Jordan-Hare North Endzone Renovation Speculation
Alright Tiger Fans, as you may have heard, one of the south’s most iconic football stadiums, Jordan-Hare Stadium, is undergoing renovation.
On June 7th, the Auburn University Board of Trustees issued the final approval for constructing a new videoboard that will sit above Jordan-Hare’s north endzone, replacing the existing scoreboard. Construction began this past summer and Auburn Facilities Management expects the project to be completed by the summer of 2025. Additionally, Auburn is leading us to believe that this project will be followed by future north endzone improvements. In this article, we’re going to cover what to expect by next summer and discuss our wish list for future possibilities of renovation in the Jordan-Hare north endzone.
What to expect by Summer 2025
Currently, LBYD Engineers of Birmingham, Alabama is constructing a 154 ft by 47 ft video board that will replace the current scoreboard, originally installed in 1987, making it almost 40 years old. The goal is to improve the gameday experience for the south endzone seats, including the student section. The new video board will be roughly two-thirds the size of the south-endzone video board with a budget of $25.7 million. If you’re as excited as I am, you can see a live feed of this construction process on Auburn Facilities Management’s YouTube channel.
The most exciting part about this project is that the video board is designed to support future north endzone improvements. This means we could see a complete overhaul of the north endzone and Jordan-Hare could soon be getting an entirely new look. To do this, the new video board is being constructed on a concrete structure compared to a steel structure like the south endzone scoreboard was built on in 2015.
Future Improvements Wish List
By the end of summer 2025, the north endzone will have a large, beautiful jumbotron towering high above the seats below while standing alone on an empty concrete frame. So, what other future projects will Auburn Athletics add to this? Well, Auburn sent out a survey to some of its north endzone patrons featuring some concept art that we can analyze to imagine the future of Jordan-Hare.
From the outside, we can see a beautiful brick perimeter surrounding the seating bowl of the stadium. I love this concept for several reasons. For one, it adds some much-needed exterior character to Jordan-Hare’s north endzone. As it currently stands, there is no exterior in the north endzone; it is simply the original steel frame the stands were built upon. Moreover, I love that this concept embraces the unique brick architecture that the “Loveliest Village on the Plains” is known for. Jordan-Hare currently has a small amount of brick design, and I feel like the stadium needs more bricks to fully incorporate it with the surrounding architecture. This potential new exterior look could be a huge modernization improvement for Jordan-Hare and would make the stadium look even more iconic.
From the inside of the stadium, the concept art shows the addition of new seating. This speaks nicely to the large push from Auburn fans to increase the stadium seating capacity. According to an article by Ethan Stone, Auburn is ranked 7th in stadium capacity among the 14 SEC teams, with a capacity of 87,451. If this new addition could allow for just 5-6 thousand more tickets to be sold, Jordan-Hare would overtake Florida and Georgia and become the 5th largest stadium capacity in the SEC. It is important to be able to hold as many hungry Auburn football fans as possible, especially since the stadium is relatively small for its fanbase. Moreover, more tickets sold means more money coming into Auburn for athletics and more. Also with this comes a louder crowd in the stadium, making home games even more electric.
We can also see from the concepts that Auburn may add some club areas/seating. Though I do like this concept and think it could benefit several people, I hope Auburn puts its primary focus on north endzone improvement for the vast majority of Auburn fans and students who will probably not be so interested in club seating. I think it’s important that this new space is built with efficiency and improving gameday experiences for all fans in mind.
The last thing I love about these concepts is the new upper bowl standing room that will be available. This could offer a clear “bird’s-eye” view of the game for standers and an area for walking around and socializing in-game downtimes. It will also allow for a beautiful view of Auburn University from the top of the stadium.
Conclusion
Auburn Athletics is putting a lot of money into increasing the gameday experience for all patrons including fans, students, and alumni. The new videoboard will allow for south endzone fans to be more involved in the game and to easily access important in-game information. This new videoboard’s structure will also allow for Auburn University to drastically increase the character and experience of Jordan-Hare. Though we can only dream now, I am genuinely so excited to see what is to come. Auburn fans and gameday-goers are in for a bright future in Auburn football home games.
Lastly, I hope Auburn does something special with the scoreboard being replaced. That scoreboard has seen a lot of special moments, and it has definitely solidified a spot in Auburn University history. Maybe it can be put somewhere on the outside of the stadium or in the student center. Whatever happens, I’m excited. I mean we are talking about the stadium where we could win our next national or SEC championship. Or witness a play that tops the kick-six. The stadium where the eagle will soar high and fly down the field every time.
War Eagle!
Be Well, Auburn.
Get more details here: https://www.auburn.edu/administration/facilities/webapps/projects/profile.php?proj=24-015
