Press Box & Suites Timeline

1993

Athletics Department includes Press Box and Suites Project in its Master Plan.

1998

Oct. 1: Planning, Design & Construction’s Project Management receives a Project Request Form from the Athletics Department.

Nov. 23: Ellerbe-Beckett Architects chosen.

December: Ellerbe-Beckett hired on a limited agreement to begin drawings prior to Board of Curators approval.

1999

Jan. 28: Curators officially hire Ellerbe Beckett

February: UM and MU officials and Ellerbe-Beckett Architects visit Notre Dame and the University of Toledo to see both large and small-scale press-box-and-suites projects.

March 28: PD&C receives schematic design, rendering, plans and cost from Ellerbe-Beckett.

May: Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Eldon, Mo., chosen as contractor for drilled pier work and uitility relocation

June-August: Foundation poured for press box, and utilities relocated. Area restored before first game of the ’99 football season.

Aug. 4: Walsh Construction, Kansas City, Mo., chosen as contractor for Press Box & Suites project.

Aug. 17: Walsh hired on a limited agreement to begin detail drawings for structural steel, rebar and structural precast prior to Board of Curators approval.

Sept. 3: Curators officially hire Walsh Construction.

Nov. 13: Tigers last home game of ’99 season.

Nov. 14: Construction Engineer Jim Henley gives Athletics Department one day to “remove every salvagable product from the old press box and lounge.”

Nov. 15: Foundation work and demolition of the old press box and lounge begins.

December: North and south stair-towers erected. Crews works in two shifts from 7 a.m.-11 p.m., six days a week and, later, seven days a week.

2000

January: Structural precast support/facade started up through and including the Club Level, or third floor, and running between the north and south stair-towers.

February: Superstructure erected up through and including the Photo Deck or the sixth floor. Crews cannot work safely at night so begin 10-hour days, six days a week, sometimes 12-hour days seven days a week, to make up time lost on foundation work. Height and radius design of structure, and operating a crane in an in-use parking lot proves difficult at times.

Late March: Superstructure completed and steel (or first of three layers) roof installed.

April: Interior work in full swing. Contractor plans new “critical path method” schedule to complete work before opening game, Sept. 2. Trades are stacked, meaning 150 people of all trades work side-by-side instead of allowing one to finish before another begins. Additional workers hired. Everyone works 10-hour days, six days a week for duration of project. Tepco window installation begins. The operable windows open on an automatic-garage-door mechanism. Two windows each day are installed.

May: Wooden (or second layer) roof installed. Tepco Window installation continues.

June: Nearly half of the contracted work, or $5 million, was completed in the last 90 days of the project. Sheet-metal (or third layer) roof installed. Tepco Window installation complete. MU tradespeople brought in to install telephone, scoreboard controls, public address system, interior press box sound and television systems, among other services provided by MU.

July-August: Painting, tiling, carpets, ceiling grids and furnishings installed.

Aug. 7: Club Level (third floor) complete

Aug. 14: Suite Level (fourth floor) complete.

Aug. 19: 3,000 people attend open house to tour Club and Suite levels.

Sept. 1: Press Box and Photo Deck (fifth and sixth floors) and all exterior work complete.

Sept. 2: Tigers season begins with home win against Western Illinois.