Aug. 25, 2012

History
• Funded by private gifts, construction of original stadium starts Nov. 1922
• Built using horse-drawn carriages and steam-powered equipment
• Designed by John Galen Howard, modeled after Roman Coliseum
• Total construction cost: $1.4 million
• Dedicated to members of UC Berkeley community who died in WWI
• Stadium finished Nov. 1923, in time for Big Game
• Listed in 2006 on National Register of Historic Places

2010-12 Retrofit and Renovation
• Total project budget: $321 million
• Last home game played Nov. 26, 2010
• 640 days of construction
• All but outer wall and eastern seating bowl completely rebuilt
• Original oval shape of bowl preserved
• Required 50,000 cubic yards of concrete and 14 million pounds of steel
• Seating capacity 63,186

Safety
• Stadium over time developed nine-inch gap in Section KK, cracks in north tunnel, and offsets in pillars and supports under south end zone seats due to movement of Hayward Fault
• 1997 seismic evaluation finds stadium in need of extensive retrofit
• Chancellor Robert Berdahl announces in 2004 plans for stadium renovation, including enhanced facilities for student-athletes
• In 2005, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau unveils master plan to upgrade stadium and construct student-athlete high performance center, all with private funds
• New retrofit includes new "seismic blocks" at north and south end zones that move independently and a press box that can safely sway up to 12 inches in large-scale quake
• Stadium's seismic rating went from "poor" to "good"

Reuse, Recycle
• 98% of soil, concrete and construction debris removed from site was recycled
• Old wood benches recycled and repurposed, some used to panel Hall of Fame Room
• Bleacher seats are all aluminum; old aluminum ones were reinstalled, new ones added as needed

Amenities
• Restored views to the west through façade's grand arches (were covered up by offices built in 1980s)
• Playing surface lowered four feet to improve sightlines for fans in lower rows
• 300,000 square feet of walkways, concession stands, restrooms, and media and operations facilities
• Seven elevators (old stadium had one, for press box)
• 134 new trees planted; 100 were removed at start of project
• Kitchens allow concessions to be cooked on site for first time
• 125 screens with speakers, including in concessions zone
• 365 restroom stalls
• Lisa and Douglas Goldman Plaza covered with 1.5 acres of handset concrete pavers and 9,000 square feet of grass
• Parking for 90 bicycles; previously there was none