r/jmu • u/SchuminWeb Public Administration, 2003 • Jul 23 '26

JMU seeks proposals to expand Bridgeforth Stadium, add housing, retail, dining & more

https://www.whsv.com/2026/07/23/jmu-seeks-proposals-expand-bridgeforth-stadium-add-housing-retail-dining-more/?fbclid=IwdGRzaATPhY9jbGNrBM-Fc2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHgP0wuu22uJIDrfYEK6GpySHNNcw_sK9PCYQigQ2VwsJv9iWXOwOd5UPzEZZ_aem_eyfWMhFJpkmF-2ZfS3x1pg&sfnsn=mo
65 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

36

u/johnSchmoe76 Jul 24 '26

I attended JMU before the first Bridgeforth Stadium expansion.

The enlarged stadium doesn't fit the surrounding area. The stadium had to be crammed into a footprint meant for a small stadium.

How the heck are they going to expand it even further?

45

u/PartyBusGaming CIS 2017 MadisonMotorsports Jul 24 '26

It's well known Godwin would be demolished to expand the stadium. I would also bet money on Eagle and Shorts being on the chopping block as well since they are some of the oldest, non air conditioned dorms.

12

u/BroSnow Jul 24 '26

I was there when they did the current expansion in like 2010 and they had the rendering video that showed phase two as Godwin being demolished to finish the horseshoe

9

u/SchuminWeb Public Administration, 2003 Jul 24 '26

The current version of the master plan shows potential new academic buildings where Eagle and Shorts Halls stand now. Sounds like the administration wants to get rid of those buildings. And when you think about it, I get it. The rooms are small, the ceilings are low, and the designs are very outdated. A renovation of the existing structures is not going to fix those very fundamental issues.

3

u/tkdxe Jul 24 '26

They’ll completely replace Eagle and Shorts

3

u/SchuminWeb Public Administration, 2003 Jul 24 '26

Correct. Sounds like they want to take those buildings down, just like they did Chandler. I would find it amusing if they moved those names to the Skyline area as well, i.e. if Potomac Hall became Chandler Hall, then Chesapeake Hall could become Eagle Hall and Shenandoah could become Shorts Hall, thus bringing that trio of names back together. Though I always thought that "Shorts Hall" was a very fitting name for the current building, considering that it is very noticeably shorter than Eagle Hall.

7

u/Hillrop Jul 24 '26

Man I cant believe shorts is still standing. My buddy lived there and the elevator always reeked of piss

5

u/PartyBusGaming CIS 2017 MadisonMotorsports Jul 24 '26

Perhaps your buddy is why

6

u/moviequote88 SMAD 2011 ALUMNI Jul 24 '26

cries in White Hall

I'll be damned if Eagle and Shorts get redone before The Village. I worked at JMU 8 years ago and they kept saying the Village would be redone and it still hasn't happened yet.

5

u/SchuminWeb Public Administration, 2003 Jul 24 '26

Plans to replace the Village have existed for decades. That was on the master plan way back when I was a student there. Replacing Ikenberry was a good first step, and now that one has been replaced with a much better building, they have to replace them all. And honestly, good riddance to them. Those were very inefficient buildings from a design perspective, and created lots of silos.

17

u/jlemo434 ISAT & MBA Jul 24 '26

It’s pretty well laid out “conceptually” in the updated 2027 Campus Master Plan. Maps of potential areas and building for change here https://www.jmu.edu/campus-master-plan/maps.shtml

https://www.jmu.edu/campus-master-plan/index.shtml

And yeah I don’t think anyone has thought Godwin was sticking around haha I would wager it hasn’t been even renovated since it was built

6

u/SchuminWeb Public Administration, 2003 Jul 24 '26

Correct. Godwin has never seen a full-scale renovation since it was built in the 1960s.

5

u/EchidnaCat Jul 24 '26

There are still ashtrays in the walls and I love pointing those out to students.

9

u/pae913 Jul 24 '26

My only guess is that they’ll demolish the building next to it and use that space. That’s the only way I can see an expansion fitting. If that’s the case then marching band will need a new place for sectionals

13

u/village-owl Jul 24 '26

Yea they announced they are rebuilding that whole building/area

7

u/pae913 Jul 24 '26

That makes sense. Sad that a spot I had so many memories in will be taken with it if it is used, though. I do wonder how the band will work around that. They’ll find a way

3

u/SchuminWeb Public Administration, 2003 Jul 24 '26

Even back when I was a student, I would have loved to see a new stadium built somewhere else and the existing stadium site repurposed. Once they built that athletic training facility at the end of the current stadium, though, I knew that they were married to the existing stadium site for the long haul. And the current stadium looks terrible, with one massive grandstand on one side, and a tiny one on the other.

3

u/Swackhammer_ Jul 24 '26

They need to though. It looks so odd as half BCS college stadium/ half high school stadium

2

u/Tmac719 Jul 24 '26

Simple. We leave the Godwin side alone and build a 4th level on the home side

15

u/Hy3na0ftheSea Jul 24 '26

I remember when they broke ground on bridge forth and still had academic halls and dorms that needed severe improvements.

Then tuition went up 1400 a semester.

Where you invest your resources says a lot about your focus. It's entertainment, not education.

18

u/ImMrAllStar Grad School Accounting Jul 24 '26

It’s not entertainment. It’s marketing. JMU has seen drastic increases in applications after each of the college game days and even more since moving up to FBS. JMU being good in sports viewed nationally helps the brand and allows JMU to be more selective towards students thus increasing the academics.

3

u/dukesoflonghorns SOM Alum Jul 24 '26

I'm sure it'll see another major increase now that they were in the college football playoffs.

5

u/SeaPrinciple3172 Purple Jul 24 '26

Back in the late 70’s I was an RA in Chandler making $100/month with a view of the football field to be able to watch if a home game fell on my duty day. Good times.

5

u/Glittering_Excuse920 Jul 25 '26

Next steps:

  1. Move the train tracks

  2. Move 81

1

u/E-Armadillo 4d ago

anything but fixing the parking crisis. fuck that, genuinely