Why Replace The Coliseum??

[michi-mountie]

I don't think a new football stadium would approach billions. Look a the beautiful new baseball field http://www.wvusports.com/page.cfm?section=23877, I'm guessing something like 10X that cost? ($210 M) As reference points, I looked up Stanford's new football stadium cost $90 M. Baylor's $250 M.

I'm actually not convinced that we need a new football stadium...but once upon a time, I thought we should have been upgrading the scenic & historic old mountaineer field instead of heading out of downtown to a golf course & sterile new stadium. A new stadium is definitely something WVU should be evaluating in a long term plan. I like MPS & have many great memories there. I'm guessing MPS is competitive today from a Power 5 conference standpoint, but what about 10, 20, 30 years out? I'm OK with average, but it is fun to dream about having the best, most beautiful stadium of its size in college football land.

Things change & progress doesn't stop. Does Pittsburgh still wish it had Three Rivers stadium? Why wasn't Walt happy to just keep improving Disneyland? What was wrong with the Silverdome, Humphreydome, Kingdome, and Astrodome that couldn't have been more effectively addressed with renovation money instead of dynamite? Why did WVU feel the need to expand to Evansdale; couldn't they have just made the downtown campus bigger and better?

 

[LowFatMilk]

If a P5 school recently paid 90 million to build a new stadium (you're saying Stanford) then don't we look foolish investing about 50 million to just upgrade concourses ? ?

 

[wvpaper]

If a P5 school recently paid 90 million to build a new stadium (you're saying Stanford) then don't we look foolish investing about 50 million to just upgrade concourses ? ?

worst, suffocating concourses in america. something had to be done, even if it's a stop gap. the administration feels it is a safety issue

 

[LowFatMilk]

Some people are very frustrating because they obviously reply to a single post without reading the thread.

I've made it VERY CLEAR that it needed done and I never had a problem with the renovations.

 

[LowFatMilk]

It should be noted Stanford performed a renovation... ...although it was a major one.

Even for 2005 they did it for a very good price of 90 million. Still, would be 3X as much in 2018.

 

[Charleston Mountie]

It should be noted Stanford performed a renovation... ...although it was a major one.

Even for 2005 they did it for a very good price of 90 million. Still, would be 3X as much in 2018.

Is not a lot of the total cost determined by the location of a proposed new stadium? I know the site proposals have varied over the years but what are the top locations at this time? Considering the terrain and congestion around Morgantown, locations that have the space lack essential qualities like high capacity arteries or sit on ground controlled by too many property owners that would all demand a million dollars per square inch to be bought out. Eminent domain can play a roll but municipalities are wise to take caution in using that tool.

 

[LowFatMilk]

Is not a lot of the total cost determined by the location of a proposed new stadium? I know the site proposals have varied over the years but what are the top locations at this time? Considering the terrain and congestion around Morgantown, locations that have the space lack essential qualities like high capacity arteries or sit on ground controlled by too many property owners that would all demand a million dollars per square inch to be bought out. Eminent domain can play a roll but municipalities are wise to take caution in using that tool.

Good points.

Obviously building at a current location would be much more inexpensive. The land is already owned and a good deal of the major utilities are (close) in place.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Temple just proposed a 35K stadium at 130 million.

 

[wvpaper]

Some people are very frustrating because they obviously reply to a single post without reading the thread.

I've made it VERY CLEAR that it needed done and I never had a problem with the renovations.

lol. which account did you use when you made it VERY CLEAR? sorting thru your posts from multiple accounts in a single thread actually can be frustrating

 

[Darth_VadEER]

lol. which account did you use when you made it VERY CLEAR? sorting thru your posts from multiple accounts in a single thread actually can be frustrating

Get with it paper, it's YOUR responsibility to know his opinions.

 

[LowFatMilk]

Get with it paper, it's YOUR responsibility to know his opinions.

Her opinions.

...maybe you should 'get with it'.

