Harvard Stadium
Location | 95 N. Harvard Street Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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Owner | Harvard University |
Operator | Harvard University |
Capacity | 25,000 (1952–present)
Former capacity: List
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Surface | FieldTurf (2006–present) Natural grass (1903–2005)[1] |
Construction | |
Broke ground | July 1903 |
Opened | November 14, 1903 121 years ago |
Construction cost | $310,000 ($10.1 million in 2022[2]) |
Architect | Louis J. Johnson, Class of 1887 |
Tenants | |
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Website | |
gocrimson.com/harvardstadium |
Harvard Stadium | |
Boston, Massachusetts | |
Coordinates | 42°21′59″N 71°7′38″W / 42.36639°N 71.12722°W |
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Area | 11 acres (4.5 ha) |
Built | 1903 |
Architect | McKim, Charles F.; Et al. |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 87000757[4] |
Added to NRHP | February 27, 1987 |
Harvard Stadium is a U-shaped
Built in 1903, it was a pioneering execution of reinforced concrete in the construction of large structures. Because of its early importance in these areas, and its influence on the design of later stadiums, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.[6] The stadium is the nation's oldest permanent concrete structure dedicated to intercollegiate athletics. It seated up to 57,166 in the past, as permanent steel stands (completing a stadium shape)[7] were installed in the stadium's northeast end zone in 1929. They were torn down after the 1951 season, due to deterioration and reduced attendance. Afterward, there were smaller temporary steel bleachers across the stadium's open end until the building of the Murr Center (which is topped by the new scoreboard) in 1998.
Harvard Stadium hosted one Boston Patriots season in 1970. It was their first season in the NFL after the AFL–NFL merger and their last before becoming the New England Patriots. The team moved to Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough the following season.
History
Harvard Stadium was constructed on 31 acres (13 ha) of land known as Soldiers Field, donated to Harvard University by
Lewis Jerome Johnson, professor of civil engineering at Harvard, was a consultant to the design team for the stadium. It is historically significant that this stadium represents the first vertical concrete structure to employ reinforced structural concrete. Prior to the erection of the stadium in 1902, reinforced structural concrete was used in horizontal, that is flooring, sidewalks, etc., design only. Johnson was the engineer of note responsible for incorporating the concept into the vertical structure of the stadium design. There is a plaque dedicating the stadium to his honor on the east end wall outside the stadium.
Harvard installed both FieldTurf and lights in 2006.[10] In 2007, Harvard played its first night game at the stadium, winning 24–17 over Brown University on September 22.[11][12]
Influence on American Football
In the early 20th century, American football was an extremely violent sport. 18 players died and 159 were seriously injured in 1905 alone.[13] There was a widespread movement to outlaw the game but U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt intervened and demanded the rules of the game be reformed. In 1906, Roosevelt met with representatives from 62 colleges and universities and formed the Intercollegiate Football Conference, the predecessor of the NCAA.[14] The committee's purpose was to develop a uniform set of rules and regulations to make the game safer. A leading proposal, at the time, was widening the field to allow more running room and reduce serious collisions. While it was popular among committee members, Harvard objected. Their recently completed stadium could not accommodate a larger field. Because of the permanent nature of Harvard Stadium, the proposal was rejected and the forward pass was legalized in April 1906.[15] Harvard Stadium led to the creation of two of the most fundamental aspects of modern American football: standard field dimensions and the legal forward pass.
Other events
Early in its existence two ice rinks were built on the stadium during the winter months for the men's ice hockey team. The Stadium served as the home for the hockey team until World War I.[16]
Harvard Stadium was the site of the
It is also the host of
Harvard installed FieldTurf and lights in 2006.
Beginning on April 11, 2009, Harvard Stadium became the home field of the
Soccer
Soccer games played at Harvard Stadium during the 1984 Summer Olympics
Date | Time (EDT) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
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July 29 | 19.30 | Norway | 0–0 | Chile | Group A | 25,000 |
July 30 | 19.30 | Canada | 1–1 | Iraq | Group B | 16,730 |
July 31 | 19.00 | Norway | 1–2 | France | Group A | 27,832 |
August 1 | 19.00 | Cameroon | 1–0 | Iraq | Group B | 20,000 |
August 2 | 19.00 | Qatar | 0–2 | Norway | Group A | 17,529 |
August 3 | 19.00 | Cameroon | 1–3 | Canada | Group B | 27,261 |
Location
Although most of Harvard's campus is in
The stadium's horseshoe opens to the northeast, towards the river, and the press box is at the top of the northwest sideline's grandstand. The running track has been removed; it was non-standard, with long straights and tight turns, and the outside lanes were very near the stadium walls.
Gallery
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Dedication Plaque by the Class of 1879–1903
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Performance of Greek Play – 1905
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Aerial view, c. 1930–45
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John F. Kennedy attending a game in 1963
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Scoreboard – 1984–2007
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Exterior ivy, removed in 2006
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Aerial view of the 2006 Harvard-Yale game – the Murr Center (built in 1998) now sits across the open end of the stadium
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The stadium's southwest-facing exterior, 2006
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View of the field in 2009
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Scoreboard, 2011
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Cheerleaders in Harvard Stadium, 2019
See also
- Harvard Crimson
- List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston, Massachusetts
References
- ^ Lisa Kennelly, Extreme Makeover: Harvard Stadium, Harvard Crimson April 13, 2006.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Harvard Stadium Football History". Harvard University. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Campus Spotlight Harvard Stadium". Harvard University. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Harvard Stadium". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
- ^ "Aerial view of Harvard Stadium". Digital Commonwealth. Newton, Massachusetts). 1930. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ISBN 9780674238855.
- ^ Searing, Robert (29 September 2021). "In 1907, Syracuse University opens Archbold Stadium, called then the 'greatest athletic arena in America'". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Harvard Stadium". Boston Cannons. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ^ "Harvard 24, Brown 17". ESPN. Associated Press. September 22, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ Glenn, Malcolm A. (September 23, 2007). "Football topples Brown in historic night game". Harvard Crimson. (Cambridge, Massachusetts). Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ "First and 100". The Harvard Magazine. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "The 1905 Movement to Reform Football". Library of Congress document. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "Saturday Night Lights: Harvard Stadium Joins the 21st Century". New York Times. 22 September 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "Timeline of Tradition" (PDF). Harvard Crimson. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ 1984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 129-31.
- ^ Malcom A. Glenn, Improved Stadium Scores Pro Team, Harvard Crimson, February 23, 2007.
External links
Events and tenants | ||
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Preceded by | Home of the Boston Patriots 1970 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by various venues
Soviet Union |
Succeeded by various venues
South Korea | |
Preceded by | Home of the Boston Cannons 2007–2018 |
Succeeded by |