White Stadium
Map
Full nameGeorge R. White Memorial Stadium
Address450 Walnut Avenue
LocationBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates42°18′35.02″N 71°5′45.39″W / 42.3097278°N 71.0959417°W / 42.3097278; -71.0959417
OwnerBoston Public Schools
Capacity10,519
Opened1949

White Stadium, formally the George R. White Memorial Stadium, is a 10,519-seat facility located in Franklin Park, Boston that was constructed between 1947 and 1949 for the use of Boston Public Schools athletics.[1]

History

Financed by the George Robert White fund, the cost was originally estimated to be between $350,000 to $450,000, however the final amount ballooned to $1,000,000, a figure that city clerk and former acting mayor John Hynes blamed on Mayor James Michael Curley.[2][3]

Twice postponed due to weather, the opening football games on October 1, 1949 were:

In 1970, a proposal was made to enlarge the stadium to 50,000 seats for a potential home for the New England Patriots.[4] By the 1980s, White Stadium had deteriorated as maintenance was neglected and improvements were deferred.[5] The scoreboard had been rendered unusable due to vandalism and the locker rooms lacked working showers and toilets.[6]

A $45 million renovation and expansion was planned, starting in 2013. The project was shelved by Mayor Marty Walsh, citing budget concerns.[7]

In 2023, the city of Boston announced that the stadium would undergo a $30 million renovation to prepare for the arrival of a potential National Women's Soccer League expansion team that is set to begin play in 2026. The renovation would include additional seats to bring capacity to 11,000 in order to meet the league's minimum standards.[8]

Other events

A rally by the Black Panther Party was held in the park in 1969.

Uptown in the Park, a three part series of funk/soul and jazz concerts to benefit Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, was held in the park in 1974. On July 7 Sly and the Family Stone along with Tower of Power, Hues Corporation, Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds and Richard Pryor performed. Funkadelic performed on August 25 along with The Voices of East Harlem, The Isley Brothers, Gil Scott-Heron, Mandrill and Bar-Kays. September 2's concert included performances by the Ohio Players, Staple Singers, Bobbi Humphrey and Bobby Womack.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ Wallace, William N. (February 4, 1970). "Proposal Made to Keep Patriots". The New York Times. p. 50. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  2. ^ "Engineers to Check Sites of White Fund Stadium", Boston Globe, August 27, 1947
  3. ^ "Hynes Claims Credit for Schoolboy Stadium", Boston Globe, September 29, 1949
  4. ^ "White Stadium Cost: $5 Million". Boston Globe. February 3, 1970. p. 19. Retrieved July 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Cox, Pamela James (July 15, 1986). "Young athletes still await stadium's rehab". Boston Globe. p. 18. Retrieved July 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Pave, Marvin (September 18, 1984). "Gone are the glory days of White Stadium football". Boston Globe. p. 17. Retrieved July 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Walker, Adrian (June 23, 2013). "A remake for White Stadium, a faded city jewel that could become a magnet for city youth". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  8. ^ Reynolds, Lance (July 8, 2023). "Franklin Park's White Stadium lining up to be home of Boston's next professional women's soccer team". Boston Herald. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "30,000 brave hot sun for the cool sounds of rock", Boston Globe, July 8, 1974
  10. ^ "Soul concert due Monday at Franklin Park", Boston Globe, August 31, 1974
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