North Carolina American Legion District 20 Commander Darrell Bonapart (left) and Past District 20 Commander Joe Reale are delighted how the rebuilt American Legion Memorial Stadium is designed to remember its original purpose, as well as its namesake. Photo by Jeff Stoffer

History respected at American Legion Memorial Stadium

Darrell Bonapart grew up in Charlotte, N.C., but never knew the story behind what he always had called “Memorial Stadium.” He thought it had something to do with the hospital. The seats were concrete, and deteriorated. The field was natural grass, in rough shape. A rock wall encircled the playing surface. It had been home to hundreds of sports events, concerts, festivals, presidential addresses and even pro wrestling matches since President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated it in 1936. But by the 2010s, “it was in bad shape,” said Bonapart, a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Army who fought in Iraq, was wounded, medically discharged and joined The American Legion after he got out.

He took great interest in the fact that the facility was, in fact, American Legion Memorial Stadium, built in tribute to those from Mecklenburg County who had fought and died in World War I. The site was the home of American Legion Post 9 in Charlotte, but only a small sign inside the stadium, which in its heyday seated 17,000, indicated it had anything to do with the veterans organization he had joined and soon helped lead.

Water damage to the concrete stands and other areas of the facility led the Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Department to undertake a near-complete replacement that would cost more than $35 million. The county worked with The American Legion to respect the stadium’s history and identity as a veterans memorial. Today, a massive sign at the front entrance leaves no doubt that this is AMERICAN LEGION MEMORIAL STADIUM.

Behind the sign is a set of 3-D laser-cut steel relief panels that feature the faces of military men and women who eerily follow passersby, adjacent to Central Piedmont Community College. The panel – produced by artists Simon Donovan and Ben Olmstead and titled “Tribute” – is a source of pride for American Legion Past District 20 Commander Joe Reale, who was involved throughout the reconstruction process. “We looked at a number of artists, and when I saw this example, I got up and made my plea. I guess I was very passionate that day. I am very proud of that. This will be here, hopefully, forever, where I won’t.”

He remains awestruck by the panel set. “To me, it’s live. It’s breathing. It’s 3-dimensional. Every time you look at it, depending on your angle, you get so see something different.”

Bonapart and Reale worked together on the project, and gave high praise for the Parks and Recreation Department for its attention to the stadium’s origins. The process lasted from 2016 through its July 2021 dedication, attended by hundreds of American Legion members, as well as state and local dignitaries. The buildings, stands, scoreboard and field turf – now artificial – are all brand-spanking new, but the original meaning of the stadium is respected in all of its elements. And everywhere glow the words “American Legion Memorial Stadium.” Charlotte’s professional soccer team plays home matches there; it is also the site of high school football championships and home to other special events throughout the year.

Bonapart and Reale want Legionnaires from across the country to visit American Legion Memorial Stadium during the 104th American Legion National Convention this week in Charlotte, or anytime they may be visiting Charlotte.

While most everything else is replaced, still standing from the original facility is the rock wall that encircles the field. “Keeping the original wall made it so that it didn’t lose its historical (value),” says Bonapart, now District 20 commander. “It’s definitely a historical monument … The inside looks pretty much the way it did in the ‘30s.”

In a statement about the rebuilt stadium posted on Charlotte’s Partners for Parks website, Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation official Bert Lynn references the stadium’s American Legion connection, which continues today.

“It’s in recognition of the work The American Legion does after conflicts, after our veterans come home and acclimate to life,” Lynn said. “It was absolutely important. It was actually part of the contract with the county commission that this would always remain American Legion Memorial Stadium.”

Bonapart adds that the view of Charlotte’s skyline from inside the stadium “is breathtaking … We just want people to know that it’s here, to come and see the American Legion Memorial Stadium and use it. We don’t want it to fall into the same shape it was in 2016.”