 2012; Amended and
Restated Lease and Agreement between Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission and University of Southern
California, May 9, 2012.(Current version) Los Angeles Coliseum Website, Accessed June 17, 2013, pg. 5.
http://www.lacoliseumlive.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=58&Ite
mid=125.
48
“Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission website.”
111

in which USC may decide to build its own stadium, and leave the Coliseum without a home team after
more than 90 years of constant occupancy, and any solid revenue source.

NFL Clause
There is also a clause in the USC agreement regarding a NFL team returning to the Coliseum on a
temporary basis. If this were to occur, other concerns would be brought up, besides the sub-standard
facilities. One issue is the number of seats available at the Coliseum, which are more than a typical
model for an NFL stadium facility. For a NFL game to be televised locally the stadium must be sold out.
This is difficult at a stadium that holds more than 100,000 patrons when a typical NFL stadium holds
55,000 to 90,000 patrons.
49
Previous NFL teams would black out parts of the stadium as ‘not for sale’
areas so their games could be televised.
50
The second issue stems from the Coliseum’s multi-use origins.
The field is too big for football, although it is the perfect size for multiple other uses including dirt tracks.
For most games the field lines are drawn to one side of the field or the other, except for games in which
all seats sell out whereby the field is chalked in the middle (Figure 5.16).

Figure 5.16: Field chalked to one side. Photo courtesy of Kurt Fischer.
Multiple NFL and rehabilitation studies have been done for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
in the last two decades by architects. A 1996 plan for the ‘New Coliseum’ garnered much attention. It

49
“NFL 2012 Attendance” ESPN.com, accessed February 18, 2013, http://espn.go.com/nfl/attendance.
50
The Raiders.
112

suggested that a ‘stadium within a stadium’ was the only way the coliseum could retain historic integrity
and support NFL football. It suggested gutting the stadium and adding three concourses of seating
around the entire stadium, with club seats between the lower tiers and balcony tier and all new
amenities.
51
Another NFL study in 2006, by RTKL, incorporated a roof canopy over the existing seating
and rearranged the areas underneath the stadium to accommodate the needs of a NFL team such as
interview room, larger locker rooms, larger club rooms, and additional elevators that connect the new
upper level seating on the south and north sides of the stadium.
52
The new stadium design
overpowered the visual character of the historic stadium, and if such a plan had come to fruition the
stadium would meet the same fate as Soldier Field in Chicago and lose its National Historic Landmark
status.

Scope of Construction
The current upgrades scheduled per the previous agreement between USC and the Coliseum
Commission are a mixture of necessary stadium specific upgrades and changes following modernization
trends, (1953-1991) in football stadium design.
The most important upgrades and repairs are in Category One (See Appendix A):
• General Structure / Perimeter Repairs
Includes such items as paving, cold box refrigerators, fire system upgrade, concrete spalling
repair, ventilation and HVAC replacements, roof replacement, turf repair, pavement repair, exit
signage, cleaning, and repainting exterior walls and additional lighting.
 Upgrade locker room
This includes repair of retaining walls, interior finish restoration, and structural repairs.
With secondary upgrades and repairs in Category Two:
• Stadium Seating
Concrete substrate repair and update seating.
• Upgrade fire/disabled accessibility
Egress stair and pathways, self illuminating exit signage, fire sprinkler system installation, and
directional signage.
• General repairs

51
Jodi Wilgoren, “Stadium Within A Stadium,” Los Angeles Times, October 13, 1996.
52
Kenneth Reich, “Plan Unveiled for Renovated L.A. Coliseum,” Los Angeles Times, September 25, 1991;
Preliminary Schematic Pricing Plans, (Los Angeles, RTKL Architects, February 1, 2006).
113

• Upgrade lighting, painting, and washing of buildings, interior upgrades, water heaters upgrades,
HVAC upgrades, ornamental landscape restoration, and freight elevator modernization.
53

No major seismic work is necessary during this phase as a retrofit was completed in 1994 and still meets
Life Safety requirements.
Based on the Coliseum’s distinction of being a National Historic Landmark, both USC and the
Coliseum Commission intend to keep the historic integrity, and NHL listing of the stadium.

Lessons Learned:
With so many options up in the air, the future for this stadium is in limbo. What can be learned
is that stadiums which are always in the public eye have many major upgrades over time, and publicly
elected committees may not always have the stadium’s best interests in mind. With mis-management
comes less revenue available for upgrades. At the same time, upgrades mentioned in the lease
agreement are modernizations popular to the late modern stadium era, not even the current stadium
era. Based on the other three case studies, best practices and viable funding options for the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum’s upcoming rehabilitation will be discussed in the Analysis chapter.

53
Amended and Restated Lease and Agreement Between Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission and
University of Southern California, May 9, 2012. (Current version) Los Angeles Coliseum Website. Accessed June 17,
2013.pg. 12.
114

Chapter 6: Analysis

The previous case studies have analyzed four stadiums, all built in the same era, all surviving to
one extent or another. Three of the case studies have had recent rehabilitations or renovations yet one
rehabilitation remains, that of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The rehabilitation of the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum is required to take place before April of 2014 or operational management will be
transferred to USC.
1
This chapter is meant to examine best practices for the upcoming Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum rehabilitation, drawing information and examples from the other case studies, in
order to retain the Coliseum’s integrity while modernizing the stadium and creating a viable enterprise.

National Historic Landmark Designation:
Reason it is a National Historic Landmark
As a National Historic Landmark (NHL), higher standards are required for a rehabilitation in
regards to integrity, quality, and conservation. National Historic Landmarks rank higher than National
Register properties due to their “Exceptional Significance in American History.”
2
The Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum has twice hosted the Olympic games, the only facility in the world to do so.
3
Design
traits that directly relate to the National Historic Landmark status are of utmost importance and must be
treated with special attention.

Period of Significance
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a NHL because of its hosting of two Olympic Games.
Therefore the period of significance of the stadium would include both the 1932 and 1984 Olympic
Games.

