Loeb Stadium was a

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

in Columbian Park in Lafayette, Indiana, United States. It was primarily used for baseball and had most recently been the home of the

Lafayette Aviators The Lafayette Aviators are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Lafayette, Indiana. They are a member of the Eastern Conference of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Aviators play at Loeb Stadium in Columbian Park in Lafayette, wh ...

of the

Prospect League The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their colleg ...

. Previously, it was the home of

Ohio Valley Redcoats The Ohio Valley Redcoats were a Minor League Baseball team in the independent Frontier League. Team history Originally located in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the Ohio Valley Redcoats franchise was an original member of the Frontier League. The ...

of the independent Frontier League, and later the Lafayette Leopards of the now defunct Great Central League.

History

Opened in 1940 as Columbian Park Recreational Center, Loeb Stadium had a capacity of 3,500 people. From 1943 until 1945, the stadium hosted Spring Training for Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians when teams were forced to hold their training closer to their home cities due to restrictions in place as a result of the United States' participation in World War II. At that time, the stadium was home to a Class A affiliate of the Indians. It also hosted the minor league Lafayette Red Sox, a founding franchise of the Midwest League in 1956. In 1957, the Red Sox moved to Waterloo, Iowa, and later to Lansing, Michigan, where they are known today as the Lansing Lugnuts. In amateur baseball, it was home to the Colt League Baseball World Series 48 out of 49 years (1969-1971 and 1973-2017) until the event moved to

Rent One Park Rent One Park is a stadium in Marion, Illinois that was completed in 2007. It is primarily used for baseball and was previously the home of the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier League from 2007–2021. The stadium has a contemporary, ...

in Marion, Illinois in 2018. The

Jefferson High School This is a list of memorials to Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States and the author of the United States Declaration of Independence. Buildings Elementary schools *Jefferson Elementary School, in Cammack Village, Arkansas *Thoma ...

Bronchos use the stadium for their home games, competing in games sanctioned by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA). It has hosted the IHSAA baseball state finals four times, most recently in 2005. For the 2016 season, the Jamestown Jammers moved to Lafayette and began play in the Prospect League as the Aviators.

Replacement

At the conclusion of the 2019 Prospect League season, the stadium was closed and demolished to make way for a new stadium that is scheduled to open in early 2021. During that time, the Aviators were supposed to play at Purdue University's Alexander Field; however, their 2020 season was suspended when Purdue closed their athletic facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, estimated to cost approximately $17 million, will see the stadium's configuration flipped, placing home plate in what is currently center field. The current seating area will be removed and be made part of Columbian Park surrounding the stadium. New suites and outdoor group seating areas will be added. The stadium's grass playing surface will be replaced with a synthetic turf, which will allow the facility to host additional types of events, and the seating capacity will decrease to 2,500 from its current 3,500. Additionally, the playing surface will be lowered by seven feet, allowing for improved sightlines from all stadium seats. The project will be paid for using economic development income tax (EDIT) rather than property taxes.

References

Buildings and structures in Lafayette, Indiana Baseball venues in Indiana High school baseball venues in the United States 1940 establishments in Indiana 2019 disestablishments in Indiana Sports venues completed in 1940 Sports venues demolished in 2019 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League Defunct Midwest League ballparks Defunct baseball venues in the United States {{Indiana-baseball-venue-stub