This new 6,000-seat stadium and field complex memorializes Wisconsin’s veterans while accommodating the needs of football, track and field, soccer and various recreational sports.
The brick and stone facade reflects a collegiate classical architectural style, the dominant style of the La Crosse campus. The asymmetrical design provides 6,000 home-side seats, with adequate seating centered on the 50-yard line (football) and on the typical finish line for track events. New fields accommodate athletic practice needs and recreation venues for competitive intramurals and sports club play, while also creating a new venue for UW-L Soccer.
The stadium maximizes the site by enclosing a large amount of space under the grandstand for spectator amenity functions, concessions, team rooms, training space and storage areas. The planning of the constrained site was optimized by creatively overlapping fields and uses that occur during different athletic seasons.
The use of brick with stone integrates the stadium into the surrounding campus architecture. Architectural detailing and cladding enliven the stadium’s facade. The striped base picks up the character of traditional campus buildings and helps tie the new facility to the existing and adjacent Veteran’s Memorial, which was carefully integrated into the new Veteran’s Plaza and Walk, creating an important pre-function space.
A visitor’s side grandstand and spectator support building were designed for the future. The infrastructure for this was built in the current phase, readying the facility for construction when funds become available. A locker room and training and student fitness building were also designed as a future phase.
