February 4, 2025

A sneak peek at the new Memorial Stadium

Renderings by Generator Studio [enlarge]

Kansas City firm Generator Studio, a specialist in sports venues, is designing the replacement stadium alongside local shop GGLO.

New renderings have been released for the Memorial Stadium rebuild at Seattle Center.

The project, which is expected to break ground in the fall, will replace the existing stadium (built in 1947) with a new multi-purpose venue for student athletes, education, arts, culture, entertainment, and community events.

The replacement stadium will have 6,500 seats, with a total capacity of 8,000.

The new renderings show a total of three covered seating stands at the stadium's north, south and east concourses, and berm seating at the west concourse, all framing a new football field.

New concession areas and restrooms will be located at the concourse level, as well as “experiential courtyards” at the east and west concourses.

At the field level, underneath the covered seating areas, will be space for Seattle Center trades shops and locker rooms for Seattle Public Schools (SPS), which owns the current stadium.

The stadium's namesake memorial wall, honoring SPS students that died during World War II, is a city of Seattle landmark and will remain in its current location at the stadium's east entrance. A new plaza with seating and landscaped elements looks to be planned adjacent to the wall, offering visitors new opportunities to sit and take in the landmark. The main visitor entrance to the replacement stadium will also be located at the east entrance, adjacent to the Memorial Wall and an existing parking lot.

The comprehensive stadium rebuild is designed to seamlessly integrate into the Seattle Center campus and includes a plaza at the west entrance near the International Fountain.

Photo courtesy of Seattle Center [enlarge]

Demolition of the existing stadium is expected to start this fall.

One Roof Stadium Partnership (ORSP) — a consortium of the Seattle Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena and One Roof Foundation — is overseeing the development, construction and operations of the new stadium on behalf of SPS and the city of Seattle. The organization was chosen to be the private partner on the public/private project in 2023. Final legal agreements for the arrangement are expected to be approved by the SPS Board of Directors and Seattle City Council later this year.

The replacement stadium is being designed by Kansas City firm Generator Studio, working with local shop GGLO. Sellen is the general contractor.

In addition to releasing the new renderings, ORSP last week also announced that it has secured $30 million in private funding for the redevelopment.

This includes a lead gift of $5 million from Seattle Kraken owner Samantha Holloway and Climate Pledge Arena developer and operator Oak View Group, plus the project's first corporate commitment from WaFd Bank, which donated $2 million.

[enlarge]

The new stadium will have three covered seating stands, plus uncovered berm seating, with a total of 6,500 seats.

Additional donations come from local philanthropists and community foundations including the Norcliffe Foundation ($7.5 million); Steve and Connie Ballmer ($5 million); the Brotman family ($2.5 million); Gates Foundation ($1 million); Schultz Family Foundation ($1 million); and Amazon ($2 million).

The Grousemont Foundation, Glen and Alison Milliman, Mary Pigot, Walker Family Fund and W. Razore Family Foundation also made contributions.

This private funding adds to $66.5 million secured for the project from the SPS capital levy, as well as nearly $4 million in state funding and $40 million from the city of Seattle. Redevelopment costs are planned to not exceed $150 million.

The goal is to have the new stadium completed by the end of 2027. Once completed, the stadium will operate as a sustainable not-for-profit venture, rather than a commercial enterprise. SPS will retain ownership of the facility, which will continue to prioritize student sports and events. ORSP will operate, manage, and maintain the stadium.