Goldsmith–Schiffman Field is a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

. From 1934 through 2012, it was used mainly for middle school and high school

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

. It was also home to the Huntsville Rockets from 1962 through 1967 and the now-defunct Alabama Renegades of the

National Women's Football Association The National Women's Football Association (NWFA) was a full-contact American football league for women headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The league was founded by Catherine Masters in 2000, as the two benchmark teams, the Alabama Renegade ...

History

On January 25, 1934, Oscar Goldsmith, Lawrence B. Goldsmith, Annie Schiffman Goldsmith, Robert L. Schiffman, and Elsie Strauss Schiffman gave the property to the city for an "athletic field or playground "for the enjoyment of the white students of the public schools." The

Civil Works Administration The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was a short-lived job creation program established by the New Deal during the Great Depression in the United States in order to rapidly create mostly manual-labor jobs for millions of unemployed workers. The j ...

provided $6,500 in materials and labor to construct the field, the first in Huntsville to accommodate night athletic games. The field was dedicated during the first night game on October 4, 1934, when 1,000 fans saw Coach Milton Frank's Huntsville High team defeat Gadsden High. The racist language in the deed was ruled unenforceable and ignored as desegregation came to Huntsville City Schools. The city moved activities to

Louis Crews Stadium Louis Crews Stadium is a 21,000-seat multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of Alabama A&M University in Normal, Alabama. The stadium opened in 1996 and is home to the Alabama A&M football team. It was named in honor of Louis Crews, who s ...

Alabama A&M University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M or AAMU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. It was one of about 180 " normal s ...

in 2012, and because of disuse, heirs reclaimed title to the land. On September 5, 2014, after consulting with heirs "as far away as Scotland," Margaret Ann Goldsmith deeded the property to the city again, this time without restriction. In October 2024, the city hired a Georgia-based engineering and design firm to develop overhaul plans for the facility. The renovation will add pickleball courts, new flag football fields, a concession building with restrooms and a playground. https://www.rocketcitynow.com/article/news/local/overhaul-set-for-near-century-old-stadium-goldsmith-schiffman-field/525-4e2a2ac8-7567-418b-ae42-16f9539be208

References

External links

Goldsmith–Schiffman Field
at City of Huntsville, Alabama Sports venues in Huntsville, Alabama 1934 establishments in Alabama Huntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States High school football venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1934 American football venues in Alabama New Deal in Alabama Civil Works Administration {{Alabama-stadium-stub