Florida Gators take key step in $400 million renovation to The Swamp

The Florida Gators took a significant step toward renovating The Swamp on Monday when they announced they’re ready to begin selecting an architect to lead the $400 million project.

The news comes after five-plus years of discussions and studies about updating the 93-year-old building, formally named Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators have even met with vendors who modernized similarly historic venues like Fenway Park and Lambeau Field to see how a building can be upgraded without losing its nostalgic charm.

“It is now time to take that information and engage with an architect who can present renovation, construction and phasing options for The Swamp,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said in UF’s announcement.

UF will select that architect in a formal process that also includes the school’s campus planning, design and construction office. From there, the Gators will start to come up with answers to some of the biggest unknowns, such as:

• Finances. The Gators said financial estimates “begin at approximately $400 million.” The Gators plan to use an “aggressive fundraising campaign to anchor the funding efforts.” It’s expected to be the largest facility project in program history.

• Capacity. The Swamp’s official capacity is 88,548, which makes it one of the dozen largest college football stadiums in the country. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see that figure drop; major programs like Alabama and Florida State have eliminated some seating during renovations to their stadiums, opting for quality over quantity.

• Timeline. It’s unclear when the renovations will start or finish. One of the only things Stricklin has said on timing is that the work has “taken a lot of time and demanding a lot of time right now.”

“We look forward to working along with an architect that will start providing options on what those answers could look like and allow us to continue to host college football’s biggest and best fans in in The Swamp,” Stricklin said in UF’s announcement.

One thing, however, is clear. This project will be massive. Its initial price tag is $60 million more than what USF has approved to build the Bulls’ proposed on-campus football stadium from nothing.

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The Gators expect the project to touch “every phase of the fan experience,” including updated restrooms, gates and seats. At the recent SEC spring meetings, Stricklin said the stadium houses 180,000 square feet of office space that can’t be used by fans on game day. Perhaps the Gators will look at moving those workspaces to expand concourses or add gathering spaces. That’s one example among many potential options.

Florida has made numerous updates to The Swamp over the years, including recent additions of Wi-Fi and ribbon boards. But those were merely a start to the next phase — one that became more concrete Monday.

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