Loeb Stadium was a stadium in Columbian Park in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

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. It was primarily used for

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and had most recently been the home of the Lafayette Aviators of the Prospect League. Previously, it was the home of Ohio Valley Redcoats of the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

, 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

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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

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. At that time, the stadium was home to a Class A affiliate of the Indians. It also hosted the minor league

Lafayette Red Sox Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

, a founding franchise of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

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 The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field. The Midwest League came to Lans ...

. 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, n ...

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in 2018. The Jefferson High School Bronchos use the stadium for their home games, competing in games sanctioned by the

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(IHSAA). It has hosted the IHSAA baseball state finals four times, most recently in 2005. For the 2016 season, the

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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 Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

's Alexander Field; however, their 2020 season was suspended when Purdue closed their athletic facilities due to the

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. 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