Josh Kulla//April 18, 2018//

The University of Oregon Foundation unveiled the design of a of venerable Hayward Field on Tuesday.
The series of renderings produced by architecture firm SRG Partnership show a graceful, curving grandstand wrapping three-quarters of the way around the track and field in the middle. The new stadium will typically seat up to 12,900 people, but be able to accommodate up to 30,000 with expandable seating installed. The overall effect is intended to create a 鈥渢heater鈥 for track and field fans.
鈥淭he new Hayward Field will be the finest track and field facility in the world when it is complete in 2020,鈥 University of Oregon President Michael Schill said at a press conference to introduce the design renderings. 鈥淔ully funded by gifts from Phil and Penny (Knight), (and) more than 50 additional donors, the revitalized and reimagined Hayward Field will give athletes, including the University of Oregon’s student athletes, a magnificent, unparalleled stage in which to boldly showcase the power and beauty and capabilities of the human body.鈥
The project lead is the University of Oregon Foundation and the general contractor is Hoffman Construction. A total project cost was not announced, but initial estimates two years ago came in at slightly less than $70 million. More recent reports by The Oregonian and other media, however, suggest that costs have ballooned to nearly $200 million.
Work to demolish the old grandstands and other structures in preparation for construction will begin in June, the university said.
Both Hoffman Construction and SRG Partnership representatives indicated they are restricted from speaking to the press about the project at this time.
鈥淥nce we get through this a little more hopefully we can get some more information out there,鈥 said Andy Cerotsky, project manager for Hoffman Construction.
Project advocates and opponents in the Eugene community have shared their opinions widely for months. Some people support the project completely, while others decry the loss of the historic, wooden-timber east grandstand built in 1925.
The renovation will affect not just Hayward Field itself, which opened for football games in 1919 and for track and field events two years later, but more of the campus’ east end.
According to University of Oregon Foundation information released online, a rebuilt Powell Plaza will remain as the main entrance to the stadium at the intersection of East 15th Avenue and Agate Street. There, the statue of Nike co-founder and legendary Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman will still stand watch.
But now, designers have revealed, there will also be a 165-foot-tall Bowerman Tower, with nine stories of offices, fitness space, media space and other facilities. The structure, which is narrowest at its base, is intended to symbolize the Olympic torch and the University of Oregon’s tradition of sending track and field athletes to the Olympic Games.
In addition, the project will include a large amount of classroom and laboratory space for the university’s Department of Human Physiology.
The new plans also show that a second plaza will be built at the stadium’s northwest corner, also on East 15th Avenue. Both plazas are intended to be part of greater park development.
The stadium’s south end will be pedestrianized, and a corridor connecting Agate Street to University Street will also provide a ramp for passersby to peer inside the stadium.
Hayward Field has a storied history. It has hosted the NCAA outdoor track and field championships the past three years and a total of 15 times. In 2016, the stadium hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials 鈥 the sixth time it performed that role.



