Roosevelt Stadium
Stadium entrance c. 1940
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| Full name | Jersey City Roosevelt Stadium |
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| Location | Danforth Ave. & New Jersey Route 1 (now New Jersey Route 440) Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Owner | Jersey City |
| Capacity | 24,000 |
| Field size | Left – 330 ft. Left Center – 377 ft. Center – 411 ft. Right Center – 377 ft. Right – 330 ft. |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1936 |
| Opened | April 23, 1937 |
| Demolished | 1985 |
| Construction cost | $1,500,000 |
| Architect | Christian H. Ziegler |
| Tenants | |
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Brooklyn Dodgers (MLB) (1956–1957, 15 games) Jersey City Giants (IL) (1937–1950) Jersey City Jerseys (IL) (1960–1961) Jersey City Indians (EL) (1977) Jersey City A's (EL) (1978) |
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Roosevelt Stadium was a baseball park at Droyer's Point in Jersey City, New Jersey. It opened in April 1937 and hosted high-minor league baseball, 15 major league baseball games, plus championship boxing matches, top-name musical acts, an annual championship drum and bugle corps competition known as "The Dream", important regional high school football and even soccer matches. It was demolished in 1985.
On June 5, 1929, Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague announced his plans to construct a 50,000-seat municipal stadium in Jersey City to surround a field 500 feet long by 400 feet wide, that would be dedicated to the memory of the city's war dead. It was expected to cost $500,000 and be built by Spring 1930. Mayor Hague planned for the stadium to have 35,000 permanent seats with ground space for an additional 15,000. It would be a multi-purpose stadium for baseball, football, track and field events, and boxing.
Roosevelt Stadium was finally built in 1937, as a Works Progress Administration project on the grounds of what was the Jersey City Airport at Droyer's Point. The airport was operated by Eddie August Schneider starting in 1935. It was named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the author of that New Deal agency. It was designed in Art Deco style.
The ballpark's opening was scheduled for April 22, 1937 with the opening of the 1937 International League season. Mayor Hague declared a half-holiday for the city's schools and employees. New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham was expected at the opener along with Senator Harry Moore. Rain washed out the planned events and the opening was moved back to April 23 with Mayor Hague throwing out the first pitch and Sen. Moore and owner Horace Stoneham on hand for the ballpark's dedication.
Initially constructed as a home field for Jersey City's International League affiliate of the New York Giants, the stadium later saw its most common use for high school football, as Jersey City's William L. Dickinson, James J. Ferris, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Snyder high schools and the city's major parochial schools, Hudson Catholic and St. Peter's Prep, all used the stadium, particularly on Thanksgiving Day, when Dickinson and St. Peter's would sell it out. It was the site, in September 1974, of the game that set the New Jersey state record for consecutive losses by a high school football team at 42, when Dickinson High School lost to Hudson Catholic, 22-0. The Hawks offense was led by quarterback Steven Neri and halfback Tony Cavallo and Dickinson was held to -2 yards rushing and 18 passing by a Hudson defense led by Steve Cuccinelli, Ray Parente and Bruce Bock. Neri, Bock, Parente and Cuccinelli have all been inducted into the Hudson Catholic Football program's Wall of Fame. Jersey City State College (now New Jersey City University) played their home football games on Friday nights at Roosevelt stadium during the 1970s.
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