 

[Mountaineer Steve]

worst, suffocating concourses in america. something had to be done, even if it's a stop gap. the administration feels it is a safety issue

They are awful. I can't wait to see what it looks like when finished next year. I am very interested and seeing after they move the concession stands out, they manage to keep it covered without looking like an add-on

 

[michaelwalkerbr]

Have you looked at the bigger, more complete new stadiums being built? 60,00 seat Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State cost $500 million to completely rebuild in the same site a couple of years ago. To build a 60k seat stadium of that quality in a new location with land acquisition, utilities and the the equivalent of the Puskar Center with an indoor practice facility and first rate practice field would indeed approach a billion dollars. If you say $750 million I'll go along with it, but there are always cost overruns. Plus parking and access.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

I think $350 million could do it.

 

[Charleston Mountie]

Have you looked at the bigger, more complete new stadiums being built? 60,00 seat Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State cost $500 million to completely rebuild in the same site a couple of years ago. To build a 60k seat stadium of that quality in a new location with land acquisition, utilities and the the equivalent of the Puskar Center with an indoor practice facility and first rate practice field would indeed approach a billion dollars. If you say $750 million I'll go along with it, but there are always cost overruns. Plus parking and access.

But is there ever a final cost to such a facility? Renovations, additions, improvements, totally unforeseen add-ons are always in the future of a premier college football complex. The problem with the current stadium is that it is an island in an era when most universities are investing in integrated complex areas.

I like the coliseum for its architecture, massive seating ability and it is iconic presence. It would involve biting a big bullet but I would like to see a modern bowled stadium sitting next to the coliseum. This would involve commandeering the area between the Caperton Trail and the Monongahela Blvd up to the Star City Bridge. Just take all of that land and build all of the university sports ventures there. Not sure how the city of Morgantown would feel about it since that is outside city limits. But, extending the transit line is an easy one and the I-79 interchange is just across the river on Chaplin Road. Star City might end up being incorporated into Morgantown in the process.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

UCF's stadium was about $60 million.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Have you looked at the bigger, more complete new stadiums being built? 60,00 seat Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State cost $500 million to completely rebuild in the same site a couple of years ago. To build a 60k seat stadium of that quality in a new location with land acquisition, utilities and the the equivalent of the Puskar Center with an indoor practice facility and first rate practice field would indeed approach a billion dollars. If you say $750 million I'll go along with it, but there are always cost overruns. Plus parking and access.

Baylor but a great stadium for $260 million. How come ours would be $1 billion?

 

[michaelwalkerbr]

Anyone who is totally dissatisfied with MPS after all of the renovations would never be happy with a $60 - 250 million dollar stadium. At least not one that that is less impressive than Oklahoma State's and seats 60k.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Anyone who is totally dissatisfied with MPS after all of the renovations would never be happy with a $60 - 250 million dollar stadium. At least not one that that is less impressive than Oklahoma State's and seats 60k.

According to what I just read, Oklahoma State's stadium renovation was $260 million.

 

[michaelwalkerbr]

Baylor but a great stadium for $260 million. How come ours would be $1 billion?

Take a closer look at Baylor's stadium. Then look at Oklahoma State or even Cincy's. Why should we settle for something less impressive? We have available land issues as well as the need to replace the other facilities that would be part of the complex. An indoor practice facility 30% larger than Caperton, top of the line practice field, parking and access. As I said, I might believe $750 million.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Take a closer look at Baylor's stadium. Then look at Oklahoma State or even Cincy's. Why should we settle for something less impressive? We have available land issues as well as the need to replace the other facilities that would be part of the complex. An indoor practice facility 30% larger than Caperton, top of the line practice field, parking and access. As I said, I might believe $750 million.

Available land issues worse than Philly?

 

[michaelwalkerbr]

According to what I just read, Oklahoma State's stadium renovation wad $260 million.

That is the reason we should consider renovations of a similar kind. Take the expanded concession areas, replace the pressbox and make it look like a 'brick house' with alterations. I would love to see an artists rendering of that! Plus there is the needed expansion of the Caperton Center.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

That is the reason we should consider renovations of a similar kind. Take the expanded concession areas, replace the pressbox and make it look like a 'brick house' with alterations. I would love to see an artists rendering of that! Plus there is the needed expansion of the Caperton Center.

