Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
| Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium at Baker Athletics Complex |
|
| Location |
5101 Broadway
Manhattan, NY 10034 |
| Broke ground |
1982 |
| Opened |
September 22, 1984 |
| Owner |
Columbia University |
| Operator |
Columbia University |
| Surface |
FieldTurf field;
Rekortan track |
| Construction cost |
$7 million[1] |
| Architect |
Dattner Architects[2] |
| Capacity |
17,000 |
| Tenants |
| Columbia Lions (NCAA) (1984-Present) |
Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium at Baker Athletics Complex is a stadium located at the northern tip of the island of Manhattan in New York in the Inwood neighborhood. It is primarily used for gridiron football, lacrosse, and track and field events, and is the home field of the Columbia University Lions. It opened in 1984 and holds 17,100 people. It is part of Columbia's Baker Athletics Complex (formerly known as Baker Field, but not to be confused with the former Baker Bowl located in Philadelphia).
Baker Field history
Baker Field is Columbia's outdoor athletic complex. Previously, all outdoor teams had played on South Field, across 116th Street from Low Memorial Library, the field where Lou Gehrig played for the Lions. (It is now partially covered by Butler Library.) The athletic complex is located just south of the Spuyten Duyvil, the confluence of the Harlem and Hudson rivers, at the northern tip of Manhattan Island. It was purchased for the university by financier George H. Baker for $700,000 in December 1921. It was dedicated the following April, but it was not until 1923 that the team began playing there. A 32,000-seat wooden stadium was built on the site in 1928; this was in use until 1982, when it was demolished to make room for the current Wien Stadium.
The "New" Stadium
Wien opened on September 22, 1984 with a loss to Harvard. The first home win at the stadium came on October 8, 1988, over Princeton. The 10,500-seat southeast (home side) stands were built first; the 6,500-seat northwest stands opened two years later. The stadium is named for Lawrence Wien, class of 1925, a former trustee, philanthropist, lawyer and entrepreneur. After a $5 million donation by Robert Kraft, class of 1963, the field was named in his honor on October 13, 2007.[3]
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