Frankford Stadium

The ground that once stood at the corner of Frankford Avenue and Devereaux Street did not survive its own history. It opened in 1923 for the Frankford Yellow Jackets. The architecture was simple but functional, with a double-decked grandstand mentioned in the city archives.

Attendance figures vary between sources, but a crowd of 15,000 gathered for a match against the New York Giants in October 1925. The Jackets won the league title the next year, finishing with a shutout win over the Maroons in front of 7,000 supporters. The grass surface was natural, typical for the era, and the players ran across it.

A windstorm damaged the structure in 1929, but it was the fire of 1931 that ended things. The stands were burned to the ground on July 27, forcing the team to play their remaining fixtures at Baker Bowl and Municipal Stadium. The ruins were cleared in 1933, and the land was eventually sold for row homes. The original stadium is distinct from the modern Frankford High School ground that shares the name.

The building that hosted the Yellow Jackets is gone, replaced by residential blocks and a car dealership. The only thing that remains is the memory of the games played there, and the empty space in the Wissinoming section of Philadelphia.