- City:
- Fresno, CA
- Site Type:
- Education and Health, Parks and Recreation, Colleges and Universities, Stadiums
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Description
The stadium was originally built in 1926, but later improved by the WPA. The archival photo pictured details each feature the WPA worked on at and surrounding this stadium, including new adjacent handball and tennis courts. The WPA work on this stadium was most likely included the 1942 work referred to in the following quote from the stadium’s website:
“The stadium, originally know as Fresno State College Stadium and renamed for Fresno State’s first football coach, Emory Ratcliffe, in 1941, was expanded with a high-rise grandstand on the west side in 1942, boosting the seating capacity to 13,000.” (www.fresnocitycollege.com)
This may also be the stadium referred to in the scrapbook cited below as receiving $36,000 in 1938 for a stadium, tennis courts and adjacent recreation facilities.
As the contemporary photos here show, while the overall structure remains, many further changes have been made.
Source notes
https://www.fresnocitycollege.com/index.aspx?page=913 Scrapbooks of clippings related to WPA projects in Fresno, Kern, King, Madera, and Tulare Counties, gift of Mrs. David T. Holmes, Vacaville, 1962. (Scrapbook can be found in the California State Library in Sacramento).Contribute to this Site
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