1
Amended and Restated Lease and Agreement between Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission and University
of Southern California, May 9, 2012.(Current version) Los Angeles Coliseum Website, Accessed June 17, 2013, pg.
5,
http://www.lacoliseumlive.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=58&Ite
mid=125; Joey Kaufman, “USC to control parking under amended lease,” Daily Trojan, April 17, 2012.
2
“Secretary of the Interior’s Standards Website,” Accessed June 14, 2013,
http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/standguide/overview/choose_treat.htm.
3
Athens, Paris, and Los Angeles have each hosted the Olympic Summer games twice, with London hosting them
three times, with Athens, Paris, and London using different facilities each time.
115

Integrity
For a structure to be listed on the National Register or as a National Historic Landmark, it has to
meet the criteria set forth by the Secretary of the Interior for integrity, as listed below, with higher levels
of integrity mandated in a NHL property:
 Location
 Setting
 Design
 Materials
 Workmanship
 Feeling
 Association.
4

The Coliseum holds a high level of existing integrity, and during the rehabilitation these factors of
integrity need to be considered of high importance to the design team.
Integrity has a greater effect on the design than one may imagine. For example, the type of
seating chosen has to be considered carefully to match the stadium, and a high level of workmanship
must be carried out during the entire construction process. Major structures cannot be removed, like
the police building, added for the 1932 Olympics, or the administration buildings added in 1948, as it will
reduce the ‘feeling’ criteria of integrity. The running track, removed in 1993, but visible for both
Olympic Games may need to be reconstructed under these same criteria.

Four Approaches for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
The Secretary of the Interior outlines four choices for changing a historic building:
 Preservation: focuses on the maintenance and repair of existing historic materials and retention
of a property's form as it has evolved over time.
 Rehabilitation: acknowledges the need to alter or add to a historic property to meet continuing
or changing uses while retaining the property's historic character.
 Restoration: depicts a property at a particular period of time in its history, while removing
evidence of other periods.
 Reconstruction: re-creates vanished or non-surviving portions of a property for interpretive
purposes.
5

4
“Seven Aspects of Integrity,” National Parks Service, accessed August 21, 2013,
http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_8.htm#seven%20aspects.
5
“Treatment of Historic Properties, Overview,” Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, accessed June 14, 2013,
http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/standguide/overview/choose_treat.htm.
116

Rehabilitation
Based on the above criteria, Rehabilitation is the best option for Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum; it allows modernizations to be made as long as the historical character is retained.
Preservation is ruled out, because changes will be made to the stadium, not only repair work.
Restoration would make the stadium less functional and picking a period in history would be difficult
due to its long period of significance. Lastly, the stadium exists, so reconstruction is ruled out.

Standards for Rehabilitation
In the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, there are
ten Standards of Rehabilitation that apply to properties undergoing treatment. These standards are:
1. A property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal
change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships.
2. The historical character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of
distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces, and spatial relationships that
characterize a property will be avoided.
3. Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes
that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features
or elements from other historic properties, will not be undertaken.
4. Changes to a property that have acquired historical significance in their own right will be
retained and preserved.
5. Distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of
craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved.
6. Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity
of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will
match the old in design, color, texture, and, where possible, materials. Replacement of
missing features will be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence.
7. Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, will be undertaken using the gentlest
means possible. Treatments that cause damage to historic materials will not be used.
8. Archeological resources will be protected and preserved in place. If such resources must
be disturbed, mitigation measures will be undertaken.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic
materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new
work shall be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic
materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of
the property and its environment.

117

10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a
manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic
property and its environment would be unimpaired.
6

While the first eight standards focus on existing construction and repair, the last two focus on
new construction. New construction on a NHL property has to be done carefully and thoughtfully, as it
will be scrutinized closely by local preservation advocates and the general public, and if done badly, it
can result in a property being de-listed.

Case Study Modernization and effects on National Register of Historic Places listing
Of the four stadiums, Stanford Stadium was the only one not listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. California Memorial Stadium was listed as a National Register property and the Rose
Bowl and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum are both listed as National Historic Landmarks. It is valuable
to see how each stadium, based on its specific preservation listing, responded to the current standards
of college stadiums, in comfort, modern features, and viability, during its upgrades. An existing
agreement between USC and the Coliseum Commission for proposed modernizations (Appendix A) is
included for context and comparison.
Modernization Stanford
Stadium
California
Memorial
Stadium (NR)
Rose Bowl
Stadium (NHL)
Los Angeles
Memorial
Coliseum (NHL)
Advertising, Naming
Rights.
Yes, portions
named after
donors.
Yes, portions
named after
donors.
No, although
the Rose Bowl
Game has
naming rights.
No, although a
possibility.
Concessions Yes, new.
Previously 51
concession
stands. Now
200, and team
store.
7
250 fans
per point of
sale.
Yes, new.
Previously few
and ‘cavernous’.
Now, many and
easily accessible.
1 point of sale
per 250 fans.
8

Yes, new and
existing.
Previously 92
points of
concession,
now 225.
9
417
fans per point
of sale.
No new, existing
to be updated.
Currently 59
points-of-sale on
exterior and 29 on
concourse.
10

1056 fans per
point of sale.

6
Kay Weeks and Anne Grimmer, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties;
With Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings, (Washington D.C.:
US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnerships and Heritage
Preservation Services, 1995) Pg 62.
7
Jonathan Okanes, “Stanford All Set to Unveil its Renovated Stadium,” Tribune Business News, September 14, 2006.
8
Stacy Finz, “Cal adds Variety to Stadium Food,” SF Gate, August 24, 2012.
9
“Rose Bowl Renovation Plans,” Rose Bowl Stadium Website, accessed August 17, 2013,
http://www.rosebowlstadium.com/RoseBowl-Renovations.php.
10
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena Promoters Guide (Los Angeles, Coliseum Commission, 2012).
118

Modernization Stanford
Stadium
California
Memorial
Stadium (NR)
Rose Bowl
Stadium (NHL)
Los Angeles
Memorial
Coliseum (NHL)
Directional Signage Yes Yes Yes Yes, to be
replaced.
Disabled Accessibility Yes Yes Yes, Specific
areas updated.
Yes, in select
areas.
Event Space – Premium Yes, in press
box.
Yes, in press
box.
Yes, in press
box.
No
Exterior Repair No, all new
stadium.
Yes Yes Yes
Field – Good sightlines Yes, new Yes, existing,
and field
lowered.
Yes, existing Yes, existing.
Field – Fans proximity Yes, 50,000
seats.
Ok, new seating
closer to field
added.
Poor, large
stadium, no
place for
additional
seating.
Ok, large stadium.
Field previously
lowered to
provide 14 rows of
seating nearer
field. Portable
seating added on
field for certain
events.
Life Safety – Fire System Yes, new Yes, new Yes, new and
updated.
Yes, to be updated
and new fixtures
installed.
Life Safety - Ingress/Egress
– Tunnel Widening
Yes, new
tunnels.
Yes, new
tunnels.
Yes, specific
tunnels
widened.
Yes, some tunnels
to be widened.
Media – Current
Standards
Yes Yes Yes Yes, to be
upgraded.
Meets NCAA
Requirements
11

Yes Yes Yes Yes
Press Box Yes, new 4
story press box
features club
seating and
event space.
Yes, new two
story, 375 foot
long box
features 3
classes of club
seating, event
space, and
excellent views.
Yes, new four
story, 450 foot
long box
features 3
classes of club
seating and
event space.
No. Existing two
story 120 foot long
box features no
premium seating
or event space.
12

