In just over a year, the beige fixture marking the oldest and most storied building in Northwestern’s Central Street athletics complex will likely be no more.
On Wednesday, Northwestern announced initial design standards for its new stadium, set to open at the beginning of the 2026 football season. The privately-funded $800 million project still needs approval from City of Evanston officials before it moves forward, but on the current timeline, the ‘Cats will vacate Ryan Field as it has been for 97 years following the 2023 season for construction to begin.
The planned capacity of the multipurpose facility is set at 35,000, which marks a 12,000-person decrease from the current design.