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Nickerson Field
Former namesBraves Field (1915–1936, 1941–1953)
National League Park (1936–1941)
Boston University Field (1953–1955)
LocationBoston, Massachusetts
OwnerBoston University
OperatorBoston University
Capacity10,412
SurfaceFieldTurf
Construction
Broke groundMarch 20, 1915
OpenedAugust 18, 1915
Renovated1955
Tenants
Boston University Academy Terriers (NEPSAC) (1993–present)
Boston University Terriers (NCAA) (1953–present)
Boston Cannons (MLL) (2004–2006)
Boston Breakers (USFL) (1983)
Boston Breakers (WUSA) (2001–2003)
Boston Minutemen (NASL) (1975)
Boston Patriots (AFL) (1960–1962)
New England Tea Men (NASL) (1979)
Boston Braves (NL) (1915–1952)
Boston Braves (NFL) (1932)
Boston Bolts (ASL/APSL) (1988–1990)
File:NickersonField1.jpg

2008

File:NickersonField2.jpg

2008

File:BUNickersonConcourse.jpg

The main concourse under the stadium's seating.

Nickerson Field is a stadium on the site of Braves Field, in Boston, Massachusetts, the former home of the National League Boston Braves baseball team which is now located in Atlanta. Parts of Braves Field, such as the entry gate and right-field pavilion, remain as portions of the stadium.

The stadium is now owned by Boston University, and is the home field for many of the school's athletics programs, including soccer and lacrosse. It was also the home of BU's football team until the school dropped the sport following the 1997 season.

From the mid-1980s to 1995, the stadium hosted the New England Scholastic Band Association's marching band field show championships.

Use by professional sports[]

Since its reconfiguration in the 1950s, six professional sports franchises have used this stadium:

Configuration history[]

Boston University purchased the former home of the Braves on July 30, 1953 and renamed it Boston University Field.[1][2] The stadium inherited its current name from the school's previous athletic field, which had been in the town of Weston.[3] That field was taken by eminent domain in 1955 for construction of Route 128. BU used the proceeds, in part, to renovate the former baseball park and renamed it for William E. Nickerson, a member of the BU Board of Trustees who had donated the original field in Weston to BU in 1928. According to the previously referenced article, Nickerson "was an MIT graduate who was the principal inventor of the machinery used to manufacture the first Gillette safety razor."

In 1955, the Braves Field Grandstand, Left Field Pavilion, and Jury Box were demolished. The existing Right Field Pavilion was squared off on the west side and filled in on the east side where a section had been removed to accommodate the Braves Field right field foul pole and bullpens. The three buildings overlooking the field coincidentally suggest the outline of the original main grandstand section. The stadium has been the home of BU teams longer (50-plus years) than it was the home of the Braves (parts of 38 seasons).

In 1968, the field underwent a renovation. The four Braves Field light towers were dismantled. That year BU became the second college in the United States to install "Astroturf". The following year, not only did the BU football team practice on that field, so did the Boston College football team and the Boston Patriots. Both used the field to prepare for away games they would play on Astroturf fields. In 2001 antiquated turf was replaced with a newer, more player-friendly artificial surface as part of a deal with the Women's United Soccer Association to host the Boston Breakers games. With a professional soccer team playing at Nickerson the football lines, which had remained on the field even though BU no longer had a football program, were not repainted.

In 1989, to accommodate commencement speakers U.S. President George H. W. Bush and French President François Mitterrand, a large platform was constructed to Secret Service specifications on one side of the field. The platform, which can be seen in the bottom center of the color picture below, was removed during the summer of 2008 when the field was expanded and given a new turf.

File:Braves Field and Nickerson Field.JPG

Braves Field (left, in early 1930s) and Nickerson Field (in the 1990s)

Notes and references[]

  1. Former Boston ballparks BallparkTour.com.
  2. Boston University Nickerson Field Boston Public Library.
  3. Who's behind that building? Boston University.

External links[]

Events and tenants
Preceded by
first stadium
Home of the
Boston Patriots

1960 – 1962
Succeeded by
Fenway Park
Preceded by
Cawley Memorial Stadium
Home of the
Boston Cannons

2004 – 2006
Succeeded by
Harvard Stadium
Preceded by
Villanova Stadium
Host of Major League Lacrosse championship weekend
2004 – 2005
Succeeded by
Home Depot Center Track Stadium

Coordinates: 42°21′12″N 71°07′09″W / 42.35343°N 71.119273°W / 42.35343; -71.119273


This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Nickerson Field.
The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with American Football Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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