11
Division One NCAA requirements state that a home football stadium must contain more than 30,000 permanent
seats, and must average $15,000 in actual or paid attendance annually, measured every two years to satisfy the
‘public support’ portion of the NCAA requirements. “NCAA Legalization for Division 1-AA/1-A Football,” UTSA
Athletics Feasibility Study, Accessed July 15, 2013, http://utsa.edu/ucomm/athletics/iv.htm.
12
David Willman, “Coliseum Press Box OK’d for Occupancy; Stadium: City Officials say Suitable Repairs Have Been
Made of Defective Welds. But Disputed Columns are still Untested,” Los Angeles Times, September 5, 1996.
119

Modernization Stanford
Stadium
California
Memorial
Stadium (NR)
Rose Bowl
Stadium (NHL)
Los Angeles
Memorial
Coliseum (NHL)
Restrooms Yes, new.
Before 154
women’s
toilets. Now
there are 240.
13

Per current
standards there
should be
1,000.
Yes, new. Many
additional
restroom
locations. No
trough in men’s
room.
14

Yes, new &
updated.
Previously
there were 733
fixtures, now
there are
1,000.
15
94 fans
per toilet.
No additional
fixtures or
restrooms
planned. Updated
fixtures to be
installed.
Scoreboards/videoboards Yes, new Yes, new.
Within historic
enclosure.
Yes, new.
Within historic
enclosure.
Yes and no. New
giant scoreboard.
Two existing
videoboards
(somewhat
historic) to be
updated at a later
date.
Seating – Number 50,000 63,000 92,500 93,000
Seating – Multiple Options Yes Yes Yes No. Seating is to
be upgraded, but
not with multiple
types.
Seating – Premium
Available
Yes Yes Yes No.
Seating – Ample knee
room
Yes Yes No No, except at seats
next to the field,
added previously.
Seismic Safety N/A UC rating of
‘Very Good’
UC rating of
‘Good’
USC rating of
‘Good to Poor’
Suburban location with
plenty of parking
Yes Somewhat,
parking is an
issue.
Yes No
Table6.1: Current collegiate stadium standards in regards to the case study upgrades. Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum updates are per the existing USC/Coliseum Commission agreement in Appendix A. Table by Author.

Even with listing on the National Register, California Memorial Stadium and the Rose Bowl were
able to accomplish most of the upgrades necessary to provide a state-of-the-art and financially viable
stadium. As can be seen from Table 6.1, it seems Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum focuses on repair and

13
Okanes, “Stanford All Set to Unveil its Renovated Stadium.”
14
”California Memorial Stadium,” Yelp, accessed August 17, 2013, http://www.yelp.com/biz/california-memorial-
stadium-berkeley.
15
“Rose Bowl Renovation Plans,” Rose Bowl Stadium Website.
120

modernization of the aging stadium; upgrades common to the late modern period (1953-1991) of
stadium design. The upgrades seem to ignore most of the comfort and money-making enterprises that
fans today expect and take for granted in a modern stadium, things that were accomplished at other
stadiums.

Adherence to the Standards for Rehabilitation
It is important, from a preservation standpoint, to compare how well the case study stadiums
kept to the Secretary of the Interior’s standards during their recent rehabilitations as it relates to their
National Register of Historic Places status and character-defining features.
Standards for Rehabilitation Stanford Stadium California Memorial
Stadium (NR)
Rose Bowl Stadium
(NHL)
Property used as it was
previously.
Yes Yes Yes
Character-defining features
remain.
Yes
16
Yes Yes
Structure remains as a record
of its time, place, and use.
No Yes Yes
Properties that have acquired
historical significance in their
own right are retained.
No No, possibly on the interior
concourse.
Yes
Distinctive materials, features,
finishes, and construction
techniques remain.
No Yes, on the exterior,
although all interior
finishes have been
replaced.
Yes
Deteriorated historic features
are repaired, and missing
examples researched before
being replaced.
No Yes, on the exterior. Yes
Chemical or physical
treatments were undertaken
using the gentlest means
possible.
No Yes Yes
Archeological resources
preserved and protected.
N/A N/A N/A
New construction
differentiated and compatible
with historic stadium.
No, all new. Yes. Interior renovations
blend in to exterior walls
while the new press box,
modern in design, floats
above the stadium. New
press box same height and
width as previous.
Yes. The press box
matches the character of
the stadium, but does
not copy any existing
design. New press box
same height as previous.

16
See Stanford Stadium chapter for issues with character-defining features as defined by Stanford.
121

If new construction is removed
it will not affect the form or
integrity of the historic
stadium.
No, all new. No in principle, as the
entire interior of stadium
is new. Yes, if only the
press box is considered.
Yes.

Integrity Stanford Stadium California Memorial Rose Bowl
Location No, new stadium
is within the
footprint of the
previous one.
Yes Yes
Setting No Yes, mostly. Yes
Design No Yes, except for press box. Yes
Materials No Yes, except in press box,
gutted interior, and
seismic dampers.
Yes
Workmanship N/A Yes Yes
Feeling No Yes, mentioned in multiple
sources.
Yes
Association No Yes, mentioned in multiple
sources
Yes
Table6.2: Secretary of the Interior’s Standards kept during case study upgrades. Table by Author.

As can be seen above, in Table 6.2, the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards were successfully
used at both California Memorial Stadium and at the Rose Bowl.

Existing Lease Agreement
As mentioned in the Case Study chapter on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, per the current
lease agreement of 2008, certain upgrades need to be made before April 1, 2014. The changes are
broken down into two sections, Category One (most important) and Category Two (secondary
importance). There are twenty-five items listed under ‘general’ and three listed under ‘locker rooms’ for
Category One. Category Two of the existing lease agreement features two items under ‘stadium
seating,’ fourteen under ‘fire/live safety and ADA related,’ twenty-two under ‘general,’ and seven under
‘locker rooms.’ (See Appendix A).
17
How these future upgrades will affect the historical character of the
stadium was not discussed in the agreement, but is of great importance to a National Historic Landmark
property. The below table compares the existing character-defining features listed in the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum case study chapter to the changes that may affect them listed in the existing lease
agreement(Table 6.3). Some of the major points will be discussed later in the chapter.

17
Amended and Restated Lease and Agreement between Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission and
University of Southern California.

