For more than 60 years, the East Stand at Michie Stadium, the 38,000-seat home of the Army Black Knights Division I college football team on the campus of the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY, has served in school.
That service is being enhanced by the Michie Stadium Preservation Project, a $170 million effort to rebuild and modernize the East Stands. The project begins in April by demolishing the current bleachers, making way for a complete reconstruction of the east bleachers in time for the fall 2026 football season. Soccer and lacrosse will continue to be played inside the facility throughout the project.
“Designing military facilities comes with its complexities, but keeping Michie open for soccer and lacrosse during construction represented the biggest logistical challenge,” says Kevin Murphy, Turner Construction project manager.
Space and security concerns make logistics even more so. Tight restrictions will complicate delivery sequences and material layout space, and being located on a military installation adds “several layers of security.”
Add to that a high water table and rock outcropping at the site, along with the fact that it’s the first stadium Murphy knows of built to a progressive collapse standard, and the stadium preservation project Michie will have many milestones during her two-plus years. of construction
Murphy expects demolition to wrap up by the end of the summer, allowing the foundation to begin soon after and the steel work to be completed by early 2025. Then will come the seating bowl and the closing of the building in late 2025 and building systems in early 2026. Building completions are expected in late 2026. spring 2026 and commissioning of the new structure in summer 2026 in time for the season of football that fall.
“We’re working with the CM team in real time to specify products that can meet the logistics requirements,” Murphy says of staying on schedule amid a challenging environment. “Our team has coordinated with various West Point departments, utilities and contractors to plan the site and the underground reach.”
EwingCole programmed, planned and designed the new structure intended to connect with history with a modern interpretation. William McCullough, director of EwingCole, says that with Michie, the second most visited site at the US Military Academy, the design supports both a focus on the field and the surrounding Hudson Valley.
Outside and at the midpoint of the new east, a new Plaça de la Victòria is being built that will overlook a reservoir. With multiple views and experiences inside the new building, the stands have a double-edged look, McCullough says, “one that gives fans an unparalleled view and proximity to the field, the other that allows for amazing views of the surrounding area place”.
The upgrade will feature new premium seating options and improved concessions while giving the Corps of Cadets a section of seating that spans from one end zone to the other. The palette of the building materials will take cues from nearby structures.
“Fieldside seats are special because, as a fan, you’ll be sitting right behind and with the cadets who bring the energy to the game,” McCullough says. “A center-level bar overlooks the field on one side and a reservoir on the other for what will be a newly captured space for fans. No matter where you sit, you’ll have an amazing connection to the game or natural environment of the Hudson Valley”.
Notable: New York’s Union College gets $50 million arena
Union College will have a new home for its Division I hockey teams two blocks from its Schenectady, N.Y., campus when the $50 million, 2,200-seat hockey arena opens in 2025 .The new arena, funded with public and private money, will host the school’s men’s and women’s hockey teams, but also serve as an entertainment and trade show venue.
