Northwestern announces major renovation for Ryan Field

Northwestern announced plans to renovate Ryan Field after receiving a $480 million donation from the stadium’s namesake family.

The renovated stadium will offer modern amenities and exceed Americans with Disability Act requirements, the school said in a statement on its website. The facility will remain in its current footprint.

The school has yet to determine a timeline for the project and will listen to feedback from the Evanston community.

“I am immensely grateful to Pat and Shirley Ryan and their family for their extraordinary generosity and leadership over many years, which has propelled Northwestern to new heights as a leading research university,” Northwestern President Morton Schapiro said in a statement. “The Ryan Family’s new gift will have a profound and lasting impact on faculty and student opportunities, including research and discovery. Additionally, our student-athletes, coaches, fans and the community will benefit from their support of Northwestern Athletics and Recreation for many years to come.”

The school last renovated the stadium in 1997, adding a new press box, new seating, lowering of the field, and conversion of the playing surface from artificial turf to grass. The stadium originally opened in 1926.