122

Character-Defining Features Lease Agreement Modernization Preservation Notes
Arched Peristyle with bronze
torch, signage, and travertine
finish.
 Exterior Coliseum façade
cleaning.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Built –up roof replacement. Use care when installing.
 Peristyle, torch cleaning, and
repainting.
This is disconcerting since the
Peristyle and torch are not
painted. When cleaning use
the least gentlest means
possible. See Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
Stadium Bowl including concrete
structure and concourses.
 Fire alarm system upgrade. No specific impact.
 Restoration of athletic turf and
drainage.
No specific impact.
 Exterior Coliseum façade
cleaning.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Cold box refrigeration
installation- concourse.
Use care when installing.
 Replace sprinkler heads –
concourse.
Use care when installing.
 Replace self-illuminating exit
signs / Interior and exterior ADA
signage upgrades.
Use care when removing and
installing. Place in a location
that does not detract from
the historic stadium.
 Overhead concrete spalling repair
work.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Stadium seating upgrades and
replacements.
Use care when removing and
installing, use similar style.
See Seating below.
 Stadium seating area concrete
substrate repairs.
Use care when repairing; see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Concourse stair egress
reconstruction work / upgrade
interior stair handrails.
Major impact to specific
stairwells and all handrails.
See Tunnel Widening below
for similar suggestions.
 Handrail improvements in
stadium seating areas.
Use California State Historic
Building Code as necessary.
 Exhaust fan replacement –
concourse.
Use care when replacing.
 Water heater replacement –
concourse level.
Use care when replacing.
123

Character-Defining Features Lease Agreement Modernization Preservation Notes
 Concourse cleaning and
repainting.
Use the gentlest means
possible. See Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
Concrete Tunnels leading to
seating.
 Exterior Coliseum façade
cleaning.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Overhead concrete spalling repair
work.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Tunnel cleaning and repainting. Use the gentlest means
possible. See Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
 Exterior emergency egress and
directional signage / Interior and
exterior ADA signage upgrades.
Use care when removing and
installing. Place in a location
that does not detract from
the historic stadium.
 Stadium seating vertical access
improvements.
With installation of an
elevator, care needs to be
made where it touches the
stadium walls, see Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
Earthen Berm with landscaping.  Ornamental landscaping
restoration
Take care to use similar
plants when replacing
existing species. Do not
remove healthy plants. Use
the historic landscaping
report as a guide.
Police Building, with addition.  Exterior Coliseum façade
cleaning.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Built-up roof replacement. Use care when installing.
 Upgrade electrical distribution. Use care when installing.
 Install HVAC systems. Use care when installing.
 Comprehensive freight elevator
modernization.
Use care when working on
existing elevator.
 Major interior upgrade. See Police Building for an
idea as to what this could be.
 General security system
upgrades.
Use care when installing.
 Selective exterior window and
door upgrades.
This is of concern, since no
specific location is
mentioned. Instead of
replacing possible character-
defining doors and windows;
repair.
97

YEAR/ERA CHANGE FUNDING REASON FOR CHANGE
upgrades.
 New press box.
21

1968  Peristyle covered by marble
veneer.
 New folding and theatre style
seating added.
22

Coliseum Commission Aesthetic, Revenue
1971  New computerized
scoreboard (1972).
 New shade cover (1975).
23

Coliseum Commission Aesthetic , Modernization
1984 – for
Olympics
Described Below:
 Pastel paint scheme.
 Two new video boards above
the peristyle.
 Upgrades to restrooms and
concessions.
 New synthetic track.
Coliseum Commission,
City of Los Angeles,
County of Los Angeles
Modernization, Revenue
1993 – for
Raiders and
USC
 Level of the field lowered
eleven feet.
 Original running track
surrounding the field
removed.
 Fourteen additional rows of
seats added(8,000 seats) of
seating right next to the field,
with a minimum of fifty four
feet from the sidelines as
opposed to the previous 120
feet.
 Concrete pad laid on field for
additional removable seating
added.
 Locker rooms upgraded.
 Restrooms were upgraded .
 Removable seating was added
on the field near the peristyle
for additional excellent
views.
24

Coliseum Commission
– Cost $15 million.
Revenue, Modernization.
Architect was HNTB.

21
Frank Finch, “Dodgers Set to make Decision on Coliseum,” Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1957; Epting, Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 8.
22
National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pg. 5.
23
Ibid. pg. 5.
24
“Los Angeles Coliseum Suffers in Quake,” Architecture, April 1994, pg. 113; Epting, Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum, pg. 8; “USC Trojans Football Website,” Accessed July 9, 2013, http://www.usctrojans.com/facilities/usc-
memorial-coliseum.html.
124

Character-Defining Features Lease Agreement Modernization Preservation Notes
 Outbuilding cleaning and
repainting.
Use the gentlest means
possible. See Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
 Interior finishes restoration –
outbuildings.
Use care when restoring
interior finishes. Meet the
Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards.
Top tier of seating and tunnels.  Overhead concrete spalling repair
work.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Stadium seating upgrades and
replacements.
Use care when removing and
installing, use similar style.
See Seating below.
 Stadium seating area concrete
substrate repairs.
Use care when repairing; see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Concourse cleaning and
repainting.
Use the gentlest means
possible. See Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
 Handrail improvements in
stadium seating areas.
Use CHBC as necessary.
 Stadium seating vertical access
improvements.
With installation of an
elevator, care needs to be
made where it touches the
stadium walls, see Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
Administration Buildings.  Stadium seating area concrete
substrate repairs.
Use care when repairing; see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Replace HVAC. No specific impact.
 Built-up roof replacement. Use care when installing.
 Outbuilding cleaning and
repainting.
Use the gentlest means
possible. See Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
 Selective exterior window and
door upgrades.
This is of concern, since no
specific location is
mentioned. As opposed to
replacing possible character-
defining doors and windows;
repair.
Ticket Booths.  Exterior Coliseum façade
cleaning.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
125

Character-Defining Features Lease Agreement Modernization Preservation Notes
 Selective exterior window and
door upgrades.
This is of concern, since no
specific location is
mentioned. As opposed to
replacing possible character-
defining doors and windows;
repair.
 Built-up roof replacement. Use care when installing.

 Exterior emergency egress and
directional signage / Interior and
exterior ADA signage upgrades.
Use care when removing and
installing. Place in a location
that does not detract from
the historic stadium.
 Outbuilding cleaning and
repainting.
Use the gentlest means
possible. See Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
 Interior finishes restoration –
outbuildings.
Use care when restoring
interior finishes. Meet the
Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards.
Exterior Concession
Stands/Restrooms.

