Aztec Bowl (stadium)

History

Construction of a 10,000 seat stadium began in 1933 following the first of two Works Progress Administration (WPA) grants. 2,592 more seats were added in 1948.

Aztec Bowl hosted the San Diego State Aztecs football team until they moved to San Diego Stadium in 1967. The stadium was used for soccer matches and as a musical venue for the San Diego Symphony, the Grateful Dead in 1969, the Police in 1983 and Lollapalooza in 1994.

John F. Kennedy, then the president of the United States, gave a commencement address and received the first honorary doctorate given by a California State University at the stadium on June 6, 1963. Then-mayor Pete Wilson's 40th birthday party was held there in 1973.

Viejas Arena, the school's basketball arena, has been sitting on the site of the stadium since 1997. The arena was built directly into the canyon hillside, enclosing one end of Aztec Bowl. Two sections of the stadium's original concrete bleachers and cobblestone walls remain visible.

The stadium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. A request was made to remove the stadium from the National Register of Historic Places, and was removed on May 30, 2012.

References

References

1. {{NRISref
2. "CHL # 798 San Diego State College San Diego".
3. {{NRISref. 2009a
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5. "Alvarado Trunk Sewer. Phase IV Project".
6. "''SDSU Library'', Aztec Bowl: History of San Diego State University (accessed Jan. 16, 2009)".
7. Geraghty, Coleen L.. (2003-05-12). "Forty Years Later, the Magic of JFK Lingers on the Mesa".
8. "President John F. Kennedy's 1963 Commencement Speech at San Diego State".
9. (2012-06-16). "President John F. Kennedy's 1963 Commencement Speech at San Diego State".
10. (2011-10-02). "Aztec Bowl's glory resurfacing".
11. "Historic Buildings of San Diego State University". San Diego State University.
12. (April 21, 2012). "Pending (Not Yet Acted Upon) List". [[National Park Service]].
13. "Aztec Bowl - San Diego State University".