History
Funded by a gift from John D. Archbold, the stadium was begun in 1905 and hosted its first game on September 25, 1907, a 28-0 Syracuse win over Hobart. At completion it was billed as the largest concrete stadium in the country, overtaking Harvard Stadium.
The Orangemen played there for more than seven decades, including the undefeated 1959 national championship season and the Jim Brown era. Tighter fire codes in the 1970s reduced its capacity and ruled out expansion.
The final game, a 20-17 upset of Navy on November 11, 1978, was followed by demolition over the winter of 1978-79. The domed stadium that replaced it opened in 1980 on the same site.
Why it matters: One of the earliest large concrete college football stadiums in the US and Syracuse's home for 72 seasons.
Timeline
- May 1, 1905
Ground was broken for the concrete stadium.
- September 25, 1907
Syracuse beat Hobart 28-0 in the first game at the stadium.
- November 11, 1978
Syracuse upset Navy 20-17 in the last game at Archbold.
- December 1978Demolition begins[3]
Demolition ran from December 1978 to March 1979.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,3] |
|---|---|
| Current use | JMA Wireless Dome (opened 1980 as the Carrier Dome) occupies the former stadium footprint[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Syracuse Orangemen | NCAA · 1907–1978 |
|---|
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Location | Irving Avenue, Syracuse University campus, Syracuse, New York[1] |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Football |
| Level | NCAA |
| Opened | September 25, 1907[1,2,3] |
| Last used for sports | November 11, 1978[1,2,3] |
| Demolished | 1979[1,3] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 30,000[1,3] |
| Final capacity | 26,000[1,3] |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia lists 30,000 original, 26,000 final and a 40,001 maximum after 1950s expansion; the Syracuse University Archives give a range of 20,000 to 40,000. |
| Architect | Frederick W. Revels and Earl Hallenbeck[1,3] |
| Construction cost | About $400,000[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Owner / operator | Syracuse University |
| Closure | Fire-code limits on capacity and expansion led Syracuse to replace it with a domed stadium on the same site. |
Documented details
Sources
- Archbold Stadium, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, teams
- The Legend of Archbold Stadium, Syracuse University Athletics. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, events, opened
- Archbold Stadium, Syracuse University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: architect, capacity, closed, demolished, opened
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (3)
- Capacity figures vary: Wikipedia 30,000 original / 26,000 final; SU Archives 20,000-40,000; cuse.com says designed for about 20,000.
- Architect's surname spelled Hallenback (Wikipedia) vs Hallenbeck (SU Archives).
- Start of construction: Wikipedia says August 1906; SU Archives says August 12, 1905.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.