Note: Existence of exterior
concession/restroom buildings
more important than individual
contents.
 Service Equipment upgrades. No specific impact.
 Exterior Coliseum façade
cleaning.
Must be done correctly, see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below.
 Modify restrooms for disabled
accessibility.
No specific interior impact.
For exterior impact see
Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
below. Also see Accessibility
and More Concessions and
Restrooms.
 Install automatic flush valves and
faucets.
Use care when installing. See
More Concessions and
Restrooms below.
 Water heater replacement. Use care when replacing.
 Selective exterior window and
door upgrades.
This is of concern, since no
specific location is
mentioned. As opposed to
replacing possible character-
defining doors and windows;
repair.
 Outbuilding cleaning and
repainting.
Use the gentlest means
possible. See Exterior
Repairs/Cleaning below.
Table 6.3–Character-defining features and lease agreement modernizations that may affect them. Table by Author.
126

The repairs above are similar to those successfully completed at other case study stadiums, with
many creating little to no impact on the character-defining features of the stadium. Some specific
repairs that were more intrusive are discussed below.

Accessibility
A whole section of the lease agreement renovation is dedicated to ‘handicapped access.’
Current standards require that wheelchair and companion seats be provided in all areas of the stadium,
not isolated from the rest of the seating, and provided with good sight lines, not blocked by standing
patrons.
18
At all other case studies, changes were made to allow disabled fans access to all floors of the
stadium including the press box, concessions, and restrooms. These areas were not accessible before.
In the 1920s, there was no such thing as disabled accessibility rights, and stadiums from that era
reflect this. Access to many parts of the stadium are by stair, or at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,
by escalator. At the Coliseum, people with wheelchairs were often relegated to the edges of walkways,
where the tunnel comes through from the exterior. It is the only accessible area without having to climb
stairs, thus making much of the stadium inaccessible. Similarly, although there is an elevator that leads
to the press box, only one floor is accessible. During the rehabilitation this is set to be remedied. As a
National Historic Landmark, the California State Historic Building Code (CHBC) can be a place to turn
when deciding what parts of the stadium can be made accessible to disabled visitors, as full accessibility
is not required, due to the era of construction and NHL status of the stadium.

Exterior Repairs/Cleaning
A conditions assessment and materials report should be done by a qualified engineer, building
scientist, and architectural conservator before work is begun to determine the strength, quality, and
load-carrying ability of the existing material. For surfaces requiring specialized treatment, engineering
and building science investigations should be done to better understand the material, existing
conditions, and recommendations for treatment. For example, if the marble veneer, added in the
1960s, to the peristyle is ever to be removed, the above course of action would need to be undertaken
to better understand the quality of the board-formed concrete underneath.
Concrete cleaning and repair should be done carefully with the least impact to the existing
structure. As mentioned in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, care must be

18
Chad Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility: Developing an Ideal Type on the Evolution of
Professional Baseball and Football Structures,” (Dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005). pg. 250-251.
127

taken whenever touching the historic fabric when there is uncertainty in the underlying structure or
finishes. The standards state that it is preferable to, “clean masonry surfaces with the gentlest method
possible, such as low pressure water and detergents, using natural bristle brushes.”
19
For spalling they
suggest, “Cutting damaged concrete back to remove the source of deterioration (often corrosion on
metal reinforcement bars). The new patch must be applied carefully so it will bond satisfactorily with,
and match, the historic concrete.”
20

The Rose Bowl responded to issues of exterior cleaning and concrete spalling in their historic
structures report by requiring that “any exterior cleaning and treatment of existing concrete be done
with a permeable coating, to allow water through and with a similar concrete mix in strength,
composition color and surface texture. All corroded steel must be coated and spalled surfaces
patched.”
21
This was done in accordance to the Secretary of the Interior’s standards. The exterior
concrete walls at California Memorial Stadium went through a similar procedure, where the exterior was
cleaned of biological growth, spalling repaired, added paint removed, and a new layer of mineral stain
applied to the exterior of the stadium to protect it from future growth and repainting issues.
22

Police Building
The three story Police Building, located on the west side of the stadium, is specifically
mentioned multiple times in the list of scheduled upgrades. During the most recent Seismic Assessment
of the Coliseum in 2012, the three story reinforced concrete with hollow clay tile infill building was rated
Performance Level C-.
23
This means that the structure poses a serious life-safety threat during a seismic
event. It is assumed that during the installation of HVAC and new electrical system, the structural
system will be strengthened. All changes should be made to the interior of the building to not adversely
impact the exterior façade. Any new or widened exterior separation joints should not be excessive, but
integrated into the existing Coliseum design. The future use of the police building is not stated, but with
these repairs and modernizations, the building could be used again as the police building, with a
detention facility for unruly fans, and a monitoring center for surveillance cameras.

19
Kay Weeks, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, pg. 68.
20
Ibid. pg. 69.
21
Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl (Pasadena: Historic Resources Group, October
1997) pg4.
22
Frederic Knapp (Knapp Architects), e-mail message with author, April 16, 2013.
23
Seismic Assessment of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, Nabih Youssef Associates, March 14,
2012)Pg 4; Building Evaluation Police Building at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, HNTB, June 30,
1995). Pg 1.
128

Tunnel Widening/ Egress & Life Safety
At the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum there are two levels of approximately nine foot wide
tunnels.
24
The lower set of twenty eight tunnels lead straight from the exterior to the interior of the
stadium, between the lower and middle seating area. The second set of thirty tunnels leads from the
exterior to the concourse, then to the interior between the middle and upper seating area. Egress
widening of tunnels, and similar stairways, will most likely be comparable to the tunnel widening that
occurred at the Rose Bowl, another NHL property. At the Rose Bowl there is a single row of twenty-
eight tunnels, seven feet wide. During the current rehabilitation, twelve of these tunnels are being
widened, from seven feet to fifteen feet, as noted in the Rose Bowl case study chapter, for egress
reasons. This involves the dismantling of the arroyo stone retaining wall, widening the tunnel using
board formed concrete, and then repairing the stone retaining wall. At the Coliseum, the widening of
the tunnels will be less intensive due to the lack of decorative retaining wall, although more tunnels will
need intervention. The tunnels should be expanded to the new width, and a board formed concrete
texture applied in keeping with the original historic texture, while being differentiated from the original.
Similarly to the Rose Bowl, not all tunnels should be widened, as their widening changes character-
defining features of the stadium. The minimal number of tunnels should be widened to accomplish their
goals of egress and life safety, as well as mobile accessibility to all guests.

Historic Stadium Constraints:
When working with a historic structure, there are challenges, often based on things that cannot
be easily updated, because alterations would substantially impact historical character. These can be
seen in the cases of the Rose Bowl and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in regards to knee space, and
California Memorial Stadium, Rose Bowl, and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, to varying degrees, when
fan proximity is mentioned. How one takes on these challenges will determine whether the project is
successful by first, meeting programmatic requirements and secondly, by retaining historical character.