I'd be fine with that. Someone said WVUH doesn't want that land, I think differently though.

 

[GetYaNumbersUp]

WVU can't even bid out it's media rights without totally botching the process, I'd be very surprised if they could raise the money to build a new stadium. In the meantime, I wouldn't be upset if they nuked TD terrace, and built a new press box (ours looks terrible on TV).

I'm not holding my breath though. The administration at WVU hasn't been able to stay out of it's own way as long as I've been following.

 

[wvpaper]

They are awful. I can't wait to see what it looks like when finished next year. I am very interested and seeing after they move the concession stands out, they manage to keep it covered without looking like an add-on

the folks, some posters here, that don't go to home games can't imagine it. but it is actually a dangerous situation, particularly for well attended games

 

[Mountaineer Steve]

Have you looked at the bigger, more complete new stadiums being built? 60,00 seat Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State cost $500 million to completely rebuild in the same site a couple of years ago. To build a 60k seat stadium of that quality in a new location with land acquisition, utilities and the the equivalent of the Puskar Center with an indoor practice facility and first rate practice field would indeed approach a billion dollars. If you say $750 million I'll go along with it, but there are always cost overruns. Plus parking and access.

I am not sure you realize how far 1 billion actually goes. Isn't that the entire cost of buidling Jone's Dallas cowboys stadium?

 

[michaelwalkerbr]

I am not sure you realize how far 1 billion actually goes. Isn't that the entire cost of buidling Jone's Dallas cowboys stadium?

I agree with what you are saying, but is was $1.2 billion. WVU could probably match the OSU (West) Stadium on the current site for $500 million from the ground up, keeping the Puskar Center. Even less by encompassing the current structure including the concourse expansion. A brick facade and new press box may be had for as little as $300 million. Round it up to $400 million to include a new indoor practice facility and you have one fine 60k seat stadium with all of the amenities.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

I agree with what you are saying, but is was $1.2 billion. WVU could probably match the OSU (West) Stadium on the current site for $500 million from the ground up, keeping the Puskar Center. Even less by encompassing the current structure including the concourse expansion. A brick facade and new press box may be had for as little as $300 million. Round it up to $400 million to include a new indoor practice facility and you have one fine 60k seat stadium with all of the amenities.

Where are you getting $500? The number I see is $260.

 

[bobhertzel'ssweatpants]

I don't think a new football stadium would approach billions. Look a the beautiful new baseball field http://www.wvusports.com/page.cfm?section=23877, I'm guessing something like 10X that cost? ($210 M) As reference points, I looked up Stanford's new football stadium cost $90 M. Baylor's $250 M.

I'm actually not convinced that we need a new football stadium...but once upon a time, I thought we should have been upgrading the scenic & historic old mountaineer field instead of heading out of downtown to a golf course & sterile new stadium. A new stadium is definitely something WVU should be evaluating in a long term plan. I like MPS & have many great memories there. I'm guessing MPS is competitive today from a Power 5 conference standpoint, but what about 10, 20, 30 years out? I'm OK with average, but it is fun to dream about having the best, most beautiful stadium of its size in college football land.

Things change & progress doesn't stop. Does Pittsburgh still wish it had Three Rivers stadium? Why wasn't Walt happy to just keep improving Disneyland? What was wrong with the Silverdome, Humphreydome, Kingdome, and Astrodome that couldn't have been more effectively addressed with renovation money instead of dynamite? Why did WVU feel the need to expand to Evansdale; couldn't they have just made the downtown campus bigger and better?

The stadium capacity at Baylor's stadium is only 45,000. If you want to drop the capacity to 45,000, then we probably could build a new one for around $250 million. If we want to stay near 60,000, you are probably looking at $350 million+ & could approach $400 million+ by the time it is done. There is no way to know for sure without a true cost analysis.

