After welcoming Northwestern University football fans for close to 100 years, Ryan Field will be just a memory in about four months.
Cranes, backhoes and demolition crews began taking down the stadium Friday, as part of the project to build a new, $800-million stadium with the same name at the same site.
The Ryan Field name is for Patrick Ryan, business executive, former NU board chair and university benefactor, who is the main funding source for the new football field.
Despite some neighborhood opposition, the new Ryan Field will host up to six concerts, half of what was originally proposed.
NU also signed a 15-year community benefits agreement, providing $10 million per year for a variety of local programs.
Construction of the new facility will start after the former field is gone, and is expected to take two years to complete.
The new privately financed stadium will have only 35,000 seats, quite a downsizing from the current 47,000. It will by far be the smallest facility in the Big Ten, as was the old Ryan Field, for that matter.
The original Ryan Field will not be “imploded,” as is sometimes the case with demolition projects.
Instead, it will be taken down gradually.
NU has still not announced where the Wildcats football team will play over the next two seasons.