Stadium Attraction

The new Razorback Stadium designed by Peter Eisenman of New York City will lure visitors to the city and serve as an excellent recruiting tool for the University of Arkansas, says the architect.

“[Athletic Director Frank Broyles] said he needed something that will be a recruiting tool,” says Eisenman. “Coach wants to get on national television. That stadium will get him on national television. People will come to Fayetteville to see the stadium.”

Eisenman’s design is one of two being considered to expand the 60-year-old stadium (see article page 19). Eisenman’s design is similar to that of a European soccer stadium. The other design is more traditional.

Eisenman is a visiting professor in the UA’s architecture school. This spring, he will be on campus every other week teaching a class to fourth-year students.

Eisenman says the UA stadium design is so unusual, it’s causing a stir among architects across the country and will be featured (along with the renovation of Grand Central Station) in a special section on the arts in the New York Times on Sept. 13.