Worker James Ford, of Ballard Reuse, pulls up bleacher boards at the former Edmonds High School stadium at Civic Field on Tuesday in Edmonds. The removal makes way for development of a park at the eight-acre site. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Worker James Ford, of Ballard Reuse, pulls up bleacher boards at the former Edmonds High School stadium at Civic Field on Tuesday in Edmonds. The removal makes way for development of a park at the eight-acre site. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Next on the schedule for Edmonds stadium: demolition

The facility built in 1937 will be removed to make way for a new city park.

EDMONDS — Greg Bergere, a 1958 graduate of Edmonds High School, was a member of the school’s track team competing in the 440-yard dash and the javelin throw.

His years were split between the “old” Edmonds High School, now the Edmonds Center for the Arts, and its replacement on 212th Street SW.

He has vivid memories of the old high school’s stadium. “We played football and track on that field,” he said.

The old stadium, most recently used as a viewpoint for watching the city’s Fourth of July fireworks and a place to jog and walk its track, opened in October 1937.

Bergere, 77, said that as a child he played flag football some evenings on the stadium’s field. He also watched his cousin, a member of a semi-pro football team, the Seattle Ramblers, play some of their games there in the early 1960s.

But its standing as a historical landmark will soon end. The stadium is being demolished to make way for the city’s new 8-acre Civic Park.

The city had hoped to salvage and recycle the wood from the stadium’s bleachers and use a portion of it in the new park.

But when the recycling company, Ballard Reuse, began examining the wood in the bleachers earlier this week, “most of the boards they popped were bug damaged,” said Carrie Hite, the city’s parks, recreation and cultural services director.

The company told the city: “We don’t think it’s reusable.”

The city is checking to see if the damaged wood can be chipped up rather than taken to a landfill.

Stadium demolition, by Construction Group International, is scheduled to begin Monday. The contract is for $63,442.

Once the stadium comes down, a permanent fence will be built along a nearby alley and the construction fencing will be removed.

Park development probably won’t begin until 2019 or 2020 with projected costs of up to $12 million.

The city leased the nearly 8-acre site surrounding the stadium from the Edmonds School District for nearly 40 years. The property has been used as a park since 1975.

In 2015, the city reached an agreement with the school district to purchase the land near the Boys & Girls Club at 310 Sixth Ave N for $1.9 million.

The Hazel Miller Foundation recently pledged a total of $1.5 million for the project.

And $2 million has been set aside in the city’s 2018 budget.

Development plans call for space for small-to medium-size events and performance, plaza and promenade areas, petanque courts, a picnic area, lawn terraces and a play field.

Even though the land that has been occupied by the stadium will be converted into one of the city’s largest parks, Hite acknowledged that some long-time Edmonds residents probably will be sad to see it go.

Chris Wolfe, 71, accounting manager at the Edmonds Senior Center, remembers going to the stadium with his dad to see Edmonds High School football games in the 1950s when he was in grade school.

The team played in the Northwest League with schools that included Mount Vernon and Anacortes, he said.

He remembers watching Fourth of July fireworks at the stadium. Later, as a middle school student, he and other members of the track team would “sit up in the stands to get out of the rain.”

Every spring it was the same issue at the track. “I can remember the east end of the thing was always mud and it was regularly flooded,” he said.

The stadium is long past its useful life, Wolfe said. “I have no attachment to the stadium. It’s the fact that they will maintain that as a public space that’s really important. It will be great for the public.”

For some, the demolition of the stadium brings back memories of an Edmonds few can now remember.

For Wolfe, it’s the annual trip made by the Seattle Symphony to perform at the old Edmonds High School.

Bergere’s family moved to Edmonds in 1947, when the city had only one traffic signal, a blinking red light.

“There were dirt roads out there,” he said. “My dad cut Walnut Street from Fifth to Third Avenue to build a house on.”

His second-grade class met in the basement of the stadium’s field house, now the Edmonds Boys & Girls Club, while an addition was built to the Frances Anderson grade school.

Bergere, a long-time docent at the Edmonds Historical Museum, said word soon spread there about plans to demolish the stadium. But he wonders if its destruction may be news to others.

“It’s a sad deal,” he said of the stadium demolition. “I know maybe it’s an eyesore. But if you’re historical-minded, it’s an institution.”

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

South County Fire plans push-in ceremony for newest fire engine

Anybody who attends will have the opportunity to help push the engine into the station.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

A car drives past a culvert blocked by grass along 123rd Avenue NE on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Little Pilchuck salmon project gets boost from $4.6M state grant

Washington’s Recreation and Conservation Office announced Tuesday that Snohomish… Continue reading

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Image provided by Snohomish County PUD
The three potential routes for a new transmission line between Maltby and Paradise. Construction is set to begin in 2028.
Snohomish County PUD plans open house to discuss new transmission line

The public utility will discuss three possible routes on July 31 for a new line between Maltby and Paradise.

From left to right, Lynnwood City Council Position 3 candidates Josh Binda, Tyler Hall and Bryce Owings.
Position 3 candidates focus on affordability amid city’s growth

City Council Vice President Josh Binda is seeking a second term against challengers Tyler Hall and Bryce Owings.

Traffic slows as it moves around the bend of northbound I-5 through north Everett on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Paving project will close I-5 lanes in Everett

Crews will close up to 4 lanes overnight for weeks to complete the $8.1 million repairs.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Snohomish man, who trained extremists, sentenced for illegal gun possession

An FBI investigation revealed Benton posted violent extremist content, neo-Nazi propaganda, and anti-Semitic materials on social media.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.