History
Built in 1914 for the Panama-California Exposition and dedicated in 1915, the horseshoe stadium in Balboa Park held about 15,000. It hosted San Diego State football, early bowl games, midget auto racing and civic events, including President Wilson's 1919 League of Nations speech and Charles Lindbergh's 1927 homecoming.
The AFL Chargers moved there from Los Angeles in 1961, and an upper deck raised capacity to 34,000; the team hosted three AFL title games before leaving for San Diego Stadium in 1967. The original stadium was torn down in the 1970s and a 3,000-seat stadium opened on the site in 1978.
Why it matters: San Diego's first major stadium and the Chargers' first San Diego home.
Timeline
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2,4] |
|---|---|
| Current use | A rebuilt 3,000-seat Balboa Stadium (1978) used by San Diego High School and local athletics[1] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| San Diego Chargers | AFL/NFL · 1961–1966 |
|---|---|
| San Diego State Aztecs | NCAA · 1921–1935 · tenant |
| San Diego Toros | NASL · 1968 · tenant |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | City Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | 1405 Park Boulevard, Balboa Park, San Diego, California[1] |
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Football, Motorsports, Soccer, Track & field |
| Level | AFL, NCAA, NASL |
| Opened | May 31, 1915[1,2,4] |
| Last used for sports | 1966[2] |
| Demolished | 1970–1979[1,2,4] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 15,000[1,2,3,4] |
| Final capacity | 34,000[1,2,3,4] |
| Capacity notes | 15,000 (1914); 23,000 (1960); 34,000 (1961-66) after an upper deck was added. |
| Architect | Quayle Brothers[1] |
| Owner / operator | City of San Diego |
| Closure | The Chargers left for the larger San Diego Stadium in 1967; the aging original was later demolished. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- Balboa Stadium, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, teams
- Balboa Stadium, San Diego Past (Substack). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, closed, demolished, opened, teams
- Balboa Stadium, American Football Database (Fandom). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, coordinates, teams
- 1914 Balboa Stadium, City of San Diego Digital Archives. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, demolished, opened, teams
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- No source gives an exact demolition year for the original stadium, only 'the 1970s'.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.