Anticipation for Red Raider football is not the only thing building in the Texas Tech community.
The east side of Jones AT&T Stadium has undergone significant changes during the offseason.
The new $36.4 million, five-story addition that will provide a variety of amenities for Texas Tech enthusiasts is nearing completion.
According to project manager Debbie Cox, construction is on track to be completed by the first football game despite unfavorable weather conditions for Lee Lewis Construction Inc. — the construction manager at-risk.
“We’ve had some hiccups because of weather,” Cox said. “We’ve had a lot of rain lately that’s kept us from site work because we’re trying to pave the parking lot at this point but we’ve got to have it open Sept. 5. There’s no getting around that.”
The first floor will feature the Red Raider Club offices, a retail store, ticket offices and an extra gate for fans to enter the stadium.
The retail store — Double T Zone — will be managed by Ovations Food Services, LP, the same company that supervises all of the stadium’s concessions. Giving people the opportunity to purchase Red Raider gear in close proximity could prove favorable for fans.
“It’ll be nice for the people that come from out-of-town,” Tanner Dunn, a junior energy commerce major from Big Lake said. “Some people might not know where the stores are along University (Ave). It will be convenient for people that want to grab a jersey or a t-shirt at the last second.”
Cox said the second and third floors will consist solely of relocated Tech athletic offices, although the specific sports have yet to be announced.
The fifth and top floor will be the suite level for the east side. There are 22 suites across the floor.
The new addition’s fourth floor will also have suites, with three regular-sized and one large on one end and four regular-sized suites on the other edge of the facility. There will also be 542 outdoor club seats.
On Sunday, the Red Raider Club will give fans the opportunity to select their seat on the east side, Cox said. There will be tours every 30 minutes. According to Cox, there are a few suites left and around fifty percent of the outdoor seats still available.
There will also be a private members business club called Texas Tech Club, located between the suites on the fourth level. According to the club’s general manager Rory O’Neill, Texas Tech Club’s founding board has already sent out invitations for membership this fall.
Texas Tech Club will be managed independently but will be incorporated with ClubCorp, a company that manages over 160 private clubs across the country. Texas Tech Club members will be granted access to all of those clubs also.
The Texas Tech Club will have an 82-seat dining room and a bar area with a capacity of around 50, O’Neill said. It will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, as well as host special events for members.
Even though membership is by invitation only, fans with suites and club-level seats will have access to the club on game days.
Texas Tech Club should provide a unique opportunity for its members, fans, and also benefit Tech as a whole.
“One of the big things for us is partnering with the university and developing a product that the university can be proud of,” O’Neill said. “It was exciting for us to have a chance to build that product for them and give that product to the university.”