Memorial Stadium

About

Seattle High School Memorial Stadium, commonly known simply as Memorial Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Seattle, Washington, located in the northeast corner of the Seattle Center grounds. It was used mostly for American football, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and concerts from 1947 to 2025. In its final configuration, the stadium had a seating capacity of 12,000.

The stadium opened in 1947 on the site of Seattle's former Civic Field, built as a memorial to the Seattle Public Schools pupils killed in the Second World War. A memorial wall listing the names of 762 students was dedicated in 1951. The stadium was built for Seattle School District high school sports, including the annual Metro League football championship, and continued to be used for Seattle school district competitions and adult recreational leagues until its closure in 2024. Several events at the Century 21 Exposition in 1962, including the world's fair opening ceremonies, were held at Memorial Stadium.

Memorial Stadium was also home to several professional sports teams, beginning with the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1975. The seating capacity was temporarily expanded to 17,000 during the team's two-year stay at the stadium while waiting for the Kingdome to open. Similarly, an A-League reincarnation of the Sounders franchise played at Memorial Stadium, before moving to Seahawks Stadium in 2002. It was also the home stadium for Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League from 2014 to 2018, as well as the Seattle Cascades of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA).

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.