Schoellkopf Field & Stadium

The Schoellkopf Field and Memorial Hall at Cornell University has been in use since the early 1900’s, dating back to the beginning of Division I college football. Over time, the famous crescent-shaped bleacher stadium began to deteriorate. This concrete bleacher structure hosts thousands of fans each year, which included current students, alumni, media and the Cornell band. Cornell approached Welliver to perform the repairs without interrupting student activity and maintaining the historic nature of the stadium. The field is the home of Big Red football, sprint football, field hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse and therefore could not be damaged during the construction. Because Welliver and Cornell University have had such a long working relationship, our company was an easy choice for them to be guaranteed prompt work within budget.

Project Highlights

• This was a multi-year, phased project that spanned three summer semesters to prevent disruption to students. Schedule maintenance was still a big concern due to summer sports, public events, and annual turf maintenance. The Welliver and Cornell teams remained in constant contact regarding milestone achievements.
• This project came about through a reverse bid – Welliver provided a scope of services for a set budget and once the job was underway, weekly budget progression was communicated to the Owner.
• The Welliver project team performed rehabilitation to the entire stadium Crescent including concrete repair to deteriorated bleachers seats, framing, and structural repairs.
• Renovation and restructuring occurred on the concrete colonnades and expansion joints to provide additional strength during the seasonal weather changes.
• In order to provide a long-term care solution for drainage and to protect the turf field, a new drainage and runoff system was installed.
• Careful attention was paid to the historic preservation while providing updated building features to ensure that the changes be durable and last a lifetime.