The cornerstone for the Jerusalem YMCA was laid in 1928 by Lord Plumer, the British High Commissioner for Palestine, on a plot of land in the West Nikephoria section of Jerusalem purchased from the Greek Orthodox Church Patriarchate.[1] When the building opened on April 18, 1933, the event was attended by YMCA leaders from around the world. Every detail of the building, with its elegant arches, domes and tower, was described in the world press, which hailed it as a wellspring of cultural, athletic, social and intellectual life. Until 1991, the YMCA stadium was the only soccer stadium in Jerusalem.[1] The building, still standing today, was designed by noted American architect Arthur Loomis Harmon of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon.
The stadium was razed by developers to make way for a luxury housing project known as King David's Court.
| YMCA Stadium אצטדיון ימק"א |
|
|---|---|
| "The Sandbox" | |
| Location | Jerusalem |
| Broke ground | 1928 |
| Opened | 1933 |
| Demolished | 2006 |
| Owner | YMCA |
| Operator | YMCA |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 6000 |
| Tenants | |
| Beitar Jerusalem (1960s-1991) Hapoel Jerusalem (1980s-1991) |
|
YMCA Stadium (Hebrew: אצטדיון ימק"א, Itztadion Yimka), was a stadium in central Jerusalem, Israel built in the late 1920s. It was the city's only stadium until 1991.
Beitar Jerusalem Football Club played at the YMCA stadium until the construction of Teddy Stadium in Malha. Beitar Fans nicknamed the stadium as "the sandbox."