Bethlehem Area School District Stadium

Bethlehem Area School District Stadium or BASD Stadium for short, is a multi-purpose stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It is one of Pennsylvania's largest high school stadiums, seating up to 14,000 and occupying up to 16,000 including the stadium's standing room section. It is the home stadium for three large Eastern Pennsylvania Conference public high schools, Liberty High School, Freedom High School, and Bethlehem Catholic High School.[1]

Bethlehem Area School District Stadium
Bethlehem Area School District Stadium, 2021
Location1115 Linden St, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18018
Coordinates40.6297°N 75.3734°W / 40.6297; -75.3734
OwnerBethlehem Area School District
OperatorBethlehem Area School District
Capacity16,000 (14,000 seated)
SurfaceFieldTurf
ScoreboardDaktronics
Construction
Broke ground1938
Built1938-1939
Opened1939
Renovated2005, 2016-2018
General contractorBethlehem Steel
Main contractorsWorks Progress Administration
Tenants
Liberty High School, Freedom High School

History

The BASD school board made multiple attempts between 1924 and 1930 to construct a stadium at Liberty High School; however, they were unsuccessful in doing so due to high estimated costs. In January 1938, the school board formed a committee to oversee to construction of the stadium after receiving partial funding from the Works Progress Administration. The steel for the stadium grandstands was donated by Bethlehem Steel,[1] with the first beam being put in place in January 1939. The project was completed by May of the same year. The first game played in the new stadium was on September 23, but the stadium was not commemorated until November 4.[2]

In the 1970s, additional improvements were made to the stadium, including the installation of a track and lavatory facilities, as well as upgrades to the field-house. In 1993, new concession stands, ticket booths, and a scoreboard were added.[2] The stadium was further renovated in 2005 when a new light system was installed and FieldTurf was added thanks in part to the generosity of Frank Banko.[1][3] The field was renamed “Frank Banko Field at BASD Stadium” from 2005-2018. In 2016, the field turf and track were replaced. The scoreboard was replaced and the away-side grandstand was renovated before the start of the 2018 football season. The home-side grandstand was renovated in the summer of 2019.[4]

References
  1. Fisher, Jeff (2017-05-07). "Stadium Project: Bethlehem Area School District Stadium (Pennsylvania)". High School Football America. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  2. Harry, Rich (1994-12-18). "'Triple Thread Grandstand' Liberty Stadium at 55 is Still Evolving". mcall.com. Retrieved 2021-03-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. Groller, Keith. "Busy BASD Stadium has become a local football mecca". mcall.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  4. "Bethlehem Area School District Capital Improvements Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 7 March 2021.

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