Memorial Stadium

What is the shared vision for the new Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center?

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the City of Seattle have successfully managed and programmed Memorial Stadium for decades with sporting events, high school graduation ceremonies, concerts, walk/run fundraising events, community festivals such as Bumbershoot, and other special events.

The district and the city are building upon their longstanding partnership with plans for a visionary new multi-use student and community events facility – replacing the 76-year-old Memorial Stadium with a legacy investment for year-round athletics, education, entertainment, and a focus on expanding the ways the stadium.

This new project builds upon the basic $66.5 million athletic facility replacement approved by voters in last year’s BTA V Levy, with the identification of a private partner. The private partner will invest in, design, build, operate and maintain the new stadium, with SPS continuing to own the stadium and maintain priority use. This approach helps SPS pay for the development of the new stadium and eliminates the Seattle Public School’s costs to maintain and operate the facility, while providing students with an enhanced facility.

Shared values guide this work focusing on students, equity, community access and engagement, quality design and experience, partnerships, operations, maintenance, and financial and environmental sustainability.

This new state-of-the-art facility will serve as a welcoming hub of year-round activity with flexible spaces for a variety of athletic, learning and development, and cultural and entertainment events for our community.

What is the history of Memorial Stadium?

Seattle Public Schools’ Memorial Stadium is a successor of Civic Field, built in 1927 as part of the city’s Civic Complex.

In 1946 the City of Seattle deeded the land to SPS to build, operate, and maintain a new athletic field. A voter-approved school levy and bonds (issued in 1942 and 1944) provided funding for the improvement of school buildings and the construction of today’s Memorial Stadium, completed in 1947.

The stadium was selected as the site for a war memorial by a group of community leaders appointed by Seattle Mayor William Devin following World War II to pay tribute to the nearly 800 SPS alums who lost their lives in the war.

Revenues from Thanksgiving Day football games played in the stadium from 1947-1949 paid for the Memorial Wall, designed by Garfield High School student Marianne Hanson. The formal memorial dedication occurred on May 29, 1951.

Today, Memorial Stadium is used for numerous school events annually. It attracts hundreds of thousands of students and community members each year for high school athletic events, graduation ceremonies, and community events, such as Bumbershoot.

What is the agreement between Seattle Public Schools and the City of Seattle regarding the funding and construction of a new Memorial Stadium?

The district’s $66.5 million levy funds for Memorial Stadium alone would fund a basic student athletics facility by replacing the stands, field turf, lighting, and some additional building upgrades. This stadium would seat approximately 4,500 people.

SPS and the City of Seattle signed a partnership agreement to collaborate on the design of a Memorial Stadium replacement in November 2017, followed by a Letter of Intent in October 2021, and a Memorandum of Agreement signed in October 2022. The agreements outline the framework for a funding partnership to enhance that basic stadium concept and create a more visionary, higher-quality stadium which can be a spectacular venue for students and the community with a minimum of 8,000 seats.

What is the status of the project?

SPS and the city are collaborating on a shared vision for a Memorial Stadium. In recent years, the two have worked with architectural firms – Seattle-based Bassetti Architects and NBBJ, as well as Populous – to create several design concepts. Earlier this year, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued to identify a potential private partner to invest in, design, build, operate, maintain and manage the new facility.

In June, following the RFP process, SPS and the City announced that they will advance negotiations with the One Roof Partnership – comprised of the One Roof Foundation, Seattle Kraken and Oak View Group – as their potential preferred partner.

Discussions will now refine the proposal and develop more detailed agreements around the project anticipated to be considered by the SPS Board of Directors and Seattle City Council later this year.

What are the stadium ownership and operating terms between Seattle Public Schools and the City of Seattle?

Seattle Public Schools, which will lease Memorial Stadium to the City of Seattle, owns the stadium and retains priority use.

With the new stadium, the city will sub-lease the venue to the private partner under the direction of the city and an operations and maintenance oversight committee consisting of representatives of the city, SPS and representatives of the selected developer/operator.

What is the design and construction timeline for the new stadium?

The timeline for the project assumes planning will begin in 2023 and that construction is aiming to be completed in Spring 2026, if possible, but no later than December 31, 2027 per the RFP.

How can community members share their opinions and perspective about the design of the new facility? What is the timeline for that input?

Initial outreach has begun with student and cultural groups, Seattle Center staff and resident organizations, and dozens of community-based organizations.

Beginning this summer students and the community will have additional opportunities to provide input to help shape the planning and design through a community engagement process to run concurrent with the continuing partnership negotiation. The process, guided by best practices used in other successful civic and school projects, will be based on a strong commitment to equity, inclusion and access.

What community outreach efforts are being taken to help ensure equity input?

The community engagement process is a joint effort between the project partners, designed to be inclusive of students, families, and the greater community – both users and non-users of the stadium – through presentations, site tours, online engagement, and direct outreach to community organizations which are guided by a racial equity analysis tool designed to drive inclusive community engagement.

What is the design concept for the new stadium, and what opportunity will the public have to weigh in on the design plans for the stadium?

The potential partner’s proposal proposes to build a 10,000-seat stadium to host student athletic, arts and culture, and community events.

The proposal honors the stadium’s history and preserves Memorial Wall, and includes additional programmable space and enhanced views from the stadium into the Seattle Center campus.

