Georgia Tech stadium overhaul with huge screen, speakeasy in works

More than a century after it opened, the oldest on-campus stadium in major college football is being prepped for large-scale upgrades designed to rev up the gameday experience.

Georgia Tech athletics has officially kicked off a $500-million fundraising campaign called Full Steam Ahead that could produce upgraded facilities for Ramblin’ Wreck football fans, along with basketball and volleyball players.

Notably, Bobby Dodd Stadium’s transformation is set to include a massive videoboard at the south end, new clubs and a speakeasy, along with an array of deluxe suites.

Athletics program leaders report almost $300 million has already been raised, with a goal of boosting Tech sports to compete for “championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics.”

The sports facility plans are part of a $2 billion campus-wide initiative called Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech and would join a growth spurt in other sections of campus.

Full Steam Ahead plans call for O’Keefe Gym, home of Georgia Tech volleyball, to be modernized with a widened concourse and upgraded fan amenities.

For basketball, a tech-savvy revamp of training hub Zelnak Basketball Center would see upgraded strength and conditioning and athletic training areas, new meeting and office spaces, and a new men’s basketball locker room (the women’s facility was redone four years ago).

But for Yellow Jackets faithful and the general public, the most buzzworthy (apologies) changes would come at circa-1913 Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, where an unrelated stadium expansion broke ground in March.

Along with the huge videoboard and an upgraded sound system, the Full Steam Ahead campaign calls for installing chairback seating throughout the stadium (replacing today’s rock-hard bleachers) and new club and suite-level seating. Those will include seven Founders suites that accommodate guests in private settings with some outdoor seating.

A 140-seat hub called the Foundation Club, the first on the western side of the stadium, would be placed at the 50-yard line with “a statement bar, premium food and beverage, and high-end finishes,” per Georgia Tech athletics.

Another club, the East Side Club, will include a tucked-away VIP facet called the East Side Speakeasy for, yes, an even more exclusive experience with all-inclusive food and drink.  

All projects are contingent on fundraising success and would have to be approved by Georgia Tech’s president and Board of Regents before moving forward, according to the athletics department.

Swing up to the gallery for more renderings and context.

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