Florida Gators ready to select architect for $400M stadium project

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It’s been more than a decade since Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was renovated and 20 years since it last expanded. After completing the $86 million Heavener Center last August, the Florida Gators are ready to tackle their next facility project.

Following a series of exhaustive studies and evaluations, the UAA announced Monday that it is preparing to select an architect to begin the design phase for one of the most ambitious stadium upgrades in college football history.

This will be the largest — and most important — facility project the University Athletic Association has ever taken on. Financial estimates are approximately $400 million, anchored by an aggressive fundraising campaign.

The UAA aims to a significantly transform “The Swamp” while maintaining many of its traditional elements.

“We’ve conducted a number of studies over the last five-plus years about what the future could look like for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium,” Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin said. “We’ve engaged with vendors that specialize in iconic venues and stadium experience for both fans and players while offering a variety of solutions. It is now time to take that information and engage with an architect who can present renovation, construction and phasing options for The Swamp.”

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From upgrades to the concourse, entry gates, seating, concessions and restrooms to enhancements to video board and sound system, the stadium will be profoundly modernized but also preserve the unique features that Florida fans love and cherish.

The search for the next architect begins in July with a formal selection process coordinated with UF Campus Planning, Design and Construction Office. Once selected, the architectural team will develop planning strategy and phasing components of the project.

“There are many questions that come with a project of this scope, but it would be premature to speculate on the answer to many of those, including but not limited to final costs, seating capacity and specific timeline,” Stricklin said. “We look forward to working along with an architect that will start providing options on what those answers could look like and allow us to continue to host college football’s biggest and best fans in The Swamp.”

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Ben Hill Griffin Stadium history

The facility first opened in 1930 as Florida Field and was named Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in 1989. The cost of construction for the original 21,769-seat facility was $118,000.

In 2016, the playing surface was renamed in honor of former Florida quarterback and head coach Steve Spurrier, who coined “The Swamp” nickname after the 1991 season. The facility’s official name is now Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The stadium has expanded five times (1950: 40,116; 1965-66: 62,800; 1982: 72,000; 1991: 83,000; 2003: 88,548-present) and received four renovations (1998: $5 million, 2003: $50 million; 2007: $28 million; 2012: 4.7 million) along with multiple facility upgrades.

The University of Florida upgraded Ben Hill Griffin Stadium prior to Spurrier’s second season as the head coach. An upper deck and a middle deck of club seating dubbed the “Touchdown Terrace” was constructed above the existing north end zone seats.

Spurrier remembers having his photo taken with a shovel after the $17 million expansion, which completed the double-decked bowling-in of the stadium and raised capacity to over 83,000. 

The Gators debuted their new digs in the 1991 opener. 

“Here’s what was amazing: We played San Jose State and we had the largest crowd in the history of the state of Florida for a football game. It was sort of the opening of a new stadium,” Spurrier said in June 2021. “That was a fun game. We beat them 59-21, I think. They were a blitzing team. We loved to play those teams.” 

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