Jerusalem International YMCA
Dr. Archibald Clinton Harte (1865-1946)[1] developed a vision for a permanent YMCA building in Jerusalem and worked tirelessly planning every detail, and for many years raised funds for it. After seven years of construction, the new Jerusalem International YMCA was dedicated in 1933 with the words “Here is a spot whose atmosphere is peace, where political and religious jealousies can be forgotten and international unity be fostered and developed.” Dr. Harte retired to his home, which became known as the “Harte Villa,” on the shores of Galilee in 1931, which he used as a center of hospitality to people of all communities and nations, especially many men and women of the Allied Armed Forces. He bequeathed the “Harte Villa” to the Jerusalem International YMCA to continue and be used as a place of gathering of all people, and to complete his vision of an international Christian center for conference and study on Galilee. Dr. Harte died on Palm Sunday morning of 1946, and was buried in the garden of the “Harte Villa” which is now enclosed as a part of the Harte Chapel on the grounds of today’s Peniel by Galilee.
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.[2] 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.[2] 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.
The stadium
| "The Sandbox" | |
 | |
| Location | Jerusalem |
|---|---|
| Owner | YMCA |
| Operator | YMCA |
| Capacity | 6000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1928 |
| Opened | 1933 |
| Demolished | 2006 |
| Tenants | |
|
Beitar Jerusalem (1960s-1991) Hapoel Jerusalem (1980s-1991) | |
YMCA Stadium (Hebrew: אצטדיון ימק"א, Itztadion Yimka), was the central stadium of Jerusalem, 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 in the 1990's. Beitar Club's fans nicknamed the stadium as "the sandbox."
References
Coordinates: 31°46′27.03″N 35°13′16.83″E / 31.7741750°N 35.2213417°E
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