John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia)

John F. Kennedy Stadium
Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in 1927
Map
Former namesSesquicentennial Stadium (1926)
Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (1926–1964)
John F. Kennedy Stadium (1964–1992)
AddressSouth Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
LocationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°54′05″N 75°10′19″W / 39.9014°N 75.1719°W / 39.9014; -75.1719
OwnerCity of Philadelphia
Capacity102,000 (for American football)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
OpenedApril 15, 1926
ClosedJuly 13, 1989
DemolishedSeptember 19–24, 1992
ArchitectSimon & Simon
Tenants
Philadelphia Quakers (AFL) (1926)
Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) (1936–1939, 1941)
Army-Navy Game (NCAA) (1936–1979)
Liberty Bowl (NCAA) (1959–1963)
Philadelphia Bell (WFL) (1974)

John F. Kennedy Stadium, formerly Philadelphia Municipal Stadium and Sesquicentennial Stadium, was an open-air stadium in Philadelphia that stood from 1926 to 1992. The South Philadelphia stadium was on the east side of the far southern end of Broad Street at a location now part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Designed by the architectural firm of Simon & Simon[1] in a classic 1920s style with a horseshoe seating design that surrounded a track and football field, at its peak the facility seated in excess of 102,000 people. Bleachers were later added at the open (North) end. The shape of the stadium resembles the horseshoe configuration of Harvard Stadium built in 1903.

Each section of the main portion of the stadium contained its own entrance, which displayed the letters of each section above the entrance, in a nod to ancient Roman stadia. Section designators were divided at the south end of the stadium (the bottom of the "U" shape) between West and East, starting with Sections WA and EA and proceeding north. The north bleachers started with Section NA.

It was built of concrete, stone, and brick on a 13.5-acre (55,000 m2) tract.[2]

  1. ^ * City Architect; Department of City Architecture; Philadelphia Information Locator System
  2. ^ "JFK Stadium: End Zone Near". Philadelphia Inquirer. February 5, 1992. p. B2.