City leaders and Northwestern Athletics executives celebrated the new Ryan Field as workers officially installed the stadium’s final beam Thursday morning, marking the conclusion of the project’s structural phase.
Mayor Daniel Biss, Athletic Director Mark Jackson and two members of the Ryan family addressed the crowd of more than 400 construction workers after Executive Director of Neighborhood and Community Relations Dave Davis kicked off proceedings.
“There’s never been anything like this in the history of college athletics, and it separates itself on so many different fronts,” Jackson said.
Jackson said Ryan Field not only looks forward to hosting football games, but also hopes to attract NCAA Championships, Big Ten Championships concerts and other events.
“It’ll be the most intimate stadium in America,” Pat Ryan Jr. said. “That’s because of the incredible engineering that went into it, but also the incredible craftsmanship.”
Both Pat Ryan Jr. and Jackson emphasized their hopes that the new stadium will improve the gameday experience for student fans and student athletes alike, highlighting plans for a student-dedicated plaza and collaboration with student groups.
After the speeches, Patrick Ryan (Kellogg ’59) announced the raising of the beam, which was signed by all of the construction workers, architects, engineers and others who have been involved in the project. Construction workers then installed the beam using a 150-foot crane.
“This building is a strong representation of the vision of Northwestern University in partnering with Evanston,” Patrick Ryan said.
The Ryans, the main backers of the $850 million project, stressed their appreciation for the iron workers. Patrick Ryan also had praise for Biss, who served as the tiebreaking vote that made the rebuild possible.
“He did it because it was the right thing to do for his community, the right thing for Evanston, but this is going to be a monument for Evanston that attracts people from all over the country and other parts of the world as well,” Patrick Ryan said.
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