From the Vault: Construction of Pitt Stadium
A century ago this summer, construction began on Pitt Stadium, the legendary home of the Panthers from 1925-99. The popularity of college football in Pittsburgh exploded in the late 1910's as Pitt and College Football Hall of Famer Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner led the Panthers to a string of undefeated seasons, national championships and national recognition. The Panthers home at the time, Forbes Field was deemed too small, and in 1924, the program's new home would begin to rise from the hills overlooking campus.
The University already owned a large section of land on the north side of campus and sold $2.1 million in bonds – the equivalent of nearly $40 million in 2024– to fund the purchase of remaining land and cover construction costs.
The first published photos of the venue were printed on the occasion of its official groundbreaking, which took place in August 1, 2024. Two conceptual drawings that ran with the photo which gave Pittsburgh it's first impressions of the Stadium's iconic main gate which would sit atop De Soto Street for 74 years like a great triumphal arch.
The stadium was originally designed to be expanded with an upper deck– both drawings show the second level, which was never added.
A Pitt School of Engineering graduate, W.S. Hindman, designed the structure and served as chief engineer.
The Stadium was completed in just under 13 months to complete, finishing less than one month before the first game.
The construction of the Cathedral of Learning began in 1926, just after the completion of Pitt Stadium. The Owl, Pitt's official yearbook, was quoted saying "Someday the Cathedral (of Learning) will rise majestically over Oakland, but we wonder whether it will be quite as soul-stirring as the Stadium crouching between the hills."
Pitt Stadium remained in use until 1999 when it was demolished to make way for the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers played one season at Three Rivers Stadium before moving to their current, Acrisure Stadium (then known as Heinz Field), in 2001.