"RFK" | |
Former names | District of Columbia Stadium (1961–1968) |
---|---|
Address | 2400 East Capitol Street SE |
Location | Washington, D.C. |
Coordinates | 38°53′24″N 76°58′19″W / 38.890°N 76.972°WCoordinates: 38°53′24″N 76°58′19″W / 38.890°N 76.972°W |
Public transit |
Stadium–Armory Blue Line Silver Line Orange Line |
Owner | District of Columbia |
Operator | Events DC |
Capacity |
Baseball: 43,500 (1961) 45,016 (1971) 45,596 (2005) Football/Soccer: 56,692 (1961) 45,596 (2005–present) 20,000 (2012–present) (MLS) |
Field size |
Left Field: 335 ft (102 m) Left-Center: 380 ft (116 m) Center Field: 410 ft (125 m) Right-Center: 380 ft (116 m) Right Field: 335 ft (102 m) Backstop: 54 ft (16 m) |
Surface | TifGrand Bermuda Grass (Prescription Athletic Turf) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | July 8, 1960 |
Opened | October 1, 1961 56 years ago |
Construction cost | US$24 million ($192 million in 2017 dollars) |
Architect | George Leighton Dahl, Architects and Engineers, Inc. |
Structural engineer | Osborn Engineering Company |
Services engineer | Ewin Engineering Associates |
General contractor | McCloskey and Co. |
Tenants | |
D.C. United (MLS) (1996–2018) Washington Redskins (NFL) (1961–1996) Geo. Washington Colonials (NCAA) (1961–1966) Washington Senators (II) (MLB) (1962–1971) Washington Whips (USA / NASL) (1967–1968) Washington Darts (NASL) (1971) Washington Diplomats (NASL) (1974–1981) Team America (NASL) (1983) Washington Federals (USFL) (1983–1984) Washington Freedom (WUSA) (2001–2003) Washington Nationals (MLB) (2005–2007) Military Bowl (NCAA) (2008–2012) Washington Freedom (WPS) (2009–2011) |
|
Website | |
http://www.dcsec.com/Venues/RFKStadium.aspx |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C., located about two miles (3 km) due east of the U.S. Capitol building. It is the current home of D.C. United of Major League Soccer and the AT&T Nation's Football Classic. Also the U.S. men's national soccer team has played 22 matches from 1977 to 2013, more than any other stadium in the country.
The stadium opened 56 years ago as "District of Columbia Stadium" in October 1961, and was constructed as a joint venture of the D.C. Armory Board and the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is now owned and operated by Events DC (the successor agency to the DC Armory Board), a quasi-public organization affiliated with the city government under a long-term lease from the National Park Service, which owns the land. The lease expires in 2038. The previous venue for baseball and football in Washington was Griffith Stadium, about four miles (6 km) northwest.
RFK Stadium has been home for a number of major professional sports teams, including the NFL's Washington Redskins (1961–1996; moved east to FedExField in suburban Maryland in 1997), the American League's Washington Senators (1962–1971; moved to Arlington, Texas and became the Texas Rangers in 1972), and the National League's Washington Nationals (2005–2007; until their permanent home Nationals Park was completed in 2008). It has hosted international soccer matches in the 1994 World Cup, 1996 Summer Olympics, and 2003 Women's World Cup. It also hosted a college football bowl game, the Military Bowl (2008–2012), before its move in 2013 to Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.