Seating
As learned from the other case studies, from a viability standpoint, multiple seating options are
imperative to increased revenue. Higher ticket prices can be charged for better seats and fans prefer a
comfy seat. Currently, all permanent seats at the Coliseum are individual theatre style seats. This

24
“RTKL Coliseum NFL Upgrade Plans,” (Los Angeles, RTKL, 2006 RTKL).
129

means that for the most part, they are comfortable but provide little seating aisle access way width
(knee room) or tiered pricing options. With different types of seating different prices can be charged for
each seating type (Figure 6.1).

Figure 6.1: Multiple seating options at California Memorial Stadium. Photo by newscenter.berkeley.edu.
All case study stadiums profiled in this thesis had tight knee space due to a narrow seating aisle
access way width (treads), normal for stadiums in the 1920s. It is a major issue for historic stadiums
these days and often one of the major reasons cited for their destruction. Part of the reason for the
destruction and rebuilding of the seating at California Memorial and Stanford Stadium, was to increase
the tread width between seats, allowing for more knee space. Each concrete seating riser at the
Coliseum is thirty inches wide, making a tight fit when the theatre style seating was installed.
25
In a
comparison between old Yankee Stadium (1923) and new Yankee Stadium (2009), seat widths were
increased very little, by a couple of inches, yet legroom between rows increased from twenty-nine and a
half inches to either thirty-three or thirty-nine inches, depending on seating type.
26
With a tread width
of thirty inches, the leg room at the Coliseum is only an inch longer than 1923 Yankee Stadium. At the
Rose Bowl, studies were done on bench and theatre style seating. The findings showed that bench seats
gave more space, but the theatre style seating was more marketable.
27
A compromise must be reached
between added comfort and authenticity of the existing stadium, as the tread width of the stadium
cannot be changed. To change the tread the stadium would have to be destroyed and rebuilt, and

25
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Renovation plans, Page A2.3. (Los Angeles, HNTB, March 1, 1993).
26
Stadium Comparison, Yankee Stadium website, accessed June 19, 2013,
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/new_stadium_comparison.jsp.
27
Peyton Hall (Historic Resources Group), E-mail message with author, July 7, 2013.
130

National Historic Landmark status revoked. A study should be conducted comparing the different
seating products available that increase knee space for historic stadiums, as this is an issue that affects a
wide range of stadiums. The author would suggest that theatre style seating made for tight treads be
used in the bottom sections of the Coliseum, to increase knee space, and increase profit by using
theatre style seats. The author also suggests bench seats be installed at the top third of the stadium,
where knee space is less of an issue, and lower prices can be charged for those who are not willing to
pay for the lower theatre seats. This also allows for quicker egress of the top rows should need arise.
Due to the large size and elongated configuration of the Coliseum’s field, a large concrete pad
was added behind the eastern goalpost, and is used for a solid location to place concert stages and
other sets that need a firm foundation. If seating closer to the action is needed, although the location at
the end-zone is not preferred, temporary seating supported by the existing concrete pad can be used, so
as to not disrupt the existing field.

Fan Proximity
It is difficult to provide fan seating near the action in large stadiums, especially in upper seats.
Stanford boasts the intimate atmosphere in their new stadium, now with only 50,000 seats and a lower
concourse beginning just forty-five feet from the side line.
28
The closeness of seats creates a more
intimate, loud, and active stadium. This is difficult to achieve in existing stadiums that seat more than
60,000 fans, without entirely rebuilding the stadium as Stanford did. Historic stadiums were designed
for volume not intimacy. Today’s new NFL stadiums hold around 50,000 fans, similar to Stanford
Stadium.
29
They are also designed in a similar way, with multiple tiers of seating, large concourses, and
lots of knee room. College stadiums often try to emulate NFL stadiums, while at the same time, many
colleges are proud of their behemoth 75,000+ person stadiums from the early 1900s, need the capacity,
and would never change them. Modern technology, such as the new videoboard at the Coliseum,
showing the game on its screen, helps fans farther from the field see what is going on and be part of the
action without compromising the historic design and integrity of the stadium. Although most fans are
farther from the field than at a modern stadium, most collegiate fans, given the option, would choose
their traditional stadium over a new one, which could be a reason for the large number of historic
college stadiums still in use today, as discussed in Chapter 1.

28
Okanes, “Stanford All Set to Unveil its Renovated Stadium.”
29
See Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum chapter for notes on the Raider’s difficulty selling enough seats at the
Coliseum to get their games aired on Los Angeles television.
131

Another area that is separated from the fans is the concourse, where restrooms and concessions
are located. The design of early 1920’s stadiums focused on the bowl shape, with the concourse behind
often an afterthought, or like at Stanford Stadium, added later. The ‘back of house’ aspect of this space
means that there is no view of the game, as it is blocked by the concrete seating risers, and sound is
blocked by the risers as well. Therefore, many televisions showing the game going on outside and
stereo equipment with a live broadcast should be installed in the concourse area, like at California
Memorial Stadium, so fans who are accessing that space do not miss what is going on at the field while
waiting in lines for restrooms or concessions.
30

Fortunately, due to the Coliseum’s original purpose as a multi-use stadium, the field, with its
massive size, and elongated shape, is larger than necessary for most field sports like football and soccer,
which allows them to play on the field without changes.
31
The large field size is ideal for other activities,
like filling the stadium with dirt tracks for motocross, or X-games. The size of the stadium creates
financial opportunities for the Coliseum not found at other nearby stadiums.

Urban Impacts
As the only urban stadium studied, and a publicly owned one, the Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum faces a greater quantity of local politics and intervention from competing interests than the
other stadiums. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is surrounded by neighbors who welcome major
improvements, and new avenues for job creation, unlike the other stadiums studied, whose neighbors
seemed to care more about reducing noise and traffic. The council person representing this district is
Bernard Parks, a member of the Coliseum Commission.
The main neighbor to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a voice in the community is USC,
whose football team calls the stadium home. USC will have to be kept abreast of all construction done,
and have a say in issues that pertain to their ability to host football games, and cleanliness of the site.
Local activist and preservation groups, such as the Los Angeles Conservancy will also have a voice in
what is done to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
If USC takes control of the rehabilitation, there will be less vocal community, but perhaps louder
governmental impacts as the roles are reversed and the Coliseum Commission takes on an oversight
role. Local activist and preservation groups will have a voice in this scenario as well.

