'Pieces Of History' From Ryan Field Offered By Rebuilding Exchange
EVANSTON, IL — Sports fans and collectors will have a chance to bring home a memento from Northwestern University’s 97-year-old football stadium, as souvenirs salvaged from the demolition of Ryan Field go on sale Friday.
During deconstruction of the stadium, which began last month, a crew from the Rebuilding Warehouse had the opportunity to recover a variety of items.
While some items were kept by the university or construction company, many other items — among them signs, tables, booths and hundreds of seat cushions — are due to go on sale at 10 a.m. March 1 on the exchange’s website.
Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The local not-for-profit teamed up with Northwestern last year in a $200,000 program to help recruit more Evanston residents into workforce training programs.
“We are honored to partner with Northwestern to help build a diverse, qualified and skilled talent pathway to meet the construction workforce needs of the new Ryan Field,” said Aina Gutierrez, executive director of the Evanston-based exchange, which was formed by the 2020 merger of the Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse and the Rebuilding Exchange in Chicago.
Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Rebuilding Exchange focuses on workforce development programs to increase diversity in the building trades, offering pre-apprenticeship and transitional employment opportunities, in addition to redirecting materials from construction sites to other uses or resale.
For the Ryan Field rebuilding project, Northwestern has a target of 35 percent of all its construction jobs going to minority- and women-owned businesses.
Zach Share, the exchange’s marketing manager, said the partnership has provided newcomers to the trades with valuable hands-on experience while also diverting materials from landfills.
“We’re going to help you with the hiring, but also we would like to help you deconstruct part of the stadium,” Share said Northwestern representatives were told, “because it is a historic structure that means a lot to a lot of people in Evanston and there’s pieces of histories that can now live on for new generations now for Northwestern alumni, Northwestern fans who want to buy a sign or a seat or something from a concession stand, we have a wide variety of items going on sale.”
Share said the not-for-profit is currently on its 10th group to go through its 9-week pre-apprenticeship program, with about 16 people set to graduate this time.
University officials expect construction will create more than 2,900 jobs.
The Rebuilding Exchange and Northwestern are holding a career information session from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on March 6 at the Trades Collective, 1910 Greenwood St., with more details about work opportunities on the stadium project.
Earlier:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
Click Here: penrith panthers rugby store
Leave A Comment