On Aug. 8, the Oregon State University Athletics Department gave the media a full tour of the new $162 million addition to Reser Stadium, the stadium’s new west side.
The tour, led by Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Barnes, started on Beaver Street; Beaver Street spans 360 degrees around Reser Stadium, the first time in the stadium’s history that the entire concourse has been connected. This allows fans to view the game without losing sight of the field anywhere in the stadium.
Reser Stadium is currently undergoing some last-minute touchups before the home opener on Sept. 9 against UC Davis; these are primarily cosmetic and include finishing up installing artwork and touching up paint. According to Barnes, these are expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks.
The new open concourse also provides fans with six different food options that can be accessed without leaving sight of the field on Beaver Street. Group sale seating also lines Beaver Street, and fans that purchase these tickets have access to seats below Beaver Street in the lower bowl of the new west side of Reser Stadium in addition to concessions.
The new expected capacity of Reser Stadium is expected to be around 36,000 fans, and the capacity can be exceeded with standing-room tickets.
“Along Beaver Street there are six different food options that we are really excited about,” said Barnes.
Reser has added new restaurant partners this year for concessions, including Cheesy Stuffed Burgers, Schmizza Public House, as well as returning partners like Qdoba.
The west side of Reser Stadium has also doubled its concession points from 42 to 84, providing fans with more food and drink options throughout football games.
“Beaver Street isn’t just for fans on the west side; this is for everybody in the stadium,” said Sara Elcano, senior associate athletic director for external operations.
On both sides of Beaver Street there are “Arrival Moments” which are photo opportunity spots for fans on game day. This will feature a “wood cookie,” a cutout piece of wood in the shape of a circle, with the Oregon State Logo, the opponent logo, and the date of the game for each home game.
According to Barnes, a big aim for the new side is to increase the noise during football games.
“We used bent plate steel to format our upper deck, which vibrates greatly, however loud you thought it was last year; wait for more,” said Barnes.
There are three new club seating options on the new west side: the Coastal, Cascade, and Founders Club. The Founders Club is for people who donated $1 million or more to the construction of the new side. According to Barnes, tickets for these seats are sold out for the 2023 season.
There are pieces of art throughout the new west side that pay homage to Beaver Football legends, the university, and the forest industry.
One of the tributes to the forestry lies just outside of the stadium, and it’s a colossal timber sculpture built by Dan Butler from Tennessee, which reaches all the way up to the upper level. The intent of the artwork from Butler pays tribute to the forests of Oregon and is one of the first things visitors will see when they arrive at the stadium.
The new west side of Reser Stadium also includes a new visitor locker room underneath the northwest end of the stadium. This represents a big upgrade, as the old one that was housed in Gill Coliseum was, according to Barnes, the worst in the PAC-12.
Before the renovations, both teams departed the field along the same tunnel near the east side of Reser Stadium, but with the new locker room, both teams will depart the field on the opposite ends after both halftime and the end of the game.
The new west side will also house the new Student Welcome Center, which is used to bring general students to Oregon State University through tours. The Welcome Center will also serve as a lobby for premium ticket holders on game day.
The welcome center will also house Oregon State Athletics artifacts such as the turnover chainsaw as well as University artifacts such as replicas of the 1954 and 1962 Nobel Peace Prize and an early NVIDIA graphics processing unit.
Fans can tour the new side of Reser Stadium on Aug. 19. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. when the stadium will be open to the public for the Reser Community Preview.
