Houseman Field

Last updated
Houseman Field
Houseman Updates July 23-11.jpg
Houseman Field during renovations in July 2025
Houseman Field
Location Grand Rapids, MI
Coordinates 42°57′58″N85°38′46″W / 42.9660°N 85.6462°W / 42.9660; -85.6462
OwnerGrand Rapids Public Schools
Capacity 8,000
Construction
Built1923
Renovated2025
Tenants
Grand Rapids Central High School
Union High School
Ottawa Hills High School
Grand Rapids FC (USL2) (2015–2021)

Houseman Field is an 8,000-seat multipurpose stadium located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is named for former mayor and Congressman Julius Houseman and is the home of Grand Rapids Public Schools athletics and the Aquinas College Saints track teams. Grand Rapids Public Schools owns this stadium.

Contents

History

Julius Houseman's daughter, Hattie, donated six acres (24,000 m2) of land to the school district in 1907 for use as an athletic field. While it would be used for the Grand Rapids Central High School football team's football practices in the next 15 years, it was not until 1923 that the current stadium was built on that site; its first event was Catholic Central High School's 42–0 victory over Sparta High School. The football field was expanded in 1926, lights were installed in 1940, and artificial turf replaced grass in 1973.

Grand Rapids Central became the longest serving tenant of Houseman Field, and over the years, other high schools, including Creston High School, Catholic Central High School and West Catholic High School have also played their home games at this stadium, owing to the growing number of high schools in Grand Rapids. Currently, it is the home of the Ottawa Hills and Union High School football and track and field teams.

2009 renovation

In October 2008, the Grand Rapids Public Schools' Board of Education announced plans to perform a $6 million renovation to Houseman Field using funds left over from a 2004 facilities improvement bond. The renovation included turf replacement, a new press box, concession and restroom facilities, as well as miscellaneous structural and technological improvements. [1] The newly renovated facility was reopened on August 25, 2009. [2] The renovation won the Peoples Choice Award and shared the Gerald R. Helmholdt Grand Prize Award at the 2009 Grand Rapids Neighborhood Business Awards. [3]

2025 renovation

In the summer of 2025, a renovation funded by the Reimagine GRPS bond was completed. Improvements included a new track, new artificial turf, energy-efficient LED lighting, expanded parking, and locker room upgrades.

Notable athletes

References

  1. ↑ "Houseman makeover begins" (April 23, 2009). The Grand Rapids Press. p.A7. Retrieved via NewsBank
  2. ↑ Reinstadler, Kym (Aug. 25, 2009). "Tradition meets state of the art - Houseman field work brings a classic up to date". The Grand Rapids Press. p.A3. Retrieved via NewsBank
  3. ↑ "School projects receive awards" (Nov. 15, 2009). The Grand Rapids Press. p.B3. Retrieved via NewsBank

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.