The tops of the pines are still fairly prominent in the corners. And the old grandstands
still show off curves and a gradual rise that put most large stadiums to shame aesthetically.
The field view from the new east end zone is much more striking than you might
expect.
The word “addition” appears 55 times in a chronology of buildings on the Carolina campus. Occasionally the new is blended seamlessly with the orig- inal, as in the medical school or The Carolina Inn or Spencer Hall. More often, the two look as if they weren’t properly introduced — see Wilson Library, Davie Hall, Carroll Hall. Nowhere has there been more hand-wringing over the impact expansion
would have on a beloved structure than in Kenan Stadium. It hosts a whole lot of visitors
who have never seen the psych building or the first women’s dorm, and never will.
HUGH MORTON COLLECTION
And yet, Kenan’s growth has been guided much more by function than form, its addi-
tions not merely for more room, but for aspects not envisioned in 1927 — spacious press
boxes, luxury suites, video boards, night lights, an office building and an academics center.
Architecturally, they are not cousins of the original design.
