Daniel S. Frawley Stadium

Daniel S. Frawley Stadium
Judy Johnson Field
Former names	Legends Stadium
Location	801 Shipyard Drive Wilmington, Delaware
Broke ground	November 1, 1992
Opened	April 16, 1993
Owner	Delaware Stadium Corporation
Operator	Delaware Stadium Corporation
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$6,100,000 ($9.69 million in 2013 dollars)
Architect	The Design Exchange, Wilmington, DE
General contractor	Minker Construction Company
Capacity	6,532
Field dimensions	Right Field – 325 feet Center Field – 400 feet Left Field – 325 feet
Tenants
Wilmington Blue Rocks (1993–present) AEC Tournament (1995, 1997–2001) Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame

Daniel S. Frawley Stadium is a stadium in Wilmington, Delaware. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball team. The park was originally known as Legends Stadium when it was built in 1993. It was renamed in 1994 for Wilmington mayor Daniel S. Frawley, who had pushed for a return of the Blue Rocks. The field is named separately for Judy Johnson, a local Negro league baseball star.

History

The stadium was designed by architect Trish England, head of Design Exchange, who had previously designed dozens of commercial buildings in Delaware. Construction began on November 1, 1992 and was headed by contractor Matthew Minker, a part owner of the team. The 20-acre (81,000 m²) stadium site was once part of a Christina River shipbuilding operation. In 1986, the 86-acre (350,000 m²) Dravo Shipyard, with several buildings, was bought by Verino Pettinaro, a local contractor, for a little more than $1 million. Mr. Pettinaro sold 6 acres (24,000 m²) for the stadium to the Delaware Stadium Corporation for $300,000. The Delaware Stadium Corporation, a city and state entity, has owned the stadium since its construction.

Amenities

The stadium seats 6,532 people. The Blue Rocks have a picnic area in the stadium named the Blue Moose Grill and a gift shop, The Quarry. A formerly abandoned building across the street has been renovated to be similar to Camden Yards. The facility is administered by the Delaware Stadium Corporation.

Other uses

In 1995 and from 1997–2001, stadium hosted the America East Conference Baseball Tournament. The hosting Delaware Blue Hens won the tournament in each year except for 1997.

The Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame has exhibit space through an entrance on the outside of the stadium. The stadium has also held many concerts, including the Beach Boys, the Steve Miller Band, and recently the Round the Bases Tour, which featured Counting Crows, Live (band), and Collective Soul. Starting in 2008, the Delaware Indo-American festival was held at the site.

Further reading

• Joe Berkery (1993-04-05). "Field of Dreams a Nostalgic Ballpark and New Team for Wilmington". Philadelphia Daily News. p. B14. 

External links

• Official Team website
• Delaware Stadium Corporation website
• Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame website
• Judy Johnson Field at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium Views – Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues
• Ballparkreviews.com entry