Beginning this summer, students and the community will have opportunities to provide input to help shape the planning and design through a community engagement process to run concurrent with the continuing partnership negotiation. The process, guided by a commitment to racial equity, will be informed and inspired by the voice of students of color furthest from educational justice. Eventually, the final design will be reviewed by the Seattle Design Commission, along with an environmental review, which will provide additional opportunities for public comment.

What is the anticipated cost of the new stadium?

In its response to the recent RFP issued by SPS and the City, One Roof Partnership proposes a new $150 million 10,000 seat stadium to host student athletics, arts and culture, and community events, though a formal cost estimate for the new facility will be determined based on the final design following partner negotiations and the community engagement process.

The One Roof Partnership’s involvement will build upon significant public investment which includes $66.5 million approved by Seattle voters in last year’s SPS capital levy, as well as $4 million in state funding; $21 million from the city, plus another $19 million which the Seattle City Council expressed its intent to identify no later than 2026. In addition, the One Roof Partnership has committed to lead efforts to raise the additional funding needed for the project.

Why is the City investing up to $40 million in a new Memorial Stadium which is owned by Seattle Public Schools?

Memorial Stadium, although owned by Seattle Public Schools, has always been an integral part of Seattle Center. The shared SPS and city vision for a new stadium supports the Seattle Center’s Century 21 Master Plan and will fully integrate it into the Seattle Center campus, by removing walls and opening views, as never before.

Specifically, the project provides several direct public benefits including (1) the completion of August Wilson Way with a long-awaited east-west pedestrian connection across the center’s campus; (2) the creation of new landscaped open space linking the International Fountain with the stadium; (3) the inclusion of multi-purpose event space, and new centralized storage and maintenance facilities for the center, relocating to the campus from current off-site locations for improved operational efficiencies and saving $500,000 in annual lease costs; (4) and new view corridors on all four sides of the stadium, replacing the “fortress”-like structure existing today. None of these city-requested project elements will be provided if SPS constructs a basic replacement stadium.

Finally, if this civic partnership can advance quickly, the new stadium may be ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and other anticipated events including the 2026 celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary. Importantly, with the anticipated future return of NBA basketball to Seattle, the new stadium’s field can be converted for outdoor basketball, such as 3-on-3 games for youth and adults.

How much funding for the stadium comes from the capital levy, and how much is projected from philanthropy and other sources?

The One Roof Partnership’s involvement will build upon significant public investment which includes $66.5 million approved by Seattle voters in last year’s SPS capital levy, as well as $4 million in state funding; $21 million from the City, plus another $19 million which the Seattle City Council expressed its intent to identify no later than 2026. In addition, the One Roof Partnership has committed to lead efforts to raise the additional funding needed for the project.

How will the new stadium prioritize students and equitable access?

The new venue will prioritize students by providing a premier athletic field for SPS students and graduation ceremonies, as well as flexible space for education activities. The re-envisioned flexible design will be a place for everyone, allowing for year-round activity, including athletics, education, and a diverse array of arts, culture, and community events.

How does the new venue contribute to the future vision of Seattle Center?

The Seattle Center’s Century 21 Master Plan calls for active, open, public space – and the reimagining of Memorial Stadium which will help to fulfill that vision in several ways, including the removal of the current stadium’s massive, view-obstructing walls; the completion of August Wilson Way with the long-awaited east-west pedestrian and bike connection across the center’s campus; the creation of new public open space linking the International Fountain with the stadium; and preservation of the Memorial Wall.

In addition, the new stadium will provide operational efficiencies with the centralization of Seattle Center storage and maintenance facilities, which are currently located off-campus and across multiple campus sites, and easier load-in/load-out and staging areas for all stadium events.

Who will be responsible for scheduling events at the new stadium?

Once finalized, the partnership agreement between SPS, the city and a private partner will address the new stadium’s operations, maintenance, marketing, and use agreements, including a scheduling protocol which prioritizes SPS needs for student events (i.e., sporting events, graduation ceremonies, etc.) with SPS being the anchor user of the new facility.

What is the plan for Memorial Wall with the replacement of Memorial Stadium?

SPS, the city and our potential partner recognize the importance of Memorial Wall, and are committed to preserving and enhancing the wall with any new stadium design.

What are the benefits of public-private investment in the Memorial Stadium project?

Enlisting a private partner to invest in, design, build, operate, maintain and manage the new stadium will provide the additional capital necessary for this legacy project, beyond what the school district could afford on its own. The state-of-the-art stadium – and the more frequent and broader range of student and community events it will host – will also rely on a professional event venue operations and management partner. With year-round programming, it will require a higher level of expertise than either the city or SPS is equipped to provide. By partnering with a private investor-operator, we can ensure that our civic investment is managed, operated and maintained at the highest professional standards without competing priorities or at the whim of budget cycles.

The shared vision for the new stadium will provide for further advancement of educational and racial equity, including opportunities to deepen engagement with Seattle Center’s resident arts, cultural and sports organizations. In support of this vision, SPS and the city seek a private partner to bring creative approaches to help advance the longstanding partners’ commitment to education and

their objectives for fostering workforce development with career technical training in fields such as cultural, culinary and performing arts; science; journalism; sports and sports management.

The public-private partnership model has also proven to be successful with so many other beloved Seattle area amenities and landmarks, with many located at Seattle Center including McCaw Hall, Pacific Science Center, MoPOP, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Center Armory, Fisher Pavilion, Climate Pledge Arena and others.