Georgia State Stadium exemplifies an extraordinary re-use of existing infrastructure, as it achieves a third stadium transformation. Originally built for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, SLAM designed the 85,000-seat Centennial Olympic Stadium and host venue of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Track and Field events. Immediately following the 1996 Summer Paralympic games, SLAM reconfigured the stadium into Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. The major league baseball team played at Turner Field from 1997 until 2016, when they relocated to SunTrust Park. Following the Braves’ departure from Turner Field, Georgia State University (GSU) and Carter Development purchased the stadium and the surrounding 65+ acres. GSU and Carter’s vision was to revitalize the stadium, and the Summerhill neighborhood, with new private and student housing, academic, and retail space, while transforming Turner Field into the GSU stadium. In just nine months, SLAM converted the former MLB Ballpark into a 25,000-seat collegiate football stadium for the GSU Panthers.
Georgia State Stadium, with its nimble infrastructure and past lives as the former Centennial Olympic Stadium and Turner Field, was recently faced with a third transformation—a collegiate football stadium and home to the GSU Panthers.
Each use had opening dates that could not be missed, keeping a tight timeline for both design and construction with each stadium conversion.
GSU Athletics has the opportunity to build an athletics district with the stadium as the hub for all student-athletes, just minutes away from main campus. We are excited to add GSU’s story to the historic events that have taken place within this facility.
With each re-use of the facility, the different tenants found a way to make it their home with unique branding, fan engagement, and right-sized amenities.
The Georgia State Stadium exemplifies an extraordinary re-use of facility amenities and existing infrastructure – as host to the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, the Atlanta Braves, dominant in their division, and now with Panthers Football lighting the stadium blue to signal major home wins.
Georgia State Stadium is an asset to GSU Athletics and to the University. The facility is the current home for football gameday, football team facilities, baseball team facilities, all student-athlete strength + conditioning and sports medicine center, and coaches / administration offices. The University utilizes the premium areas on non-gameday for event rentals, as well as space below the stands for the University Police Department, ROTC program, the GSU Recycling program, and the University Renovations department.
“The transformation of GSU Stadium and the surrounding area has successfully impacted GSU’s athletic program and the university. The design team’s knowledge of the Olympic Stadium and Turner Field helped us transform this facility into a right-sized game day environment for Georgia State. Our new home gives us the opportunity to recruit top-notch athletes and build a future for Panthers Athletics.”