Wade Stadium
| The Wade | |
 |
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| Full name | Frank Wade Municipal Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Duluth All-Sports Municipal Stadium (1941–1954) |
| Location | 101 N. 35th Ave West, Duluth, Minnesota 55807 |
| Coordinates | 46°45′16″N 92°8′37″W / 46.75444°N 92.14361°WCoordinates: 46°45′16″N 92°8′37″W / 46.75444°N 92.14361°W |
| Owner | City of Duluth |
| Capacity | 4,200 |
| Field size |
Left Field – 340 ft (105 m) Center Field – 380 ft (116 m) Right Field – 340 ft (104 m) |
| Surface | Astro turf |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1940-41 |
| Opened | July 16, 1941 |
| Renovated | August 15, 2014 |
| Construction cost | 163,232 USD (original budget) 230,880 USD (final cost) 2,200,000 USD (2014 Renovation) |
| General contractor | Works Progress Administration |
| Tenants | |
|
Duluth Dukes (NL) (1941–1942; 1946–1955) Duluth–Superior Dukes (NL) (1956–1970) Duluth–Superior Dukes (NL) (1993–2002) Duluth Huskies (NWL) (2003–present) |
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Wade Stadium is a baseball park located near the intersection of Grand Avenue and 34th Avenue West in the West Duluth neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota. The stadium was built in 1941 and holds 4,200 people. It is the home of the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League and The College of St. Scholastica baseball team who have won 19 straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season and 18 straight post-season titles. "The Wade", as it is sometimes called by fans, was also the home of the Duluth–Superior Dukes of the reincarnated Northern League from 1993 until 2002, and the home of Dukes of the original Northern League from 1941 until 1970. One of a dying breed of Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed stadiums, "The Wade" is noted for its short distances (especially from home plate to center field), its high fences, and the cool, damp weather generated by nearby Lake Superior.
During the Great Depression, the U.S. federal government used the WPA to fund projects to boost employment. One of these projects was the removal of the brick roadbed from Grand Avenue, which was then paved with asphalt. During the fall of 1940, road crews removed 381,000 bricks from the surface of Grand Avenue. Another WPA crew used these bricks to build Wade Stadium.
The decision to build Wade Stadium originated with a 1938 study commissioned by Walter Chantigney, chairman of Duluth's Citywide All-Sports committee. The study found that the Duluth Duke's existing stadium, Athletic Park, was obsolete. According to the study:
Chantigney gathered more than 7,500 signatures to place a construction bond measure on the November, 1938, ballot. After voters approved the bond measure, money was gathered over the next two years from bond sales, the state of Minnesota, and the WPA. The site selected for the new stadium was located directly across Grand Avenue from Athletic Park.
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