Memorial Stadium Replacement Project
Summary : On June 15, Seattle Public Schools and City of Seattle announced One Roof Partnership as a potential partner for the memorial stadium.

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the City of Seattle are building on their longstanding partnership by collaborating on the replacement of the school district’s Memorial Stadium, which is located at Seattle Center. SPS will continue to own the stadium and retain priority scheduled use of the venue, which will adhere to all athletic league standards.
To support this shared vision, the partners recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify a private partner to provide the additional capital necessary for this legacy project.
On June 15, Superintendent Brent Jones and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that Seattle Public Schools and the City of Seattle will enter into discussions with One Roof Partnership – comprised of One Roof Foundation, Seattle Kraken and Oak View Group – as their potential partner in redeveloping and operating the Memorial Stadium. An advisory panel of SPS and city staff and community representatives reviewed the proposals and interviewed the prospective partners before recommending One Roof Partnership.
In making the announcement, Dr. Jones and Mayor Harrell said in a joint statement:
“As longtime partners in serving students and the community, SPS and the City of Seattle are excited to enter into discussions with One Roof Partnership following our recent RFP process for the future of Memorial Stadium.
“We have carefully considered the recommendation of the Memorial Stadium Advisory Panel, and agree that One Roof Partnership’s proposal makes a promising case for a potential partnership with a strong understanding of our values, a bold vision for an innovative new stadium, and which comes closest to meeting the requirements, goals and student-centered focus of the RFP.
“As a potential partner, One Roof Partnership proposes a philanthropic funding approach, rather than a commercial enterprise. This unique approach best reflects community, with an emphasis on creating new opportunities for students and youth from all backgrounds, and has promise to be a great enhancement to the Seattle Center campus.
“On behalf of SPS and the city, we want to express our sincere appreciation to both proposers for their interest in redeveloping and operating Memorial Stadium. Both proposals reflect the work of highly qualified and professional organizations that have demonstrated the ability to develop and operate major athletic facilities, and we are grateful for their time, effort, interest and participation in this process.”
With this announcement, the parties will continue to discuss the proposal in hopes of a mutual agreement to be considered by the Seattle School Board and Seattle City Council later this year.
As with other successful public-private partnerships (including McCaw Hall, Pacific Science Center, MoPOP, and Seattle Children’s Theatre at the Seattle Center) partnering with a private investor-operator will help ensure the civic investment operates at the highest professional standards without competing priorities or at the whim of budget cycles.
Students and the community will have opportunities to provide input to help shape the planning and design through a community engagement process following 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.
Memorial Stadium Replacement Project
A New Vision for Memorial Stadium
The much-anticipated Memorial Stadium replacement project will soon be under way, with groundbreaking planned for this summer and construction completed by the end of 2027.
The new stadium will be a multi-purpose stadium to serve SPS student athletics. It will also serve as a resource for the community and be able to host education, arts, culture, entertainment, and community events.
The project is a partnership between SPS, the City of Seattle, and One Roof Stadium Partnership. SPS’s portion is funded by the 2022 voter-approved Buildings, Technology, and Academics/Athletics Capital Levy (BTA V). SPS will continue to own the new facility, just like it does the current stadium.
Interlocal agreement on Memorial Stadium Project
Memorial Wall, which honors 762 local high school students and alumni who lost their lives in World War II, will be preserved and enhanced. Memorial Wall is a designated Seattle Landmark. The project includes a new plaza in front of the memorial to make it more prominent.
The full project is expected to take two years. Graduation ceremonies in 2026 and 2027 will be held at other locations. Sports that typically play at Memorial Stadium will be at other locations that will be announced during the sport season.
You can see the full project information and follow construction progress on the project website.
Centering Student Opportunities

The vision for the dynamic new stadium is to center on students. This includes expanded opportunities for SPS students with new spaces to deepen engagement with Seattle Center’s resident arts, cultural, and sports organizations.
The project also provides a valuable opportunity to foster potential workforce development with career and technical training in fields such as cultural, culinary, and performing arts; science; journalism; and sports and sports management with access to skilled workers and professionals on the ground.
Funding the Project
Currently, the project’s public investment includes $66.5 million approved by Seattle voters in a 2022 SPS capital levy (specifically allocated to build/maintain capital assets), as well as nearly $4 million in state support and $40 million from the City of Seattle. In addition, One Roof Stadium Partnership has committed $5 million and is leading efforts to raise additional private funding needed for the project.
About Seattle Public Schools Budget and Funding
The funds SPS is committing to the project come from the Buildings, Technology, and Academics/Athletics (BTA) capital levy approved by Seattle voters in 2022.
Because this fund is specifically allocated to build or maintain capital assets, it can’t be used for operating expenses or moved to the general fund. The salary and benefits of most employees are paid from the general fund.

Partnership Agreement Approved
In June 2025, the Seattle School Board and Seattle City Council approved the project’s development and interlocal agreements.
News Release: It’s Game On for Memorial Stadium Redevelopment Project
This finalizes the partnership between Seattle Public Schools, the City of Seattle, and One Roof Stadium Partnership (a consortium of Seattle Kraken, One Roof Foundation, and Climate Pledge Arena).
One Roof Stadium Partnership is leading the efforts to raise the additional private funding needed for the project.
News Release: Memorial Stadium Partner Announcement
Collaborative Planning
This work first began in 2017 with a partnership agreement between SPS and the City of Seattle to collaboratively design a Memorial Stadium replacement and coordinate development of the SPS property with the Seattle Center.
In 2021, SPS and the city signed a Letter of Intent outlining the shared goal of replacing the athletic stadium with a more visionary, multi-use facility, which was followed by a Memorandum of Agreement in October 2022. With this agreement SPS and the City will continue their longstanding partnership at Memorial Stadium, with SPS retaining ownership and priority use for student events, while the City would maximize use of the facility through community activities.
In 2022, Seattle voters approved the Buildings, Technology, and Academics/Athletics V Capital Levy (BTA V), which included $66.5 million for the Memorial Stadium project.
Seattle businesses, community organizations and civic leaders are early supporters of this shared vision for a world-class facility which centers on students and equity, including Cornish College of the Arts, Downtown Seattle Association, Greater Seattle Partners, KEXP, Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council, SIFF, Seattle Sports Commission, Uptown Alliance, Uptown Arts & Culture Coalition, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, and YMCA of Greater Seattle.
About Memorial Stadium
Seattle Public Schools’ Memorial Stadium is a successor to Civic Field, built in 1927 as part of the City’s Civic Complex.
The City of Seattle deeded the land to SPS in 1946 to build, operate, and maintain a new athletic field. Voters approved a school levy and bonds (issued in 1942 and 1944) to provide funding for the improvement of school buildings and the construction of today’s Memorial Stadium, which was 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 alumni who lost their lives in the war.
The Memorial Wall was designed by Garfield High School student Marianne Hanson. Revenues from Thanksgiving Day football games played in the stadium from 1947-49 paid for construction and installation of the Memorial Wall.
Throughout its history, Memorial Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the Seattle World’s Fair and tens of thousands of concerts and community events.
Today, SPS Memorial Stadium is used for numerous school events each year — attracting hundreds of thousands of students and community members for high school athletic events, graduation ceremonies, and community events.
Contacts and Resources
Media Contact: SPSmedia@seattleschools.org