American Legion Memorial Stadium

American Legion Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium
Address	310 North Kings Drive
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina
Public transit	CPCC Central Campus
Owner	City of Charlotte
Operator	Mecklenburg County
Capacity	21,000 24,000 (?–2009) 16,000 (2009) 17,000 (2010–2019) 10,500 (2021–present) [1]
Surface	Pro Sports-Quality Artificial Turf
Construction
Broke ground	January 1934
Opened	September 1, 1936
Renovated	2010, 2015, 2019–21
Closed	2019–2021
Reopened	2021
Construction cost	$35 million (2019 renovation)
Tenants
Central High School (NCHSAA) (1936–1959) CC-UNC Owls football (1946) [2] Charlotte Hornets (WFL) (1974–1975) Carolina Lightnin' (ASL) (1981–1984) Myers Park High School Mustangs (NCHSAA) (2012) Charlotte Hounds (MLL) (2012–2018) JCSU Golden Bulls (some games) Charlotte Independence (USL1) (2021–present) Carolina Ascent (USLS) (2024-) Carolina Chaos (PLL) (2024-) Anthem Rugby Carolina (MLR) (2024-)

American Legion Memorial Stadium is a 10,500-seat stadium located on 7th Street in the Elizabeth community of Charlotte, North Carolina. It is located on a complex with the Grady Cole Center. Both are located next to Central Piedmont Community College. Independence Park Stadium, a tiny public baseball stadium, is also close by. Memorial Stadium is mainly used for high school sporting events and also serves as a public venue. Before the construction of nearby Bank of America Stadium in 1996, Memorial Stadium was Charlotte's largest outdoor stadium, and is still the largest municipal venue in the city.

History

Ground was broken on the stadium in 1934 and the gates were officially opened two years later in 1936. Named in honor of local soldiers who fell in World War I, the stadium was a project of the Works Progress Administration. ^[3]

Throughout the years the stadium hosted events of every kind, ranging from Presidential addresses to classic professional wrestling encounters featuring local hero Ric Flair. The stadium formerly hosted Charlotte (Central) High School (which is now Garinger). For many years afterward, as the city grew and opened more high schools, the stadium was used practically every week during the football season to accommodate both schools which had no campus stadium and large crowds which some campus stadiums could not contain for the more popular match-ups.

In February 1985, the stadium hosted a pair of preseason United States Football League (USFL) games, which the city hoped would attract an expansion team. ^[4] The first game on February 2 saw the New Jersey Generals defeat the Memphis Showboats 16–3, while the Baltimore Stars beat the Tampa Bay Bandits 28–26 on February 16. ^{[5] [6]} The Generals–Showboats game drew just 11,667 fans due to rain compared to the approximately 20,000 who attended the Bandits–Stars meeting in sunny weather. ^{[5] [7]}

From 1937 to 2000, the stadium hosted the Shrine Bowl, which was an annual match-up of the top high school football players in North Carolina and South Carolina. Sometime during the 1960s and 1970s, Memorial Stadium gained upper level seating on both sides of the field, raising its capacity to over 20,000. ^[8]

For the past few years the stadium has hosted several band competitions. It has hosted the battle of the Bands between the biggest HBCUs in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, and hosted Drum Corps International competitions hosted by Carolina Crown.

The stadium also served as a neutral site for the 2002 and 2003 meetings between The Citadel and VMI, known as the Military Classic of the South. ^[9]

Recent events

In late 2009 the east end of the stadium suffered significant damage after a storm drain under the structure caved in causing the stands above it to collapse. While repairs were being made, the stadium was closed for several months. The stadium reopened in July 2010 with a reduced capacity as a grass berm largely replaced the old seating.

Memorial Stadium served as the home field for the Charlotte Hounds MLL team. The team began play at the start of the 2012 season and used the stadium for home games until 2018. The team is currently on hiatus and hopes to return in 2021.

The stadium continues to play a large role in Charlotte-Mecklenburg high school football, as it hosts big ticket match-ups such as Butler v. Independence and Charlotte Latin v. Charlotte Country Day. The Myers Park Mustangs moved most of their 2012 home games to the stadium after renovations temporarily lowered capacity at Gus Purcell Stadium, their on-campus home. ^[10]

American Legion Memorial Stadium as it looked following renovations in the 1970s.

In early 2015, the possibility arose of renovating the stadium to accommodate professional soccer in Charlotte and try to lure an MLS expansion franchise to the city, however this was only a proposal. ^[11] Sometime during 2015, a new press box was constructed on the 'visitors' side of the stadium. The Mecklenburg County Commissioners approved a $23 million renovation plan in late 2017. ^[12]

2019 reconstruction

In September 2019, Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation broke ground on a $31.7 million reconstruction of the stadium, which became the new home of the USL Championship soccer team Charlotte Independence beginning in spring 2021. The reconstruction was completed in 2021. The existing stadium was demolished and re-built. The reconstruction added new concourse buildings, a memorial, a new scoreboard and other amenities. Historical elements of the stadium, such as the stone wall and ticket booths, were removed and preserved offsite, then reinstalled in the new structure. Capacity dropped to 10,500. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

In May 2023, USL Super League president Amanda Vandevort announced that Carolina would be one of the league's initial clubs. The women's soccer team will play in American Legion Memorial Stadium starting in August 2024. ^[16]

References

1. "Venues at a Glance". Archived from the original on 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
2. "Charlotte 49ers Football - Our Story". Archived from the original on 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
3. "The American Legion Memorial Stadium (1936)". Archived from the original on 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
4. "Miss The USFL Games Feb.2&16 And You'll Be Crushed". The Charlotte Observer . February 2, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Generals begin preseason with win". The Record . February 3, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
6. Pugliese, Nick (February 17, 1985). "Jordan displays confidence in moving Bandits". The Tampa Tribune . Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. Pugliese, Nick (February 17, 1985). "Game Notes". The Tampa Tribune . Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Stadium History | Charlotte Hounds". Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
9. "VMI, CITADEL FOOTBALL MOVES TO CHARLOTTE IN THE REGION". Roanoke Times. highbeam.com. February 20, 2002. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
10. "CMS moves 9 football games due to stadium repairs | CharlotteObserver.com". Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
11. The Charlotte Observer (subscription required)
12. "County Commission OKs $32M Renovation for Memorial Stadium". 20 December 2017.
13. "Plans in place for $35 million Memorial Stadium makeover". 3 June 2019.
14. "Mecklenburg County Hosts Independence Stadium Groundbreaking". 20 September 2019.
15. "County breaks ground on American Legion Memorial Stadium reconstruction". thecharlotteweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-30.
16. Bailey, Hunter (2023-05-26). "USL Super League to launch professional women's soccer team in Charlotte". The Charlotte Observer . Retrieved 2023-05-27.

External links

• Survey and Research Report on The American Legion Memorial Stadium (1936) – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.
• Memorial Stadium and Grady Cole Center at Google Maps
• Memorial Stadium Anniversary

35°13′06″N80°49′42″W / 35.2182°N 80.8283°W / 35.2182; -80.8283