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University of Kansas fans will finally get to experience the newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium this weekend, 33 months after the initial vision was announced.
The $450 million project, which began with demolition in December 2023, marks the completion of Phase One of the Gateway District development.
“I have no idea how I'm going to feel on Saturday other than some butterflies and a lot of excitement,” said Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff.
For those involved in the project, it’s time for the final touches: unpacking merchandise and adding stickers to the glass. Goff is excited to watch fans’ reactions to the “reimagined” stadium, as they are calling it.
“They've lived through a very different version of Kansas football and certainly a very different version of this particular venue,” he said.
The new stadium pays homage to the history of KU.
“If you walk around and you look at the light fixtures and the ceilings, everything reflects the true and proud tradition here at the University of Kansas,” said Ryan Duncan, hospitality general manager for OVG Hospitality.
Brian Taborski is one of the minds behind what will be served in the stadium. He's excited about the challenge.
“We're trying to get everything open, cleaned, and ready to go to start production. "You know, then we've got 40,000 people to feed, so it ought to be a good time,” Taborski said.
Thousands of people will get to see years of work come to fruition. KU says there’s not a bad seat in the house.
Among the seats, all the new ones include a back and a cup holder.
"The biggest thing is just seeing our fans' reactions. You know, you get to do some of these tours, and I've really enjoyed seeing people's reactions. So I'm just excited to see our fans," said Jason Booker, Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs and Revenue Generation.
They also can’t wait to see what people in the field have to say.
“I'm really excited to see our student-athletes able to come out, run, and be a part of this excitement,” said Jason Booker, Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs and Revenue Generation.
While cleaning the house for the upcoming guests, they say there’s more to come.
“The unfinished east side is, to me, a reminder that we've got work to do,” Goff said. “It's a really tangible indication of how far the program has come.”
The opening of the stadium marks the completion of Phase One of the Gateway District. Phase Two still doesn’t have a timeline.
The project was designed by HNTB and Multistudio and brought to life by Turner Construction and Henderson Engineering. They say there have been more than 570,000 hours worked to date.
"They've now made football here at the university not just about the sport on the field, but also about the experience of coming to the game," said Ducan.
Booker says students will have a different, special price for food and drinks in the stadium.
Justin Razza is the Director of Beverage for OVG Hospitality for Kansas Athletics. He says every home game will have a special cocktail.
"This red one, for example, will be, it's called the Fresno chance. Making fun of the opposite team," he said.
