Key Takeaways
- Executive Education Academy Charter School’s $25 million stadium will feature seating for 4,000 spectators on top of a 300-car parking structure
- The dual-purpose design preserves parking access for the adjacent Lehigh Valley IronPigs minor league baseball team, which holds easement rights to the shared lot
- Construction targets spring completion for the parking deck and fall opening for the stadium, which will connect directly to the school building
- The facility will serve a football program in its fifth varsity season, currently posting a 5-3 record
- The project represents a space-maximization approach for schools operating in areas with limited land availability
Addressing Land Constraints Through Vertical Design
Executive Education Academy Charter School in Allentown, Pennsylvania, recently broke ground on Executive Stadium, a football venue that solves a common problem for urban schools: where to build when horizontal space is limited. The school’s solution places a full athletic complex, including a turf field, press box, and concessions, on the second level of a structure whose ground floor provides 300 parking spaces.
The design accommodates both the school’s athletic needs and existing agreements with its neighbor. The lot sits adjacent to Coca-Cola Field, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs minor league baseball club, and the IronPigs hold easement rights for parking access.
“That’s why we came up with the deck idea, because we don’t want to take away parking spaces. We want the IronPigs to have the same amount of parking they have right now,” Bob Lysek of Executive Education Academy Charter School told The Morning Call.
Project Scope and Timeline
The $25 million facility will accommodate 4,000 spectators and include standard stadium amenities. Construction is progressing in phases, with the parking structure scheduled for completion in spring 2026 to align with the start of the IronPigs’ baseball season. The stadium level is targeted for completion six months later, with a physical connection planned between the venue and the school building.
The Raptors football program, now in its fifth season of varsity competition, currently holds a 5-3 record. The new facility will provide the team with a dedicated home venue featuring capacity that exceeds many traditional high school stadiums.
Implications for Space-Constrained Schools
The project offers a model for educational institutions operating in dense urban environments or areas where land acquisition costs make traditional facility expansion difficult. By stacking uses vertically, schools can deliver athletic infrastructure without displacing existing functions or requiring additional land purchases.
The coordination with the IronPigs also demonstrates how shared-use agreements can enable facility development. The parking structure serves both organizations while maintaining the terms of existing easement arrangements, a approach that may inform similar projects where schools operate near professional or semi-professional sports venues.
The design’s functionality during both school hours and evening events, combined with direct building access, addresses logistics concerns common to off-campus athletic facilities.
Looking Ahead
Executive Stadium is expected to become operational for the 2026 fall football season. The venue’s dual-purpose foundation and elevated field design will make it one of the more distinctive high school athletic facilities in Pennsylvania and nationally.
The project’s progress will offer insights into construction execution, cost management, and operational considerations for multi-level sports facilities at the secondary school level. Schools evaluating similar space constraints will likely track the stadium’s completion and early operational phase.
via: MaxPreps
photo: COURTESY: Bob Lysek, Executive Education Academy Charter School
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