Renovations at American Legion Memorial Stadium pay homage to its past
By Liz Morrell and W. Lee Jones
Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation reopened the iconic American Legion Memorial Stadium (ALMS) with a small ceremony on July 7, 2021. The $40.5-million stadium—located in Charlotte, North Carolina’s center city, on a 9.80-acre site adjacent to the main campus of Central Piedmont Community College—was built during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program of the New Deal.
“For the past 85 years, this facility has been a positive symbol of pride for the community,” Department Director W. Lee Jones, AIA, NCARB, commented.
The most recent round of renovations to this historic facility have been ongoing since 2019, when a groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of the construction. The project was funded by Mecklenburg County with additional support of $3 million from the city for a synthetic-turf field.
The renovation served not only to upgrade amenities in and around the stadium, but also to preserve and honor its legacy. Highlights of this effort include maintenance of the site’s historic landmark designation through replication of its original architecture, advanced lighting and broadcasting capabilities, the introduction of public art highlighting veterans’ service, and a state-of-the art, under-field, stormwater-management system.