Officially dedicated on January 1, 1923, the Rose Bowl was designed by Ambassador Hotel designer Myron Hunt of Hunt and Grey.  Inspired by the Yale Bowl, the Rose Bowl was originally built in a horseshoe shape until the addition of the southern stands in 1928.  In addition to numerous BCS championship games, the venue has hosted an amazing array of games and events over the past 85 years, including five Super Bowls, Olympic soccer, and the historic U.S. women's World Cup win over China in 1999.  In 1982, it became the home field for the UCLA Bruins when the Raiders moved into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In 2005, an environmental impact report was prepared that detailed proposed renovations to the stadium with an eye toward attracting an NFL team to the Rose Bowl.  These renovations included a general seating reduction and all new construction for new luxury suites and press areas.  Plans to house an NFL team at the Rose Bowl fell apart in 2006, but renovations to the stadium are still planned as outlined in the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Review.  These changes are geared more toward bringing the aging building up to current safety standards and improving exiting capability.

Included in the draft supplemental EIR are outlines for new club areas, concessions, a hall of fame museum, press box and suites.  There are three different proposals for exit improvement:  doubling the width of existing exit tunnels, building a new concourse at the horizon line and a hybrid of the two.  Maintaining the Rose Bowl's landmark status is paramount in this initiative.  The draft supplemental EIR is available for review at the City of Pasadena's website.

Source:  City of Pasadena, Rose Bowl Stadium Renovation Project

Source:  Wikipedia, Rose Bowl

Source:  Historic Information on the Rose Bowl Stadium