re: Tiger Stadium update 06/18/2014

Ok, I was in Baton Rouge yesterday and I have not yet had the chance to see Tiger Stadium since our last home game. Guys, the place looks amazing. All this talk about color of cement or stucco and legos on top is just stupid. It is VERY intimidating when you look at it from Nicholson. We have all been to visiting stadiums around the SEC.You cannot compare TS to Florida, Auburn, South Caroline etc. Our stadium is just plain better. We are SPOILED. Tiger Stadium is and will be one of the best in the country. Stop complaining!

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doze4

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I enjoyed that link, great read with all this Tiger Stadium discussions.

Here are a couple great points brought out about Tiger Stadium.

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Unfortunately, the continuity of this original exterior was broken in 1978 when an 11,900-seat second deck was built atop the west side of the stadium.

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The most peculiar feature of this renovation are two monumental, pink terracotta gateways which house the four new elevator towers and mark a main entry to the stadium. Combined with the original white concrete arches, the sharp-angled circulation ramps, these gateways form a new exterior to Tiger Stadium that is, frankly, a bit of a mess. The previously harmonious exterior has been broken by a confusing mix of architectural expression brought on by the addition of upper decks on the east and west sides of the stadium.

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Individually each of the various iterations of the stadium are fine – the harmonious neo-classical façade of the original stadium, the abstracted concrete upper deck circulation ramps and the grandeur of the latest west expansion – overlaid on top of one another they clash, suggesting some misguided design decisions. All this leaves one longing for the subtle simplicity of the 67,000 bowl back in the 50s.

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Construction will begin this summer on a new south end-zone upper deck that will bring capacity to around 100,000. Like many of the stadiums we have looked at on this tour, Tiger Stadium is always a work in progress. It is hard to judge a building before it is complete so I will hold off final judgement until this ambitious project is finished.Let us hope that the new addition will bring some order to the chaos and allow the stadium to live up to the extraordinary noise levels reached by Tiger fans and the team’s successful runs.

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Nice to hear this independent opinion.

I feel the same about our beloved Tiger Stadium. It's sad to see this lack of consistence design and vision. I hope they fix those west and east sides to make it not clash so much. The West is the FACE of the Stadium, and it needs a face lift. Those block columns and gates look soooo darn cheap. And They have the money to get it right, we just need to demand better .. Much Better.

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If you can get seats in between the 35 yard lines in the uppers, it's the best seat in the stadium.

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Weathering and dirt/grime over time will make the colors seem more unified.

Honestly who gives a shite.

Tiger Stadium is over 100k people and will be louder than ever. They can always just repaint it all in a few years.

Do people remember what the south end zone looked like before the expansion. It was the worst looking part of the stadium. This is a definite improvement over the original.

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Despite its ramshackle exterior, the wonderful thing about these big college football stadiums is precisely their messy quality. In an era when new stadiums seemingly pop up every day, cohesively designed façades, highly engineered retractable roofs and all, college football stadiums are studies in slow growth. They are a series of renovations – start small and build on as need be – the direct result of programmatic force and human demand. Although the size and grandeur of these buildings are at times shocking and make one question their ultimate educational value, their ad-hoc nature and ability to evoke such human passion is kind of thrilling. Empty, yet full of potential energy throughout the year, they spill over on Saturday afternoons, sometimes forcing their small towns to a standstill

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There's a good bit I agree with here. It's why I think a lot of the Disneyfication sort of efforts around these stadiums (Tiger Stadium included) fall a bit flat.