Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium

Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium
Brick City
The Den
Location 450 Broad Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102
United States
Capacity 6,200
Field size

Left Field: 302 feet (92 m)

Left-Center Field: 364 feet (111 m)

Center Field: 394 feet (120 m)

Right-Center Field: 365 feet (111 m)

Right Field: 320 feet (98 m)323
Surface grass
Construction
Opened July 16, 1999
Construction cost $30 million
Architect Populous
Tenants
Newark Bears (Atlantic/Can-Am) (1999–2013)
Rutgers–Newark Scarlet Raiders baseball (NCAA)
NJIT Highlanders baseball (NCAA)

Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, originally simply Riverfront Stadium, was a 6,200-seat baseball park in Newark, New Jersey, United States, that was home to the baseball teams of two of Newark's universities: the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders, who play in the New Jersey Athletic Conference as part of NCAA Division III, and the NJIT Highlanders, who play in the Atlantic Sun Conference as part of NCAA Division I.

The impetus for the stadium's construction was the awarding of an expansion franchise in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent minor baseball league, in 1999. The team took the name Newark Bears, and the stadium hosted its first regular season baseball game on July 16, 1999 when the Bears took on the Lehigh Valley Black Diamonds.[1] The Bears played in the stadium from 1999 until 2013, having later moved to the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, before the team was folded.

The stadium was named in honor of the original Bears, who were the top farm club of the New York Yankees from 1946 until 1949, and the Newark Eagles, who played in the Negro Leagues.

The stadium was sold in 2016 for $23 million and likely will be demolished for a commercial/residential project.[2][3]

History

The Newark Bears had joined the Atlantic League at its founding in 1998 but played their 'home' games at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut during that first season, sharing the park with the Bridgeport Bluefish. Since construction of the stadium was still not finished in 1999, the Bears played their first 20 home games at Skylands Park in Augusta, New Jersey, sharing the facility with the New Jersey Cardinals.

The Bears have nicknamed the stadium "Brick City" or "The Den" representing the home of a bear.

Originally, the stadium was to be built along the Passaic River, perhaps at or near Riverbank Park, but the eventual site was at Broad and Orange Streets. The block of Orange Street, between Broad Street and McCarter Highway, was vacated to allow for the ballpark to be built.

In 2001, the Bears added "Bears & Eagles" to the name of the park. The new name reflected the heritage represented by both the International League's Bears, and the Negro National League Newark Eagles, both of whom had played at Ruppert Stadium (demolished in 1967) in the area now called the Ironbound.

Transportation

The stadium was across the street from a New Jersey Transit's Broad Street Station. Opened July 17, 2006, the Riverfront Stadium station on the Newark Light Rail provided service from Newark Penn Station.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cvornyek, Robert (2003), Baseball in Newark, Arcadia Publishing
  2. ↑ http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/03/former_newark_bears_stadium_sold_to_nyc_developer.html#incart_river_home
  3. ↑ http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/03/does_riverfront_stadium_sale_squash_newarks_dreams.html#incart_river_home

External links

Coordinates: 40°44′45″N 74°10′6″W / 40.74583°N 74.16833°W / 40.74583; -74.16833

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