Goldsmith-Schiffman Field – Huntsville AL

Description

In 1934, the Civil Works Administration started building a modern sports field on January 29 due to the land donated to the city on January 25, 1934, by Oscar Goldsmith, Lawrence B. Goldsmith, Annie Schiffman Goldsmith, Robert L. Schiffman, and Elsie Strauss Schiffman for use as an athletic field or playground for white pupils of the public schools. Due to CWA changes, they could only provide 50 people to begin the project. The area was the first in Huntsville to be lit up for nighttime sporting events, and it cost the city $6,500 to build, thanks to funding from the Civil Works Administration. On October 4, 1934, the area was dedicated during the inaugural night game, when 1,000 people saw Coach Milton Frank’s Huntsville High team beat Gadsden High. Huntsville, Alabama, is home to Goldsmith-Schiffman Field, a multi-use stadium. Since 1934, the Goldsmith-Schiffman family has graciously permitted the community to utilize roughly 2 acres of land for recreational and educational purposes. Up until 2012,
the field was used by the Huntsville City School system for sporting events. However, as the population of the district’s middle and high schools increased, the field’s capacity was exceeded. On September 11, 2014, the Goldsmith family granted the City of Huntsville Parks and Recreation Department permission to use the area for recreational purposes.