Ruppert Stadium (Newark)

Ruppert Stadium was a baseball stadium in Newark, New Jersey, in the area now known as the Ironbound. Originally named Davids' Stadium after Charles L. Davids, owner of the Newark Bears,[2] it was home to the minor league Newark Bears of the International League from 1926 to 1949, and to the Negro leagues Newark Stars in 1926 and Newark Eagles from 1936 to 1948. It was also the home field of the short-lived Newark Bears of the first American Football League in 1926.[3][4][5] The stadium was named for Jacob Ruppert, a baseball team owner who built the farm system of the New York Yankees.[6]

Ruppert Stadium
Former namesDavids' Stadium (1926–1931)
Bear Stadium (1932–1933)
Location258 Wilson Avenue, Newark, New Jersey
OwnerNew York Yankees (1931–1952)
City of Newark (1952–1967)
Capacity12,000 (1926)
19,000 (1936)
Field size(1923)

Left Field – 305 ft
Left Center – 365 ft
Center Field – 410 ft
Right Center – 365 ft

Right Field – 305 ft
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground1926
Opened1926
Demolished1967
Construction cost$125,000 USD;[1]
Tenants
Newark Bears (AFL-1926)
Newark Bears (IL) (1926–1949)
Newark Stars (ECL) (1926)
Newark Eagles (NNL) (1936–1948)

In October 1952, the Yankees organization announced their intention to tear down the 14,000-seat stadium and sell the land for real estate development.[7] The local Board of Education stepped in to purchase the stadium for $275,000 and converted the property into a school recreation center.[8][9] In 1967 the stadium was demolished[10] and the land was sold again the following year to the Vita Food Products company, which built a food plant on the site.[11][12]

See also

References
  1. "Old Ruppert Stadium Headed for Junk Heap". Schenectady Gazette. October 17, 1952. p. 31. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  2. Martin, Alfred M.; Martin, Alfred T. (2008). The Negro Leagues in New Jersey: A History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 19.
  3. http://www.oldnewark.com/sports/buildings/ruppert.htm
  4. "Izenberg: A dream turns into a shame: Newark Schools Stadium to be demolished".
  5. Cvornyek, Robert (24 July 2018). Baseball in Newark. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738513263 – via Google Books.
  6. Mayer, Ronald A. (1994). The 1937 Newark Bears: A Baseball Legend. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-2153-4. Jacob Ruppert, owner of the New York Yankees, purchased the team from the newspaper publisher Paul Block in 1931. Mayer traces the Bears' exciting first five seasons under Ruppert and the building of a farm system that eventually produced the great Yankee ... sprinkled with some of the great names of the American pastime: Ed Barrow, Paul Kritchell, Al Mamaux, Red Rolfe, Babe Ruth, Shag Shaughnessey, Bob Shawkey, and George Weiss.
  7. "Ruppert Stadium To Be Torn Down". The New York Times: 37. October 17, 1952.
  8. "Newark Buys Ruppert Stadium". The New York Times: 25. November 26, 1952.
  9. "Newark Plot Sold For Industry Plant". The New York Times: 37. August 25, 1961.
  10. Mayer, Ronald A. (1980). The 1937 Newark Bears: A Baseball Legend. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. p. 290. ISBN 9780813521534.
  11. Fowler, Glenn (November 3, 1968). "Ex-Stadium to Become Food Plant". The New York Times: Section 8, p. 1.
  12. "Picture Brightens at Recreation Center". The New York Times: 53. December 28, 1975.


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