Kenan Memorial Stadium has been used by North Carolina since 1927; it replaced Emerson Field. It was originally named and dedicated in honor of William R. Kenan, Sr. and Mary Hargrave Kenan, the parents of prominent chemical engineer William R. Kenan, Jr., a graduate from the class of 1894 who donated substantially towards the construction of the stadium; it was renamed in honor of Kenan Jr., the benefactor, in 2018, after the school came under increasing scrutiny for Kenan Sr.'s ties to the Wilmington Coup.

Overall, NC State had a record of 23-29-1 at this field, with all matches taking place as conference games. Additionally, NC State has gone 6-9 when UNC is ranked, 2-4 when they are ranked, and 1-1 when both teams are ranked.

  * Non-conference games

Though Emerson Field was completed in 1916, just over a decade later it was abundantly clear that the venue's permanent seated capacity was outmoded and cramped. Though it continued to see usage as a baseball stadium, ground broke on the new $300,000 (over $5 million in 2023) field in November 1926. Even though the work was reportedly complete by early August, the Tar Heels played their first three home games in the old Emerson Field, then played their next four games on the road. At first, it was widely expected that the big Thanksgiving Day UNC-Virginia game would christen the stadium; in early November, however, it was announced that the Davidson game would start things out, but the UVA game still remained the formal dedication of the venue [1] [2].

The stadium started with a capacity of 24,000 permanent seats (12,000 per side), with two tent-like structures in the middle of each of the stadium's large concrete bleachers; the nothern one, called the Governor's or President's Box, was used to host prominent visitors, while on the opposite side sat the press box. The physical venue remained largely unchanged until 1932, when ticketing booths and an information station were added [3]. Amplifiers were added to narrarate the game ahead of the 1929 football season [16]. In 1949, a press box and guest box (now known as either the President's or Chancellor's Box) were replaced and enlarged, and the following year the stadium received a new scoreboard; from reports, it seems to be the first time the device was replaced since the "old familiar green scoreboard which heretofore reposed in the pines at the west end of the stadium" was installed in 1927. The new scoreboards were attached to the guest and press boxes, though at some point they were moved to the upper decks [4] [5]. This was replaced with an electronic scoreboard in 1969 [20].

The next major renovation was to the field house, which opened with the stadium in 1927 at a cost of $28,000 (almost $500,000 in 2023). Thirty years later, the original Spanish colonial-style building received a $55,000 (almost $600,000 in 2023) face-lift, with 9 dormatories, a training room, and enlarged dressing rooms all being part of the addition [6]. In 1964, "wings" were added to the field house, holding offices and the Rams Club [17]. In 1977, a university proposal considered closing in the stadium's bowl, but the field house was instead expanded, adding 11,000 square feet of floor space, while several of the same elements of the building were improved once again. It was also moved 32 feet closer to the playing field [7].

In 1963, the stadium was permanently expanded for the first time. Kenan Jr. again donated to the stadium, this time giving the school $1 million (just under $10 million in 2023) to add permanent upper decks to both sides of the stadium and bleacher stands in both end zones, doubling the stadium's capacity to 48,000 and replacing temporary wooden bleachers which had topped the stands for several decades [1] [21]. In 1979, the stadium was enlarged again by the addition of 1,500 bleacher seats for students, located in the west end of the stadium [9]. In 1988, the stadium was expanded again when the old press box and Chancellor's Box were replaced with about 2,000 seats, joining the disparate upper deck bleachers. Permanent lights were installed for the first time, and new Chancellors and Press boxes were also added atop the double-deckered stands [18].

Kenan's original layout, famously idyllic, was said to be the prettiest stadium in the South by sportswriter Grantland Rice. Though the looming decks likely tainted the description some, let one columnist set the scene as it appeared in 1929 [8]:

"As one sits on the South Stand of the Kenan stadium one sees, through the opening of fifty feet or so between the stands at the western end, a delightfully sylvan vista of pine trees. As evening advances long, smooth shadows also advance upon the green surface of the field until one looks over these to a sunny spot in the woods beyond, which might make a dwelling place for nymphs... Above the stands in the center soar two slim flag poles, one behind each central box. Behind these, and forming a perfect background, are the pine trees, and above their rich green the bluest of skies... At the East end of the stadium, snugly settled on the emerald sward, stands the field house. Only one thinks of sitting rather than standing, for it looks so comfortably ensconced in its nest of green--like a house in a fairy tale. Behind it again we have a beautiful background of soaring pines, perfectly setting off the pinkish tiled roof."

Those pastoral scenes could not last forever, though. From 1996 to 1998, the stadium went through a series of major renovations. The first work was removing 4,500 bleacher seats in the east end zone, lowering the capacity to 47,500. At that time, construction also started on joining the two decks into a horseshoe at the west endzone. Only 6,000 of the horseshoe's 8,000 new seats were ready by the 1997 season, in addition to about 2,000 additional priority or reserved seats (the Pope Box) -- the corners were not yet ready [1] [10]. By 1998, the work was complete, and the new stadium opened with a total capacity of 60,000.

In 2010, the old Kenan Field House was slated for demolition and replaced with a group of seats called "the Blue Zone," completing the bowl for the first time in the stadium's history. Some claimed that the old field house's removal cursed the Tar Heels, noting their lack of athletic success for much of the early-to-mid 2010s. As former UNC System president William C. Friday warned in 2007, when plans to demolish the venue were first unveiled, "It's a question of where your priorities are. That's the ultimate issue that we have to be accountable for" [12]. In 2011, the stadium opened, sans field house, for the first time with a new capacity of 62,980.

In 2018, the stadium's capacity was reduced for the first time since 1996 when the aluminum bleachers were replaced with individual seat-back chairs throughout the stadium, except for the student sections. This dropped the venue's size to 50,500 [1]. This was not the first time the stadium's seating was replaced en masse. 30,000 of the original wooden redwood benches were covered with Carolina blue fiberglass starting in the mid-1970s, and in 1986, these were all removed and replaced with aluminum bleachers [11]. Lights were installed for the first time from 1987-1988 [1].

With thanks to James Gilbert for his corrections and help.

Pictures of Kenan Memorial Stadium