It's going to be unseasonably hot today — but perhaps appropriate for Ben & Jerry's annual Free Cone Day. Here's a map of nearby scoop shops. But first, let's get to the news: The future of Boston’s White Stadium is beginning to take more visible shape. Even as Massachusetts’ top court mulls a lawsuit that could block the project, crews have been plowing ahead. The state-of-the-art, 10,000-seat stadium will be home to the new Boston Legacy women’s soccer team and Boston Public Schools athletics. And now, the plows are making way for cranes. After more than a year of demolition, drainage and foundation work, crews began the so-called “vertical construction” phase last week, building up the concrete superstructure that will serve as the backbone of the new stadium. "We know there's been a lot of community back and forth and are just excited for people to see their comments and feedback translate into something that's real," Diana Fernandez Bibeau, the city's deputy chief of urban design, told WBUR during a tour of the construction site. Here's a look at their progress so far:  |
| The site of the new White Stadium in Franklin Park with construction underway. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) |
| Diana Fernandez Bibeau, deputy chief of urban design at the Boston Planning Department, looks at a virtual reality image of the finished White Stadium, as she stands in the midst of construction for the stadium's east grandstand. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) |
The plan: The $325 million project (which the Legacy and city are splitting roughly 60/40) is nearly a complete rebuild of the dilapidated stadium. - The east grandstand (which the city is building) is slated to house new BPS athletic training facilities, expanded locker rooms, coaches' office space and a multi-purpose event room. On the west side, the Legacy are doing a "facadectomy" on the historic clamshell wall. That side will include Legacy locker rooms, a team store and a press box with broadcasting internships for BPS students. On the south side, there'll be concessions and a pavilion. The main entrance will remain on the north side, through the stadium's four original concrete pillars. The project also includes a professional-grade natural grass field, an eight-lane track and public restrooms.
When will it open? While the Legacy have been planning to move to White Stadium next season, the current project timeline is to “be ready by the end of summer of 2027,” according to Fernandez Bibeau. (The NWSL regular season runs from March through October.) “Our goal here is to try to get this open for the fall BPS school season in 2027,” she said. A spokesperson for Mayor Michelle Wu’s office subsequently followed up to say they are “aiming for 2027 generally.” - A spokesperson for the Legacy — which is currently playing 2026 home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island — declined to comment Monday on their 2027 plans.
| Construction on the east grandstand. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) |
| Fernandez Bibeau shows the layout of the new stadium. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) |
What's next: The next step is steel. City officials said they expect to receive initial steel deliveries next week. That will allow crews to start installing the grandstand and other precast layers, according to Fernandez Bibeau. "That's the next big milestone for us as part of this vertical construction piece," she said. - Rising steel prices and tariffs were one of the reasons Wu cited for the project's ballooning cost estimates. However, the city is now contractually locked into a guaranteed maximum price to protect taxpayers from the impact of any potential additional supply chain disruptions or other delays (for example, if the state's Supreme Judicial Court overturns previous rulings and requires the city to get legislative approval to continue the project). "We feel pretty confident in our position in this moment," Fernandez Bibeau said. "We also don't want to slow down our progress. We want to keep going to make sure that, again, we can meet that fall timeline for our students."
| A bird's eye view rendering of the completed White Stadium at night. (Courtesy Boston Legacy FC) |
P.S.— In other soccer related news, local World Cup organizers confirmed yesterday that Boston's fan fest at City Hall Plaza will indeed be free to attend. As WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez reports, it's a pleasant surprise amid news that similar events in Los Angeles and New York will charge for admission. |
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