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High-end suites for Coliseum?

The University of Southern California is considering building high-end Founders Suites along both sidelines of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as part of a long-term plan to renovate the historic stadium.

Southern Cal is reviewing several options for renovating the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
The Founders Suites — larger, more luxurious and pricier than traditional suites — are among the premium seat options Southern Cal is considering as it moves to the next phase for determining the scope of upgrades to the 91-year-old facility. To this point, no decisions have been made, school officials said.

Sports architect DLR Group recently completed an initial study of potential Coliseum renovations and has been contracted by the Pac-12 school to work through a second phase over the next several months to determine the right mix of premium seats and pricing levels.

The stadium has no permanent suites, but that is likely to change as Southern Cal develops a budget leaning heavily on the sales of premium seating to pay for construction costs.

In addition to premium seats, the study covered multiple options for improving the Coliseum, keeping in mind the entire building is essentially protected as a historic landmark, said Don Barnum, principal and senior leader of DLR Group’s sports practice.

The renovations could run $500 million if USC checked every item on the wish list of improvements mentioned in the initial study, but the final budget will most likely be about half that number, project officials said.

Southern Cal has already committed to spending $70 million in stadium upgrades as part of its deal with the city to take over management of the Coliseum. Most of that money will go to rebuilding the infrastructure of a stadium that has gone a long time without major renovations, Barnum said.

Building new structures in the seating bowl is the tricky part for a landmarked stadium that has 92,000 seats but would shrink to as few as 80,000 seats after adding premium seats.

The study explored building Founders Suites at midfield, one-third of the way up the seating bowl, followed by suites and club seats, plus loge boxes on all premium levels, Barnum said. Such suites can command top dollar in the premium mix: Founders Suites at TCU and Baylor cost eight figures, paid over five to 20 years.

In addition to the premium customers, Southern Cal officials have stressed the importance of improving the game-day experience for all ticket holders, including food and merchandise concessions, said Dan Stimmler, associate senior vice president of auxiliary services.

Whether that leads to replacing thousands of seats in place over the past 50 years is another issue to be resolved. Replacing the existing seats is a sensitive issue with the historical groups working with project officials to preserve the stadium’s structural integrity, Barnum said.

As part of its research, Southern Cal issued surveys to alumni and donors living within 150 miles of Los Angeles and conducted 15 to 20 focus groups to gauge their feedback on proposed renovations, said Mark Jackson, senior associate athletic director.

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