This article originally appeared on BizJournals.
A stadium project in the Houston area has broken ground, and a Birmingham company is behind the effort.
Sam Houston State University held a groundbreaking ceremony for its $60 million Bowers Stadium renovation project on Dec. 4. The renovation will demolish the stadium’s existing press box on the west side, replacing it with a five-level, 47,000-square-foot facility with an additional 13,000 square feet of covered exterior space. Construction is expected to begin before the end of the year, and the project is scheduled to be completed prior to the 2026 football season.
“We’re creating a vibrant, energetic space where you’ll want to bring your friends, business associates and family,” SHSU President Alisa White, who joined the university in 2020, said in a statement. “Bowers Stadium will become a powerful tool for recruiting students, showcasing the best academic experience in an exceptional environment — one that embodies excellence, community and a winning spirit.”
Birmingham-based Hoar Construction is the general contractor for the project. Omaha, Nebraska-based DLR Group and Washington, D.C.-based Page Southerland Page Inc. designed the renovation.
The Bowers Stadium project is the first major renovation to the venue since it opened in 1986. The renovation will include a new main lobby, ticket office and apparel shop; expanded public restrooms and concessions; 12 new luxury suites; a two-story club lounge with an outdoor balcony; and a new state-of-the-art press box.
The project will be funded using revenue bonds with debt service funded from athletics revenue. Construction is expected to cost $45.1 million. The rest of the $60 million price tag will be spent on fees, furnishings, equipment and other costs.
The major project comes just after Huntsville-based SHSU moved up from the Football Championship Series to the Bowl Championship Series and joined Conference USA in July 2023. The Bearkats had significant success during their second season in C-USA, finishing the year with a 9-3 record and earning a spot in a bowl game. However, the team has become a victim of its own success as longtime head coach K.C. Keeler recently left the school to become the head football coach of Temple University.
