VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

What a great old ballpark, another midwestern post-WWII palace of minor league ball. Veterans Memorial Stadium was home to minor league baseball for over half a century serving the Indians, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, Reds, Cardinals, Astros, Giants and Angels organizations:

Cedar Rapids Rockets, Class C Central Association, 1949

Cedar Rapids Indians, Class B Three-I League, 1950-54

Cedar Rapids Raiders, Class B Three-I League, 1955-57

Cedar Rapids Braves, Class B Three-I League, 1958-61

Cedar Rapids Braves, Class D Midwest League, 1962

Cedar Rapids Red Raiders, Class A Midwest League, 1963-64

Cedar Rapids Cardinals, Class A Midwest League, 1965-72

Cedar Rapids Astros, Class A Midwest League, 1973-74

Cedar Rapids Giants, Class A Midwest League, 1975-79

Cedar Rapids Reds, Class A Midwest League, 1980-92

Cedar Rapids Kernels, Class A Midwest League, 1993-2001

The same head groundskeeper was in charge of the field maintenance at this ballpark through all 53 seasons of its existence. This ballpark was torn down after the 2001 season while the new Veterans Memorial Stadium was being built for the 2002 season on the same property. The majority of the space occupied by this grand old yard is now a parking area for the newer ballpark.

All of my original photos on this page are approximately one-quarter size. Netscape users can right-click and view-image to see the full-size images.

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Main grandstand with bleacher sections down the foul lines

"Concourse" area underneath the seats differs greatly from contemporary ballpark design

Nice press box for an older ballpark