Every San Francisco 49er faithful knows that this was the first home of the team. What they may not know is who played their first.
An appropriation of $200,000 from the City of San Francisco and a $100,000 endowment by Mary Kezar in 1922 gave San Francisco Polytechnic School and San Francisco a football field. The stadium was designed by Willis Polk and built by contractor Palmer and McBride. Most stadiums are built from North to south so that a majority of the spectators don’t sit with the sun in their face, however, Golden Gate Park Superintendent McClaren insisted that the stadium be oriented East to West to protect acreage belonging to the park.
The stadium was opened to a crowd of 22,000 for a race between two major track stars of their day, Paavo Nurmi and Willie Ratola. The field served the 49ers from 1946 until 1971. President Gerald Ford played a shriners East-West game here in 1935.
The stadium was demolished in 1989 due to structural deficiencies. The arch is a replica of one that was part of the original stadium, the columns are a hat tip to the old stadium but not original.
This sign, which was on the original stadium, can be found near a field level bench:
This Stadium And Oval Presented To Golden Gate Park By Mary A. Kezar As A Memorial To Her Mother, Nancy H. Kezar, And Her Uncles, Bartlett Doe, John Sanborne Doe, Charles Franklin Doe, Pioneers Of California, Erected By Her Executor, 1924.
If you are a football fan, and want to read all about Kezar through the ages you will love the NFL’s history page.