Sept. 8, 2011

Fans attending Saturday night's UCLA 2011 football home opener against San Jose State will be greeted by numerous changes to the Rose Bowl stadium, including a state-of-the-art video board at the north end of the edifice, a vintage scoreboard at the south end, widened tunnels and additional aisles. The alterations are part of Phase One of a three-year, $152 million major renovation of the stadium, the largest investment in the history of the 88-year-old iconic structure.

The renovation will improve public safety; enhance the fan experience; maintain the national historic landmark status of the Rose Bowl stadium; develop revenue sources to fund the project and other long-term improvements; and augment the stadium's facilities. The financing plan includes lease extensions that will ensure UCLA will play its home games at the Rose Bowl stadium through 2042 and the Rose Bowl Game will be played there through at least 2043.

"We are pleased with the renovation progress made to date and are delighted to be able to share the exciting changes with the UCLA community," said RBOC Board President Victor Gordo. "We look forward to phases two and three and the completion of the project to coincide with the 100th Rose Bowl Game in 2014."

"We have been following the progress of the renovation with great excitement," said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. "We know the upgrades will make for a more enjoyable experience for our students, alums and other UCLA fans."

The focus of the multimillion dollar, three-phase project is streamlining tunnel ingress/egress, improving concourse circulation, increasing the number of concession stands and restrooms, providing state-of-the-art premium seating products in a rebuilt press box, a new scoreboard and cutting-edge video board. The renovation also addresses key stadium infrastructure needs that will allow the facility to continue to operate for decades to come. Work began in January 2011 and will continue through August 2013. Primary funding for the renovations comes from bonds issued by the city of Pasadena.

Renovations will not affect the playing of UCLA football home games or Rose Bowl Games. Outside of the press box renovation, work on most other elements of the project is planned between football seasons.

No additional donations or ticket price increases will be required of UCLA patrons to fund the renovation.

Two campaigns affiliated with the stadium renovation are Legacy and Legends. A private philanthropic group, Legacy Connections, Inc., is conducting a campaign to raise funds for additional project elements to complete the renovation. Legacy Connections consists of business leaders who believe in the iconic, historic nature of the Rose Bowl stadium and want it improved and maintained at the highest level. Legends is conducting the premium seating campaign, which is new to the Rose Bowl stadium. Products being offered under the Legends heading include suites in the remodeled press box, club seats and loge boxes. The Legends marketing center with renderings to view the future of the stadium is located in Lot D at the Rose Bowl. Information on premium seating is available at 626-585-6800 or www.rosebowlstadium.com.

Project highlights:

Improved Entrance/Exiting Plan - When all the exiting improvements -- tunnel widening, adding aisles and seat access via the field -- are completed, the average exit time for the stadium will decrease from 40 minutes to 17.
Increased Concourse Capacity - Expanding space from 2.5 square feet per person to 4 square feet will provide more room for fans and easier access to and from seats and amenities.
Restroom Improvements - When completed, the number of restroom fixtures in the stadium will increase by 33 percent.
Increased Concessions - The number of concession areas will increase by 50 percent.
New Video Board - A new, state-of-the-art video board measures 78 feet by 30 feet, compared to the 26 feet by 28 feet old video board.
Historic Scoreboard - The renovation includes a reconstruction of the south scoreboard that recalls the 1940s vintage scoreboard.
Field Hedge - The stadium will reestablish the historic field hedge. This will become an integral element of the field-level stadium access, acting as the barrier between fans and the playing field and improving ingress/egress to the lower levels of the stadium.
Press Box Renovation - The press box will be substantially reconstructed to include a limited inventory of modern, state-of-the-art amenities such as luxury suites, loge boxes, club seats and lounge areas. The press box square footage will increase from approximately 8,800 square feet to 55,000 square feet. The renovation will provide an appealing area for fans to enjoy the game in comfort with friends and family and to entertain corporate partners/donors. The premium seating will be integrated into the press box and keep with the traditional feel of the entire renovation.
Capacity - When the renovation is completed, overall seating capacity is expected to be reduced by only 3,000 seats, from 92,500 to 88,500.

Following is the schedule for Rose Bowl renovations:

PHASE I (2011)