History
A $2.5 million bond levy approved in 1928 paid for most of the stadium on the Lake Erie shore, which was dedicated in July 1931. It seated about 78,000 for baseball, but the Indians split home dates with the older League Park until after the 1946 season.
The Browns arrived in 1946 and won NFL championships there in 1950, 1954 and 1964. The stadium also staged the Rams' 1945 NFL title game, Notre Dame-Navy matchups, a 1966 Beatles concert and a 1977 Pink Floyd show that drew more than 83,000.
The Indians left after the 1993 season for Jacobs Field. The Browns played their final home game in December 1995 before Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore, and demolition began in November 1996. Huntington Bank Field, first called Cleveland Browns Stadium, opened on the site in 1999 for the reactivated Browns.
Why it matters: For six decades it was the shared home of Cleveland's baseball and football teams and the setting for some of the city's best-known sports moments.
Timeline
- July 1, 1931Stadium dedicated[1]
The city-built lakefront stadium was dedicated; a boxing match on July 3, 1931 was its first event.
- July 31, 1932
The Indians lost 1-0 to Philadelphia in their first game at the stadium.
- October 10, 1948Record World Series crowd[1]
Game 5 of the 1948 World Series drew 86,288 spectators.
- June 4, 1974Ten Cent Beer Night[1]
A discount-beer promotion ended in a forfeited game.
- October 3, 1993
The Indians lost 4-0 to the Chicago White Sox in their last game before moving to Jacobs Field.
- December 17, 1995
The Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-10 in their last game before the franchise moved to Baltimore.
- November 1996
Demolition started in November 1996; Wikipedia's timeline gives completion as March 1, 1997.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Huntington Bank Field (opened 1999 as Cleveland Browns Stadium) occupies the same lakefront site[1,2] |
| Surviving remnants | About 15,000 short tons of demolition debris were dumped into Lake Erie to form three artificial reefs (off-site, not on the stadium site)[1] |
| Built on the site | Huntington Bank Field (Built on the same site; opened 1999 as Cleveland Browns Stadium) |
| Mapped location | Approximate historic location |
Teams & events
| Cleveland Indians | American League · 1932–1993 |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Rams | NFL · 1936–1945 |
| Cleveland Browns | AAFC / NFL · 1946–1995 |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Official name | Cleveland Stadium |
|---|---|
| Other names | Municipal Stadium; Cleveland Stadium |
| Location | 1085 West 3rd Street, on the Lake Erie lakefront north of downtown Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio[2] |
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Baseball, Football, Boxing & wrestling |
| Level | MLB, NFL, AAFC, NCAA |
| Opened | July 1, 1931[1,2,3] |
| Last used for sports | December 17, 1995[1,3,4] |
| Demolished | November 1996 – March 1997[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 78,000[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 74,400[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia gives an original baseball capacity of about 78,000, over 74,000 in final years and about 80,000 for football; Ballparks of Baseball lists 78,000 original and 74,400 final. World Series Game 5 on 1948-10-10 drew 86,288. |
| Architect | Walker and Weeks; Osborn Engineering Company[1] |
| Construction cost | $2.5 million bond levy (1928), overrun by about $500,000 per Wikipedia[1] |
| Surface | Grass[2] |
| Owner / operator | City of Cleveland (owner); Art Modell's Stadium Corporation held a 25-year operating lease from 1973[1] |
| Closure | The Indians moved to Jacobs Field in 1994 and the original Browns franchise relocated to Baltimore after 1995; the city demolished the stadium to build a new football stadium on the site. |
Documented details
Connected venues
- Now on the site: Huntington Bank Field · Built on the same site; opened 1999 as Cleveland Browns Stadium1999–present
- Replaced by: Progressive Field · Indians moved to Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in 19941994–present
- Replacement for: League Park · The Indians moved fully to Cleveland Stadium after 1946 (per Wikipedia). Cleveland Stadium is defunct and listed as a research candidate.1891–1946
Sources
- Cleveland Stadium, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, current land use, demolished, events, opened, owner operator, remnants, teams
- Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Ballparks of Baseball. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, surface
- Top Moments No. 30: Browns win final game at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland Browns. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, opened
- Browns give Cleveland fans a win in finale, Deseret News. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed
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)
- Opening: Wikipedia gives dedication on 1931-07-01 (first event a boxing match 1931-07-03); Ballparks of Baseball's facts list 1932-07-31 (first Indians game) while its own text says completed July 1931.
- Demolition completion: Wikipedia timeline says 1997-03-01; its body text says 'early 1997'.
- Wikipedia gives dates for Red Right 88 and The Drive that differ between its timeline and body text.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.