Northwestern Breaks Ground on New Ryan Field Amid Legal Challenges

EVANSTON, IL — Northwestern University officials this week broke ground at the site of their new $800 million stadium and concert venue.

The beginning of construction came one week after attorneys for the university and city of Evanston asked a judge to block neighbors opposed to the stadium project from being able to file a new version of their lawsuit.

The stadium's billionaire benefactor and namesake, Pat Ryan, joined university and city officials at a groundbreaking ceremony Monday. Ryan, the founder of Aon Corporation and Ryan Specialty Group, said the project will create a year-round asset for the university and Evanston community.

According to university representatives, the rebuilding project will create more than 2,900 jobs, $1.5 million in indirect tax revenue, $23 million in direct and permit-related fees and more than $659 million in "economic impact" for the city.

“So many of the Ryans have called Evanston home for important chapters of our lives, and we look forward to delivering on the promises we have made through this investment," Ryan said, "including new jobs for residents, investments in community programs and services, increased tourism opportunities and unprecedented economic impact for the community at large.”

In exchange for City Council approval of a plan to permanently permit at least six concerts a year at a rebuilt, 35,000-seat stadium, university officials agreed to a 15-year public benefit agreement with the city that is worth about $10 million a year as long as city officials do not place any "unreasonable restraints" on plans to host concerts there.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who cast the deciding vote to greenlight the stadium plan last November thanks to the recusal of a Northwestern employee who he had appointed as an alderman, said in a statement that he looked forward to more opportunities for city and university officials to work together.

“This is an exciting day as we welcome the next phase of this project,” Biss said. “I am proud of the collaboration it demonstrates, as represented not only by a historic agreement that fundamentally transforms the financial relationship between Evanston and Northwestern, but also by the commitment to the idea that partnership is essential for either institution to realize its full potential.”

Set to open in 2026, the stadium rebuild will include a community park and public greenspaces. University President Michael Schill said the new Ryan Field will be much more than a football stadium.

"This state-of-the-art facility also will serve as a vibrant venue for the Evanston community, hosting community-oriented events such as winter festivals, family movie nights and youth sports events,” Schill said, notably declining to mention that it will also become the area's fourth-largest concert venue.

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A group of about a dozen Evanston and Wilmette residents who live nearby and do not want stadium concerts to be allowed in their backyard have continued to challenge the stadium plan in court.

After a judge dismissed three counts of the residents' four-count complaint in April, they have asked to file a 70-page amended complaint.

In addition to clarifying and streamlining the only count that did not get dismissed, the proposed amended complaint includes additional facts to support its three counts of due process violations, including the assertion that the city's refusal to recognize formal protests from residents violated their constitutional right to petition the government.

The new version of the complaint also makes the allegation of illegal contract zoning its own claim, adds claims for private nuisance and prospective public nuisance and adds Northwestern as a defendant in three counts. While the first complaint only targeted the city of Evanston, lawyers for Northwestern intervened in the case and argued alongside attorneys hired by city officials.

Judge Pamela Meyerson has scheduled a hearing in the case for Aug. 2 to decide whether or not to allow the Ryan Field neighbors to file the amended complaint.

The legal skirmish over stadium construction comes as the university continues to defend itself from lawsuits from former student athletes and a longtime coach.

Earlier this month, the school's athletic director announced he is switching roles, as Derrick Gragg's job title is set to change from vice president for athletics and recreation to vice president for athletic strategy.

On Thursday, Northwestern officials released a 50-page report and 12 recommendations from a law firm that spent the last 11 months reviewing how the university handles allegations of misconduct in the athletic department, including hazing, bullying and discrimination.

"Our review was not — nor was it intended to be — an investigation of past events," attorneys from the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison said in the report. "Accordingly, the Paul, Weiss review team did not reinvestigate the subjects of prior investigations, including the investigation into allegations of hazing in the football program, nor did it evaluate the University’s personnel decisions following any prior investigation."

The university is facing pending litigation from its former football coach, Pat Fitzgerald, who alleges that he is owed $130 million because of the manner in which Schill fired him last summer. A Cook County judge has consolidated that case with complaints from more than two dozen ex-players seeking damages for hazing and abuse that they allegedly experienced while playing for Fitzgerald.

Earlier:

• Waterfront Wildcats: Northwestern Football To Play At Lakefront Field In 2024, 2025
• 4th & Long For Ryan Field Lawsuit: Judge Out Tosses 3 Of 4 Counts Of Neighbors' Complaint
• Northwestern's Demolition Of Ryan Field Set To Begin
• 'Backroom Deal' Led To Illegal Vote To Rezone Ryan Field In Evanston, Lawsuit Alleges
• Instead Of Suing Evanston Over Ryan Field Zoning, Wilmette Cuts Deal
• Ready To Rock At Ryan Field: Plan For Concerts At New Football Stadium Approved
• City Council Clears Way For Rock-And-Roll At Ryan Field, Overruling Land Use Commission
• Deny Request For Ryan Field Concerts, Land Use Commission Recommends