Groundbreaking Planned For New Florida Atlantic Stadium

October 12, 2010 /
From the South Florida Business Journal

Work is already under way, but Florida Atlantic University will have the official groundbreaking ceremony for its $70 million, 30,000-seat football stadium at 4 p.m. Friday.

The new home for the Owls is expected to be open in time for the 2011 football season.

Speakers will include Ayden Maher, president of FAU’s Student Government; football coach Howard Schnellenberger; Boca Raton Mayor Susan Whelchel; Nancy Blosser, chairwoman of FAU’s Board of Trustees; FAU President Mary Jane Saunders; Frank T. Brogan, chancellor of the State University System; and Craig Angelos, FAU athletic director.

A tailgate party will follow the groundbreaking.

The stadium will be located on the Boca Raton campus, at 777 Glades Road, between the Recreation and Fitness Center and the Marleen & Harold Forkas Alumni Center.

The stadium will include a 17,400-square-foot lounge, the Priority Club, with 4,051 related seats.

The interior bar and the outdoor patio, extending 15 feet into the seating bowl facing the field, are designed to give something extra to FAU football fans paying a $250 donation on top of their ticket price and the cost of food and drink, Angelos previously said.

The Priority Club’s concession stands will have a tiki hut design, and palm trees dot the landscape inside and outside the stadium.

Inside the southwest corner, behind the ticket office, is a small beach-themed space with sand and more palm trees. A nearby water feature also is planned.

FAU is offering name rights for the stadium for a $20 million donation and naming rights for the field at $5 million, according to a university website.

The architects are HKS and INC/SchenkelSchultz.

Cummings General Contractors and Balfour Beatty Construction are the project’s general contractors.

The stadium is part of a broader Innovation Village in the north central part of the campus that will include new residence halls, recreation facilities, shops and restaurants.

The village is part of the university’s goal to shed its past as largely a commuter school, and a resident student population of 5,000 is planned.

A video on the village’s website shows a concrete canopy structure and water feature as part of the entrance. A large plaza area will be outside of the stadium.

As of last year, FAU had nearly 28,000 students.

Read more: FAU plans stadium groundbreaking – South Florida Business Journal


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