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L.A. Coliseum takes off with renovation, new revenue streams

The University of Southern California is taking donors, fans and the football program to the next level — literally — as part of its $270 million renovation of the iconic, and recently renamed, United Airlines Coliseum.

USC is building a new seven-story Scholarship Club Tower at the former Los Angeles Coliseum’s south side, featuring new categories of premium seating in suites, club and loge seats, plus a press box and a new concourse. The 95-year-old stadium’s first real renovation also includes restoring the venue’s iconic peristyle and a seating shuffle throughout the bowl, with overall capacity shrinking by nearly 20 percent to about 77,500.

Representatives from Southern Cal, including AD Lynn Swann (with shovel, far right), and United Airlines break ground on the new United Airlines Coliseum’s first renovation.usc

The revamp will offer more legroom and wider seats on all tiers of seating, plus more intermediate aisles and handrails throughout the bowl to ease access.

USC Athletic Director Lynn Swann said sales of premium seating “are at a very high mark, near 100 percent sold out.” Premium-seat sales and the United Airlines entitlement deal, worth $70 million over 16 years, will offset but not fully cover the privately funded two-year project, Swann said.

He added that the current renovation is just the beginning. “We continue to raise capital for this,” he said. “There’s more we want to do down the road.”

Partial demolition of the stadium’s south side began in early January, although the groundbreaking ceremony was held Jan. 29. The Trojans and NFL Rams will play through the renovations this year, with the final touches ready for their 2019 seasons.

United Airlines Coliseum

New premium seats

  • Founders suites: 20

  • Club seats: 1,100

  • Suites: 22

  • Loge boxes: 24

  • Rooftop terrace: 500-person capacity

The new Trojans tower won’t be ready until then, but it will already be a big part of the bowl’s new look as it will be embedded in the structure. Don Barnum, DLR Group global sports leader, said embedding the seven-story tower in the coliseum’s structure also maintains the integrity of the stadium, a strong consideration given its historic designation.

“The consensus decision was that putting the improvement inside was less impactful on the overall historic character of the building than doing something outside,” Barnum said.

Another highlight of the renovation, the rooftop lounge, will feature 360-degree views from the Hollywood sign to the Pacific Ocean.

“The terrace will have a canopy for shading and food service, like a lounge,” Barnum said of the 500-person-capacity terrace. “There’s no fixed seating. It’s intended for a younger crowd, more social in nature with a downtown L.A. vibe … to attract young people who may not otherwise come.”

Premium-area concessions are slated to include a variety of upscale offerings in-suite and in shared spaces. The concourse concession experience will be dramatically different from the previous 120-foot tunnels connecting the area from the bowl. The revamped concourse will be open from end zone to end zone, allowing fans nonstop views of the action. There’ll also be more restrooms to get them back to their seats quicker.

Another unique view, Barnum noted, will be “display cooking … you’ll see food products being made, not just a hot dog or hamburger coming out of a drawer and you don’t know where it’s been.”

Robert Gray is a writer based in California.

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