The first major renovation of 78-year-old. Harvard stadium will begin immediately after the current football season, because officials believe that the corrosion of steel supporting beams and concrete may lead to the structure's collapse.

The renovation project, which is expected to cost between $7 and $8 million, will involve replaceing the weakened steel beams and "acres and acres" of concrete seating areas and rebuilding the restrooms and vending areas, George Oommen, a project supervisor in the Developmental Planning Office, said yesterday.

Unusual Conditions

"There are parts where it's so corroded that you can hit the steel beams with a hammer and it crumbles," John P. Reardon '60, director of Athletics, said Thursday. He also questioned the weakening stadium's ability to hold large crowds, saying it "was really packed last year for the Yale Game, and I was glad when it was over that everyone was safe."

Oommen echoed his concern, saying, "It's conceivable we could lose a whole section at some time."

Oommen said, through, that the stadium is considered safe for occupancy, but that studies over the past three years by Zaldastani Associates, a Boston-based construction consulting firm, show that "the structure is deteriorating at such a rate that if we wait any longer, we won't be able to repair it anymore."

The University has inspected the building at least once annually over the past 20 years and periodically patched the concrete, but the Zaldastani studies indicate that a major structural renovation is needed, officials say.

The major deterioration in the stadium is in the steel beams that support the concrete grandstands. Over the years, rainwater, often mixed with salt and other substances, has seeped into the cracks between the slabs that make up the seating areas, and has severely corroded these beams and the concrete around them.

Borrowed Time

The stadium, the first concrete-reinforced structure of its kind in the world, was built in 1903 when methods for concrete construction were just being developed. Its life expectancy then was about 80 years, but it is difficult to estimate how long the materials will actually last, one renovation planner, who declined to be identified, said yesterday. "We're buying time," Oommen said.

Planners feel that the renovations will make future repairs unnecessary and did not consider completely rebuilding the structure. Oommen estimated a new stadium would cost $20 to $30 million to build.

Reardon said that, though he hopes that renovation will be able to start immediately after the current football season, a start in January or later is more likely.

Oommen said such a delay might force construction to continue through next year's football season, causing the cancellation of all home games. "That would mean we would play in New Haven three years in a row," said Reardon, adding, "Maybe we'd do better there than here."

Money for the renovations will probably come from campaign funds, one official associated with the project said.

The consultants will submit their plan to the Construction Management Department "in the very near future," Peter Wanka, an engineer for Zaldastani, said yesterday. The department will then accept bids for the renovations, with final agreements subject to the approval of the Corporation