Palmer Stadium

Date of Commission: 1914

Date of Occupancy: 1914

Date of Destruction: 1997

Other Dates in Building's History:

1921: Attendance record for the Princeton/Harvard game quoted as 53,000; wooden end zone stands used.

1930: Steel stands added to the south end zone increasing seating capacity by 6,700.

1934: Seating capacity quoted as 52,000 with removable stands.

1937: Sprinkler system installed.

1940-41: New press box built.

1940: Decks of west side and section 26 reinforced; seats covered with compound to protect against penetration of moisture; concrete repaired and additional steel bars added.

Fall 1941: Home/Visitor sides switched to Home on west side and Visitor on east side.

1943: Stadium used for army camouflage experiments.

1948: Engineers' report notes Palmer Stadium's inferior quality of concrete and other dangerous structural defects.

September 1961: Added electronic scoreboard.

September 1962: Giants/Eagles game played at Palmer; proceeds benefited charity.

December 1962: University is sued after woman falls because there is no guard rail.

1994: Committee established, headed by Dick Spies, to study plans to rebuild or repair stadium; orange and black tarps hung to catch any pieces of falling concrete.

1995: Decision made to build smaller stadium on the same site.

Early 1997: The Stadium razed.

Architect(s): Henry J. Hardenbergh

Donor(s): Edgar Palmer, Class of 1903

Named for: Palmer Family

Other Agent(s): George A. Fuller Construction Company (builder of)

Materials: Concrete

Function: Stadium