History
Built in the early 1920s, the stadium had about 8,000 bleacher seats and locker-room sheds outside its fence. It hosted semi-pro baseball in summer and was home to the Stapletons, who played four NFL seasons there behind star Ken Strong.
Average crowds were around 3,000. The stadium was demolished in 1958, and the Stapleton Houses and a public school were built on the site.
Why it matters: Staten Island's only NFL venue.
Timeline
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Stapleton Houses and Intermediate School 49[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Staten Island Stapletons | NFL · 1929–1932 |
|---|
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 | Thompson's Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Tompkins Avenue, Stapleton, Staten Island (New York City), New York[2] |
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Football, Baseball |
| Level | NFL |
| Opened | c. 1920[1] |
| Last used for sports | 1933[1] |
| Demolished | 1958[1] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Final capacity | 8,000[1] |
| Owner / operator | Owner of Thompson's Lumber Company |
| Closure | The Stapletons left the NFL after 1932; the stadium was later cleared for housing. |
Documented details
- Fans who didn't buy tickets watched from a hill behind the south end zone.[1]
Sources
- Thompson Stadium (Staten Island), Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, teams
- Harrison Street, Stapleton, Forgotten New York. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, current land use, 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)
- Wikipedia lists the Stapletons as NFL tenants 1924-1933; Forgotten New York says they played in the NFL 1929-1932. The NFL years are used here.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.