Seattle Public Schools began the process of replacing the 78-year-old Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center with a July 3, 2025, groundbreaking ceremony, according to queenannenews.com.
The start of construction on a new 6,500-seat stadium comes after the city of Seattle and Seattle Public Schools jointly issued a Request for Proposal in March 2023 that sought a private partner to fund, redevelop, operate and maintain the project along with the two entities.
Sellen Construction, a Seattle-based builder, will lead construction, according to seattlecenter.com. The new stadium is being designed by Generator Studio.
Stadum completion is set for September 2027, according to queenannenews.com.
A public-private partnership between Seattle, Seattle Public Schools and the One Roof Partnership, which is a consortium of Seattle Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena and One Roof Foundation, will lead the project.
The $140 million funding for the project largely comes from the city and Seattle Public Schools, according to queenannenews.com.
Seattle set aside $40 million as part of its Capital Improvement Plan, while Seattle Public Schools allocated $66.5 million in voter-approved funds from its 2022 Buildings, Technology and Academics/
Athletics Capital Levy and capital funds.
The developers also raised $30 million in private funding for the stadium, according to queenannenews.com.
The Center Square previously reported on the One Roof Partnership ensuring that the total project is "derisked" for the public sector by having the developer take on all the construction risk.
The partnership will operate the facility as a not-for-profit. That means that revenue generated will go into a maintenance fund and projects that benefit community members, according to queenannenews.com.
The original stadium opened in 1947 and has hosted multiple notable events since then. Those include the opening ceremony of the 1962 World's Fair, the region's biggest high school football games and concerts by Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam and the Grateful Dead, according to king5.com.
Memorial Wall, which honors 762 local high school students and alumni who lost their lives in World War II, will be preserved and enhanced. Memorial Wall is a designated Seattle Landmark.
The project includes a new plaza in front of the memorial to make it more prominent, according to seattleschools.org.
