STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Generations of Penn State football fans witnessed the next chapter of the Beaver Stadium Revitalization Project by watching the press box turn into rubble Saturday.
For fall Saturdays, Beaver Stadium hosts over 107,000 fans in its concourse as the blue and white hit the gridiron. The west side of the complex holds up a four-story press box, which can be used as a sunshade for visitors on that end.
That pressbox was a part of the old Beaver Field, before moving over to the current plot of land after the 1959 season. As part of a $700 million renovation project, the university announced the demolition of the press box to start the next chapter of the remodel.
"It was a real plush press box as opposed to the other side, but I enjoyed working in it," Larry Johnston, a Penn State alumnus and former director of the Penn State Radio Network said. "I'll miss the press box."
For a decade, Johnston worked with former broadcasters like Fran Fisher and Gil Santos. Working many Nittany Lion games has helped him over the years, but he can recall the old look of Beaver Stadium when he roamed the campus streets.
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"In the old days, it was open," Johnston said. "It was an open stadium. It had the [South] end open entirely when I started as a student. And at that time, students got in for free, which was pretty nice."
A gathering was held in the Beaver Stadium Parking Lot 18 to see the building be demolished. Hot chocolate and breakfast sandwiches were being sold to help satiate the fans.
A couple of bleachers were available to be signed by fans to commemorate the event, and it also included a raffle of three construction hard hats signed by the Penn State coaches. With all the amenities, the fans lined the fence to watch the structure come down.
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"There are three black boxes going up the columns, all the way across the press box," Scott Mull, the senior director of Barton-Malow Builders said. "There are charges in those. Those will be detonated in a series of charges, basically kicking the legs out from under this. So, it's a very high-tech lumberjack operation here."
Crews took over a year to prepare for the demolition. Once the first round of the playoffs concluded, workers began to pull plugs and make sure everything was pulled out of the building.
Once the building was taken down, a roar emerged from the crowd, marking an end to an era of Penn State Football.
"I think it will be a great improvement," Johnston said. "I'm looking forward to how it will shape up and what it offers to the fans."
But fans can add a piece of history and memories to their collection. Penn State said they plan to salvage some items to be sold later.
For now, crews will work through the winter weather to clear the area of debris and prepare for the next step in revitalizing Beaver Stadium.