30
This was something the author experienced at the Rose Bowl and wish she hadn’t.
31
Unlike the changes the Rose Bowl made for soccer, which had an adverse effect on the historic integrity of the
stadium, these changes were substantially mitigated in the current Rose Bowl project.
132

The three other stadiums profiled had to consider the voice of their neighbors during their
changes in negative ways; by limiting the number of events, like at the Rose Bowl, reducing noise and
traffic, like at Stanford or being taken to court by them, like U.C. Berkeley. If the Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum undergoes new construction and large changes, the community seems favorable to new
opportunities created.
At the same time, the urban location, and lack of reasonably priced parking nearby ($80 to park
at the Coliseum during concerts), create viability issues not faced by Stanford Stadium or Rose Bowl
stadium. The lack of parking, and difficulty getting in and out, is hard to manage for people who are
used to free and efficient parking. Parking and street traffic near the Coliseum, upon exiting the
freeway, although not a historic preservation issue, are by far the worst thing about the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum. Fortunately the new Metro Expo line has a station at Exposition Park, which is able
to defer some of the parking issues and may be a major contributor to reduced parking issues in the
future. During the upcoming rehabilitation these issues must be discussed and remedied, because this
issue has a major impact on ticket sales.

Historic Preservation:
Although the entire project is a historic preservation project, two areas of the stadium have lost
their historic integrity due to removal and addition; the running track was removed when additional
seating was added and two large video boards were added above the historic peristyle for the 1984
Olympics.

Running Track Restoration
All four stadiums have made changes to put fans nearer the action. Running tracks surrounding
early multi-use stadium created separation of fan from action. California Memorial was the only
stadium of our case studies not originally designed with a running track. At the Rose Bowl, a hedge of
rose bushes further separated fans from the field--this feature is being put back during the current
rehabilitation, without the running track. None of the case studies have retained their running tracks,
with the Coliseum’s track removed in 1993 when the field was lowered and fourteen rows of new
seating with ample knee room was added along the sidelines. Lowering the field was often done
because television cameras and fans in lower seats had trouble getting good views of the field. These
sub-par views were listed as a reason for the Stanford Stadium demolition. California Memorial Stadium
had the same problem, but followed the path of the Coliseum; the field was lowered, and additional
133

theatre-style seating, with added knee room, was installed right next to the sidelines, creating a more
intimate experience for fans, and better views for television cameras.
In the case of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum however, the running track removal
destroyed a part of the National Historic Landmark’s designation. The running track would have been a
character-defining feature, visible and used in Olympic games, and should be replaced during the
upcoming rehabilitation because it is one of the most visible reminders that the stadium was used for
the Olympics. This track should be replaced around the edge of the existing field. Accomplishing this,
while not losing the good views, knee space and closeness to the game that the new seating provides
may be difficult, but should be discussed amongst the design team.

Scoreboards/videoboards
The scoreboards/videoboards at the Coliseum are not original. The new 150’ by forty foot
Daktronics videoboard is supported independently, except for lateral bracing, and located on the west
side of the stadium above the police building. It was added in 2011, and is gigantic and overpowering.
The videoboard does not meet the Standards in regards to new additions, because the screen takes
away from the integrity of the stadium due to the board’s incompatibility of size, scale and proportion to
the existing stadium. The impact is reduced because the videoboard is separate from the existing
stadium, with a gap between the top of the stadium and the bottom of the videoboard (Figure 5.4).
The two thirty-three feet by forty-four foot videoboards located on the peristyle were added for
the 1984 Olympics, at the same time the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was becoming a National
Historic Landmark and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards were in their infancy. The videoboards
are not complimentary to the peristyle. These two screens detract from the most recognized character-
defining feature of the stadium, as well as the 1932 Olympics, but at the same time, are character-
defining features on their own, from the 1984 Olympics (Figure 5.6). These two screens should be
removed, as they detract from the views around the stadium, and the view of the peristyle from both
the exterior and interior, compromising the ‘setting’ and ‘feeling’ integrity of the historic stadium(Figure
6.2) (Figure 6.3). New options that do not touch the historic fabric of the stadium should be considered,
such as boards that are supported on the exterior, and hover above the peristyle at either end, above
the clocks, and provide advertising or promotional information on the other side, or are painted to not
stand out. Videoboards are necessary for fans to have a better viewing experience from far away. The
existence of eastern videoboards is important, but they should not touch the historic structure of the
peristyle or take away from its integrity.
134

Figure 6.2: The two video boards located above the peristyle, viewed from the interior, 1993. Photo by Nabih Youssef
Associates.

Figure 6.3: Video boards above the peristyle, viewed from the exterior. Photo by Author.

135

Missing Revenue Driven Upgrades:
As explained in the Context chapter, and shown in each additional case study, current stadiums
are a money making enterprise, especially during the last thirty years. Stadium management has used
multiple options, at multiple pay scales, to get guests to spend money. There is nothing in the list of
upgrades in the existing lease agreement between Coliseum Commission and USC that suggests any sort
of revenue driven upgrades will be implemented. Hopefully, financially viable, preservation-sensitive
options such as premium seating, more restrooms and concessions, and most of all, a new luxury press
box will be integrated into the rehabilitation.

Funding
Funding this rehabilitation will differ depending on who manages the process. If the Coliseum
Commission manages it, money will be gathered by future naming rights and extreme advertising (not
preferred), or a non-profit will be created that people can donate to, although this may not be too
successful based on recent misappropriation of funds by the Coliseum Commission. As mentioned in the
case study chapter, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is not supported by public funds, so no
government funding can go into the rehabilitation.
32
If USC manages the rehabilitation they will likely,
as a private institution, begin a fund raising campaign, and alumni will donate money and have new
additions named after them like at Stanford and California Memorial Stadium and advertizing will be
done in a modest way (preferred). If extra funding is necessary, it will probably be made by pre-selling
premium seating, which was the approach taken at California Memorial Stadium, and the approach
most of the stadiums took during their initial fundraising campaigns in the 1920s.
As we have learned in the previous case studies, rehabilitations often go over budget due to
unforeseen circumstances: incorrect as-built drawings, structural issues, and possible inexperience with
historic structure budgeting on the part of the cost estimators. Whoever manages the project should
expect cost overruns and plan for them from the early stages of design with an added contingency built
into the proforma.

More Concessions and Restrooms
Concessions and restrooms are something fans expect and demand. Professional studies
conclude that every minute people wait in line at concessions or restrooms has the potential to deter

32
“Coliseum Commission Page,” Coliseum website, accessed 8/23/13,
http://www.lacoliseumlive.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=71.
136

spending at the stadium. Therefore, current facilities provide one point-of-sale per 150-200 visitors,
encouraging people to return again and again with the short lines. Concessions make up twenty-eight
percent of a stadium’s revenue.
33
Current stadium restrooms provide one fixture per 100 men, and one
fixture for every fifty ladies, reducing wait times, and encouraging repeat visits.
34
At the Rose Bowl, all
restrooms were upgraded with automatic flushing mechanisms and faucets, and the overall layout of
the restrooms was enlarged to accommodate more fixtures. More restroom fixtures provide a speedier
return to the game for fans, and more prospects for concessions. As discussed in the previous case
studies, if fans expect to have to wait in a twenty minute line to use a restroom at a game, they will
drink less, or not at all, similar to waiting in line for twenty minutes for a hot dog at concessions. The
closer restrooms and concessions are to the stands the better, as fans can get back to the game quickly
and not waste time.
Some ways the Coliseum can create more restroom facilities on the concourse, is to re-arrange
the existing restrooms to make them more functional, add new fixtures and expedite the restroom
experience by putting similar fixtures together. Creating more restrooms closer together along the
concourse, as opposed to few restrooms spread out would also be beneficial. Existing offices and
storage rooms along the concourse should be removed and financially lucrative enterprises installed
such as concessions or a team store. Although the concourse is narrow, a rearrangement of spaces
would provide more opportunities for concessions, restrooms, and souvenirs.