Personally I think we should drop capacity to around 55,000 as the stadium is too big for our population base around Morgantown. Same thing with the Coliseum. Drop capacity to around 10,000 at the Coliseum. The biggest problem when it comes to renovations of facilities is that you are basically trying to keep up with the Jones & we never will. We don't have the money in this state to keep up. And if you don't keep up, it's tough to compete with them on the field consistently.

 

[jpf578]

But Baylor's stadium has fake brick wrap on the walls

 

[wvubutch]

who said anything about replacing Coliseum? With the new upgrades taking place soon, they will only need to keep it fresh to have it relevant for years to come.

Now Milan Puskar Stadium on the other hand needs to go

 

[wvubutch]

...like some fans want to happen ??

Sure, it needs even more upgrades than are already underway but it sure beats the box-like field house we'd end up with for a huge cost.

It's unique inside and out.

Does not need replaced however I'd like to see seats behind baskets extended to the floor

 

[WVU-SE]

Where are you getting $500? The number I see is $260.

I'm assuming he's saying how much it would cost if built right now. Can't be sure though.

 

[mofo]

we don't need a new bball coliseum, nor football stadium

 

[BoremanEer]

I have a close friend who is a UNC fan who says that he has never seen a facility that looks as good as it does, both inside and outside, on TV, as the WVU Coliseum. There may be aspects of it that need improvement, but having visited other facilities, (VT, (my god, Cassell is a dump) NCSU, ECU, UNC), I would just as soon keep the Coliseum than invest in a soulless box. I will admit some aspects of the Coliseum need to be improved, but I hope that it can be kept for the beautiful building it is.

And I just don't get people who say we should build a new facility with fewer seats. My God, you can't get tickets for a Big XII men's basketball game played on Saturday now.

 

[GetYaNumbersUp]

I have a close friend who is a UNC fan who says that he has never seen a facility that looks as good as it does, both inside and outside, on TV, as the WVU Coliseum. There may be aspects of it that need improvement, but having visited other facilities, (VT, (my god, Cassell is a dump) NCSU, ECU, UNC), I would just as soon keep the Coliseum than invest in a soulless box. I will admit some aspects of the Coliseum need to be improved, but I hope that it can be kept for the beautiful building it is.

And I just don't get people who say we should build a new facility with fewer seats. My God, you can't get tickets for a Big XII men's basketball game played on Saturday now.

I disagree with your friend . Out of the arenas I've been to, Maryland, Louisville, and Pitt all have MUCH nicer BBall venues than the coliseum. And, they look better on the inside and out.

 

[MikeRafone]

Pitt? Nah. That joint and neighborhood are a dump. Louisville plays in the Chicken Bucket, and the Tarps left Cole Field House to play in Larry the Cable Guy Arena. The Clam owns all three of those Hellholes.

Speaking of Hellholes, Cassell Coliseum is a hole in the ground and Cameron Indoor should have been plowed under in the 70's.

 

[jpf578]

I disagree with your friend . Out of the arenas I've been to, Maryland, Louisville, and Pitt all have MUCH nicer BBall venues than the coliseum. And, they look better on the inside and out.

Those arenas don't have any real character. Just because something is shiny and new doesn't make it better. I agree the coliseum needs some work but no way would a new facility be better.

 

[GetYaNumbersUp]

Those arenas don't have any real character. Just because something is shiny and new doesn't make it better. I agree the coliseum needs some work but no way would a new facility be better.

we'll agree to disagree. I went to the MD vs. Iowa game earlier this year, and that was probably the best atmosphere I've personally seen at a basketball game, certainly not lacking in character that day. The only comparison I can make to that would be the BE CG we played against Georgetown at MSG

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Those arenas don't have any real character. Just because something is shiny and new doesn't make it better. I agree the coliseum needs some work but no way would a new facility be better.

And just because something is old doesn't mean it has any redeeming character, either. The Coliseum certainly reflects a bygone era of architecture. Whether that's good or not is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.