Memorial Stadium was built in 1920 funded by students, faculty, and fans. Originally the stadium had only east and west bleachers, which were expanded southward in 1925. The north bowl seating section was added in 1927 to give the stadium its horseshoe shape which it retains today. The west bleachers were expanded significantly upwards in 1963, with similar additions to the east side in 1965. A major renovation in 1978 repaired concrete and upgraded home and visiting team facilities. Permanent lights were installed in 1997 and the current infrastructure is the result of a 1998 renovation. The press box and scholarship suites saw significant improvement and expansion in 1999, and the MegaVision video board was installed in the same year. The field has been artificial turf since 1970. In the summer of 2009 the old AstroPlay surface was replaced with
FieldTurf. A new scoreboard with two video strips was mounted at the top of the stadium's north bowl for the 2005 season, correcting a quirk of the stadium that north-driving teams had no way to see the clock without turning around. In 2006, the playing field was named Kivisto Field in honor of prominent donor
Tom Kivisto. The University of Kansas broke ground on the new $31-million Anderson Family Football Complex on October 6, 2006, and it opened in 2008. The building includes offices, academic areas, a weight room, locker rooms, an audio-visual room, meeting rooms, a cardio room, a hydro-therapy room, a nutrition area and a display area. It is also joined by new practice fields to the southeast of the stadium. On September 17, 2009, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a $34 million addition of luxury seating on the east side of the stadium. The addition, known as the Gridiron Club, would have increased the stadium's capacity by 3,000 seats. However, the project was canceled due to lack of funds. In the summer of 2014 the track around the football field was removed and artificial turf was laid in its place. The stadium was renovated in August 2017 with new seats, a new touchdown club behind the north end zone, and the outside walls with banners. The rim of the northern bowl also had a series of 5 flagpoles installed on both sides of the scoreboard, with one side set to feature American flags, and one side set to feature the state flag of Kansas. On August 15, 2023, University of Kansas athletics unveiled plans for a complete rebuild of the stadium that would begin immediately following the 2023 season. This renovation will improve restrooms and concessions, implementing a seating bowl design, improvements to the concourses, and club and loge seats. The construction began following the conclusion of the Jayhawks 2023 Season. For the construction, the stadium will undergo a near-total demolition with minimal original structures in the stadium remaining. Due to the extensive construction, Kansas did not play at the stadium for its 2024 season, playing two non-conference games at
Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas and four conference games at
Arrowhead Stadium, home of the
Kansas City Chiefs. The renovation was planned in two phases. The first, set to be completed in time for the 2025 season, involves the demolition of the west stands and their replacement by new stands, plus a new conference center at the stadium's north end that can host events of up to 1,000 attendees. The second phase is the reconstruction of the east stands, combined with a mixed-use facility that will include a hotel, restaurants, and retail. KU initially placed the second phase on hold, acknowledging a lack of funds to proceed with that phase. However, according to a September 2024 report by the
Lawrence Journal-World, developers told KU that no other construction on the stadium's east side was possible until stadium construction on that side was completed. The east side renovations would move the stands 80 to 100 feet west, allowing space for the project's other features. Another complication for the second phase involves parking—the east side houses the stadium's two largest parking lots. Plans call for the construction of a parking garage in that area. KU officials were also considering adding student housing to the complex. ==Capacity==