Happy 85th Birthday Memorial Stadium!

Ansel Adams photo

On November 24, Memorial Stadium will be celebrating its 85th anniversary of providing great memories to countless loyal Californians.

Here's a link to the California Monthly magazine from November 1998 describing the construction. A few excerpts:

[O]n November 24, 1923, with the smell of new concrete still fresh, the undefeated Golden Bears christened the oval by thrashing Stanford 9-0 in the 29th Big Game. Seventy-four thousand people came to that first contest, the largest crowd ever to witness a football game in the West.

[snip]
In California in the 1920s, there was a strong feeling that it would be appropriate to build a memorial to the many men from the state who had died in the Great War. An impressive stadium consecrated to the virtues of manhood was deemed a fitting memorial. At the same time, Cal was outgrowing its facilities. University architect John Galen Howard was fast replacing frame-and-brick buildings with modern structures designed to create Berkeley's Athens-like atmosphere. A classical stadium would complement Wheeler, Hilgard, and Gilman halls, the Library, Sather Gate, and the Greek Theatre.

[snip]
Memorial Stadium was dedicated to the heroic University dead of the World War by local civic and military leaders on Friday afternoon. Fifty Civil War veterans from the Grand Army of the Republic led a procession that included veterans of World War I and the Spanish-American War, and active members of all the armed services.

Robert Gordon Sproul turned the new stadium over to the UC Board of Regents with these words: "It was conceived by Californians, it was built by Californians, and is the property of Californians. And now that it is completed, I entrust it in your care. The stadium is complete. Possessed of the rare beauty of simplicity and a restfulness derived from perfection of unbroken lines, dedicated most nobly to the youth which fell in the war, the stadium is complete. It is ready for athletic contests, for academic gatherings, for conferences devoted to the highest ends of civilization."

But my favorite trivia concerning the stadium:

The main axis of the field was designed so that at 3 p.m. on the afternoon of November 20 (always within a few days of the Big Game), the sun would be exactly at right angles to the field of play.

Stadium EIR delayed

Memorial Stadium was built to honor the Californians who died in WWI. The stadium opened its doors to the public on Big Game Day in 1923. Many Cal fans possess exhilarating and heart-wrenching experiences in that stadium. But the stadium is old, it was built on top of the Hayward Fault, and needs renovation and work to keep it safer and to modernize the facilities.

The new Southeast Campus plans, which include additions to the Stadium, were delayed by a UC Regents committee, who were asked to certify the EIR November 14. Construction was slated to begin after this year's Big Game. The committee is expected to reconvene December 4 after further review of the project. The construction was to begin that same week; University officials told the committee that a delay to December 4 should not materially impact the schedule.

Reasons for the delay:

The City of Berkeley is threatening a lawsuit

Tightwad Hill fans are concerned about free views

Panoramic Hill residents are concerned about safety

Oak tree fans are concerned about woodlands

Early '80's Rally Comm alums are concerned that a certain Monterey Pine is targeted for removal

OK, I might be stretching that last point.
SF Chron article
Oakland Trib article
Daily Cal article
Berkeley News Article (hat tip - MGH '97)

Trees, Tightwad Hill and Stadium Plans

Based on my experience, all new re/development plans will undoubtedly bring out people opposed to the project.

The new Memorial Stadium plans have at least two opponents - "Save Tightwad Hill" and "Save the Oaks at the Stadium". Both are delivering petitions to the UC Regents meetings November 14-15 at UCLA. The Regents are expected to certify the EIR for the $112MM Stadium Plan during the two-day meeting.

The Tightwad Hill opponents are basically attempting to ensure that views remain the same from the traditional vantage point.

Since learning of planned modifications and renovations to Memorial Stadium that will block Tightwad Hill's views of the playing field, Sicular and fellow cheapskates have collected 1,000 signatures of people opposed to the university's plan. -Oakland Trib

The Save the Oaks campaign is also collecting signatures to stop or revise the Stadium Plan to save the oak grove on the West side of the stadium.

They, along with a student arm of the group, delivered a petition with 3,000 signatures to Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's office. They plan to present copies to the UC Board of Regents at its meeting to consider athletic center plans Tuesday.

[snip]

For their part, UC officials said three new trees will be planted for every specimen tree that is removed. What's more, to offset the loss of the trees, the athlete center is being built "to preserve the health of the remaining grove by safeguarding its natural water supply and drainage." -Oakland Trib

I wrote a little about this last year, except it was about a Monterey Pine called Moen.

New Stadium Plans

The new Memorial Stadium Plans were announced yesterday.

The stadium plan and the new law and business building, along with a landscape design and public open space improvements, are the key elements in a renaissance of the southeast corner of the campus.

I suspect this may entail the removal of some of the trees in the immediate area. Last year I mentioned this in one of my daily e-mails:

For those of you who don't know, "Moen" is a Monterey Pine. When it was a seedling, it was acquired by Ken R. '82 through a Happy Meal, or equivalent, promotion at McDonalds. (Yes, I kid you not - he actually got four, and as a true Blue & Gold forester, named them after the ball handlers in The Play.) Moen was planted circa '82-'83 near the Bear statue (near the North Tunnel). It is now quite large and the only Monterey Pine in the immediate area - you can't miss it.

While overall he's happy with the Stadium renovation, Ken is a little bummed that "Moen" may be mowed down. I can't say I blame him...Moen has been nutured and revered by many early 80's Rally Comm alums as a living reminder of "The Play". Since construction is not slated to begin until December 2006, Moen should be able to enjoy at least one more Big Game in Berkeley.