David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium

David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium sits in Lawrence, Kansas. The ground is a World War I memorial, raised to honour the students of the University of Kansas who did not return. The original stone facade, with its sweeping arches, has been wrapped in newer seating, but the bones of the building remain. What makes this place different from the identical stadiums built since is the memory it carries; it is the oldest stadium west of the Mississippi River and the seventh oldest in the United States.

The pitch itself is a study in compromise. The playing surface is artificial turf, laid down to withstand the wear of countless games. The stands rise steeply on either side, a testament to the ‘Million Dollar Drive’ campaign that funded the original build. The capacity has shrunk since the days when 52,530 fans packed the concrete, but the intensity of the crowd remains. When the team takes to the field, the sound is contained by the stands, a closed loop of noise that bounces off the old stone walls.

In 2017, the stadium was renamed after David G. Booth, whose pledge helped secure its future. The name change was a quiet affair, a recognition of the need for capital rather than a celebration of history. The stadium’s website, kuathletics.com, lists the current capacity at 41,525, a figure that reflects the ongoing renovations. The address, 1101 Mississippi Street, is a simple marker on the map, but the ground itself is a landmark. It is a place where the past is not erased but built upon, a stadium that has lived through a century of football and remains in use today.