New Construction
New construction will most likely be part of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum rehabilitation
although it is not listed specifically in the current agreement. It will probably take place, should USC
take control. The new work needs to also follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for
Rehabilitation. The main construction project, from a viability standpoint should be a new press box
although as mentioned above, new restrooms, concessions, and videoscreens are also suggested.

The Press Box
A new press box must be included in the rehabilitation because of the large financial gain
associated with such a structure. Most revenue for a stadium is made by luxury boxes and club seating.
In the other case studies, this area was located in the press box, above the fifty yard line, with a view of

33
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg.248, 249.
34
Sifried, “An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility,” pg.248.
137

the entire stadium.
35
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum should follow the example of the other
stadiums. California Memorial Stadium and Rose Bowl Stadium, both listed on the National Register of
Historic Places, have new, massive, press boxes that are self supporting, and do not lean on the historic
stadium. All three case study press boxes feature plush indoor and outdoor seating for fans raised
above the field. The new press box should follow the existing curve of the stadium, meet the Secretary
of the Interior’s Standards for additions, and be complementary to the existing design of the stadium
while not overpowering. The new press box should be hung over the existing stadium, similar to the
one at California Memorial Stadium, while being supported from above like the current Coliseum press
box. This creative structural solution was designed in 1994, so as to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for new additions.

Retention of Historical character
The Coliseum is not just a football stadium, it is known for so much more. As a National Historic
Landmark, the Coliseum represents more than just a ‘good’ example of a cultural resource, it represents
an ‘excellent’ example, one that needs to be preserved in a way that keeps it viable for years to come.
As shown in the tables above, a rehabilitation that keeps the historical character, and National Historic
Landmark status of the Coliseum is possible, and with the suggestions above implemented, the stadium
will be fully funded and able to meet the needs of sports fans for many years to come.

35
Historic Structure Report and Preservation Plan for the Rose Bowl (Pasadena: Historic Resources Group, October
1997) pg252, 254.
138

Conclusion

Based on the case studies of the early 1920s California collegiate football stadiums, Stanford
Stadium, California Memorial Stadium, Rose Bowl Stadium, and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, many
similarities were shown. During the late modern years (1950s to early 1990s) of the stadiums, upgrades
were common, such as technology with little emphasis on money making enterprises. Currently (since
the mid-1990s), the majority of upgrades have been based on making money and keeping the stadiums
financially viable. During all three rehabilitations, the stadiums built new, expansive press boxes with
premium seating and premium amenities to draw in wealthy fans, and have doubled the number of
concession stands and restrooms for all fans. Stadiums have added premium seating right next to the
field, have tried to include disabled fans, and make fans comfortable, which can be difficult in a stadium
designed ninety years ago, when standards were different.
As can be seen on the graphs in the Analysis chapter, all these renovations, and money making
improvements can be accomplished within the boundaries of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.
And the two stadiums listed on the National Register of Historic Places kept their existing designation
while making new additions that were compatible with the existing stadium. Based on the upgrades
listed under category one and two of on the existing lease agreement between the Coliseum
Commission and USC, it seems the rehabilitation of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, set to begin
next year, is designed to repair existing deficiencies and provide ADA and life/safety upgrades, while not
incorporating money making ventures. It is suggested that the Coliseum include sympathetically
designed items like a new press box, premium seating, and more concessions if the stadium wishes to
become, and remain viable.
Some aspects that were not discussed in this thesis, but are interesting topics; include
comparing and contrasting what is necessary for a college football stadium with what is necessary for an
NFL stadium. Professional teams tear down their historic stadiums and build new ones, why does
historic character not matter when titles and records mean so much? A thesis on how to make a historic
NFL stadium meet current NFL standards would be fascinating. Comparing California’s historic collegiate
stadiums and the historic preservation laws and seismic laws that govern them compared to those in
other states, or even other countries would produce similarities, but also unforeseen differences.
Comparing the revenue made by the NCAA and NFL, by what their stadiums offer fans, and which is
more successful would be a good topic. Comparing the fan revenue of rehabilitated stadiums compared
to un-rehabilitated venues is a similar topic of interest. Lastly, a pro-forma analysis of new stadium
139

costs compared to costs associated with a National Register listed stadium, which can utilize tax credits,
Historic Building Code, and other deductions would be interesting to read.

140

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Appendix
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154

155

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This thesis aims to provide, through case study analysis of the four large (over 50,000 seat) early California collegiate stadiums, Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto (1921), The Rose Bowl in Pasadena (1922), the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923), and California Memorial Stadium (1923), best practice guidelines for the upcoming rehabilitation of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a National Historic Landmark. These case studies will examine the four historic stadiums from construction in the early 1920s, to current day, where all but the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has undergone a recent major renovation or rehabilitation before their 100th anniversaries. The scope of these rehabilitations and current modernizations will be analyzed, to provide a set of best practices for the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum based on information gained from the other stadiums. This information could also be pertinent to other rehabilitations of early collegiate stadiums outside California.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Cowell, Jennifer L. (author)

Core Title Keeping a historic collegiate stadium viable: best practices for the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum rehabilitation

School School of Architecture

Degree Master of Historic Preservation

Degree Program Historic Preservation

Publication Date 10/01/2013

Defense Date 10/01/2013

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag 1920's college football stadiums,best practices,California football stadiums,California Memorial Stadium,Coliseum,college football,college football stadiums,football stadium rehabilitation,Historic Preservation,Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,OAI-PMH Harvest,preservation,Rehabilitation,Stanford Stadium,the Rose Bowl,USC

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Sandmeier, Trudi (committee chair), Hall, Peyton (committee member), Lesak, John (committee member)

Creator Email jennylcowell@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-333909

Unique identifier UC11296213

Identifier etd-CowellJenn-2067.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-333909 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-CowellJenn-2067.pdf

Dmrecord 333909

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Cowell, Jennifer L.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA