Significant dates in the history of Memorial Field

1868: The property that now houses Memorial Field was part of a larger parcel owned by John B. Dunham, a successful New York City piano maker. After Dunham died the land went to his widow. The property was sold in 1873 to Benjamin Fairchild, a former U.S. Congressman and successful real estate developer in Mount Vernon and Pelham. It was later subdivided into a residential neighborhood.

1924: Westchester County map of Mount Vernon shows that Egmont and McClellan avenues used to run straight through from East Fifth Street to the north and down to East Sixth Street, which is present-day East Sandford Boulevard. By 1927, maps would show a new landscape. All of Egmont and more than half of McClellan would be closed between East Fifth and East Sixth, and between Garden and Highland streets. The three-block area had been turned into a city park with grass and trees.

Feb. 11, 1931: Mount Vernon Common Council approves an ordinance officially renaming the park Memorial Field.

Sept. 25, 1933: Future Heavyweight Champion James Braddock fights Abe Feldman at Memorial Field. The boxing match, a benefit for the Mount Vernon Police Department Relief Fund, is an early highlight at the stadium. Braddock, whose career was the subject of the book and movie “Cinderella Man,” broke his right hand in the fight, which was ruled no contest. Two years later, Braddock defeated Max Baer at Madison Square Garden, taking the heavyweight boxing title.

Memorial Field:Athletic complex reopens in Mount Vernon

Nov. 18, 1946: The Mount Vernon Recreation Commission nixes a proposal to operate Memorial Field as a sports center featuring midget auto racing. The decision came six months after the commission rejected a series of pro boxing matches at the field, as the city shunned attempts to turn the field into a fulltime sports facility.

Nov. 23, 1968: The Westchester Bulls, a farm team of the NFL New York Giants, plays their final game at Memorial Field.

Sept. 1, 1975: The Jackson 5 perform at Memorial Field with the band Tavares. The performance remains one of the highlights in the history of the field, which also hosted James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Rich, Jose Feliciano and other notable performers over the years.

May, 1979: Coca-Cola films its iconic “Mean” Joe Greene television commercial at Memorial Field. The commercial featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers football star also starred a 9-year-old actor named Tommy Okon, who now lives in Yonkers.

Oct. 21, 1989: Iona College leaves Memorial Field after completion of Mazzella Field at its New Rochelle campus. The Gaels football team used Memorial Field as their home field for 24 years.

December 1992: Westchester County Executive Andrew O’Rourke says the county may consider buying Memorial Field. . O’Rourke made the proposal official in October 1993, offering to have the county invest $6.1 million and pay an additional $500,000 in annual maintenance costs. Many in the city, however, express concern over the city losing local control of the field. The debate will linger for several years.

Nov. 30, 1993: City officials hire Kenneth Golub, an appraiser with American Property Counselors in Armonk, to determine the value of Memorial Field. Golub is paid $5,000. But the results of Golub’s appraisal were not made public.

May 5, 1994: In an editorial in The Daily Argus, a predecessor of The Journal News, city historian Larry Spruill calls Memorial Field “a worn-out community gem that needs resetting and polish.” But, Spruill adds, “no one from outside of our community can speak for us and what will take place there.” It’s a growing sentiment in the city.

DIRTY SECRETS in Mount Vernon, part 2: Mayor has megaplex plans for Memorial Field

DIRTY SECRETS in Mount Vernon, Part 1: Memorial Field rebirth almost happened

MOUNT VERNON, NY: The latest news in the city

RUINING MOUNT VERNON: A city under siege by its own government

June 17, 1994: County Executive Andrew O’Rourke tells Mount Vernon city leaders he would like a decision on Memorial Field by July 1, 1994. Meanwhile, the wooden bleachers on the visitor’s side of the field are condemned and will eventually be torn down for safety reasons.

Aug. 11, 1994: Mayor Ronald Blackwood appoints a five-member panel to study Memorial Field renovation costs. Blackwood’s announcement comes two days after Ernie Davis, an architect and Westchester County legislator, made the suggestion “to put to rest questions about whether Mount Vernon could do the project itself.”

Aug. 15, 1994: A report by the Mount Vernon public works commissioner finds the city spent $76,864 to maintain Memorial Field over 12 months. It refutes the city’s claim that the cost was more than $100,000. Residents opposed to selling the stadium claim the city inflated the cost to exaggerate the savings to the city if it is sold to Westchester County.

October 1994: Amid growing opposition from residents who fear giving up any control over Memorial Field, a citizens’ committee sanctioned by the City Council submits its report, which offers two ways that the city can restore the field on its own. One is a $3.2 million “bare bones” option, the other a $10 million fully refurbished stadium.

Dec. 16, 1994: The City Council holds an all-day seminar to discuss the future of Memorial Field and the county offer to buy it. The county’s proposal now includes an additional $2 million for a 50-percent ownership stake in the field and a 30-year-lease for adjacent parking lots, with half of the profits from the parking going to the county.

Oct. 30, 1995: Developers Rocky Meli and Stephen Staats, partners in New York City-based Vici Group, meet with Mount Vernon officials to pitch a $70 million, 20,000-seat, glass-enclosed stadium at Memorial Field. The two even said they were in preliminary negotiations with “several” NHL and NBA franchises. The plan goes nowhere.

April 24, 1996: In a unanimous vote, the City Council votes in favor of the county’s offer to invest $6 million in the field and pay the city $500,000 in annual maintenance costs in exchange for a $2 million half-share in the park and income from an adjacent parking lot. However, the vote did not produce a deal with the county.

Aug. 7, 1996: Mayor Ernie Davis meets with County Executive Andy O’Rourke about Memorial Field, with one sticking point: Parking. Davis supported the county plan to buy into Memorial Field when he was in the county legislature. Now mayor, he tells O’Rourke the plan needs 1,000 more parking spaces.

Aug. 12, 1996: Mayor Ernie Davis orders the deteriorating Memorial Field to be padlocked at night.

February 1997: With the city looking for ways to renovate Memorial Field on its own, Mayor Ernie Davis proposes a new parking authority with the ability to issue bonds.

June 1999: Last Mount Vernon High School graduation held at Memorial Field. Graduation ceremonies for the class of 2000 were held at the Westchester County Center.

Feb. 3, 2000: Mayor Ernie Davis announces that he is back in discussions with Westchester County, this time over a 12,000-seat stadium at Memorial Field.

Sept. 11, 2004: Police in riot gear converged on Memorial Field after gunfire breaks out at a football game between Mount Vernon and Roosevelt High School.

Sept. 15, 2007: The Mount Vernon Knights defeat White Plains 25-7 in a Class AA matchup at the team’s new football field at Mount Vernon High School. The game marked the end of an era: It was the first home game in decades that the high school team played away from Memorial Field, which had begun to lapse further into disrepair.

March 26, 2008: Mayor Clinton Young calls for a new Memorial Field.

Nov. 26, 2008: Mount Vernon signs an Inter-Municipal Agreement with Westchester County to renovate Memorial Field. The deal calls for Westchester County to lease the field for 15 years in exchange for $9.7 million to renovate it, with $3.4 million advanced to the city. Mount Vernon is required to contribute an additional $3 million in city money, to be paid, in large part, through three municipal bonds. The city would also be responsible for taking over about four miles of county owned roads. The plan calls for renovation or replacement of most of the stadium. That includes a new synthetic turf football and soccer field, a natural turf soccer field, both with lighting, a 4,000-seat grandstand, an all-weather running track, illuminated basketball courts, and new bathrooms, ticket booths and entrance plaza off Sandford Boulevard.

Jan. 5, 2009: The Westchester County Board of Legislators approves a $1.3 million bond for the design phase of the Memorial Field project. The money is part of the $9.7 million the county committed.

April 13, 2009: City Council approves legislation to seek bids for work at Memorial Field. It is the first major step in the agreement with Westchester County.

Aug. 20, 2009: Mount Vernon City Council approves a $878,600 payment to the engineering firm of Woodard & Curran. The contract with the White Plains-based company is for design work on the reconstruction project. The council later approves two more payments: $140,000 on Feb. 24, 2010, and $278,400 on April 13, 2011, for a total of $1.29 million.

Oct. 28, 2009: City Council votes to authorize $750,000 in municipal bonds for Memorial Field. The measure, which was later approved by the Board of Estimate & Contract, is part of the $12.7 million estimated cost of the Memorial Field project. The legislation says the money is for “design and preliminary costs and all other incidental costs.”

April 27, 2010: SEQR Negative Declaration is filed for the Memorial Field project. The plan calls for demolition and replacement of the grandstand, removal of three of the six tennis courts at the tennis center, removal of the handball courts, a new eight-lane running track, and a new ticket booth, concession stand and entry plaza.

May 10, 2010: The Budget & Appropriations Committee of the Westchester County Board of Legislators votes in favor of an $8.4 million bond for its share of the Memorial Field project. The bond would pay for the balance of the $9.7 million that the county committed to for the project. However, the proposal never goes before the entire Board of Legislators for a vote.

Oct. 13, 2010: City makes first of two payments to Fulbright & Jaworski, the law firm hired to handle the bonds for Memorial Field. The firm is approved for up to $750,000. City records show they received two payments, on this date and Aug. 18, 2011, totaling $4,142.54. Documents not available.

March 23, 2011: Mount Vernon City Council approves two more municipal bonds for Memorial Field. The bonds are for $701,300 and $680,000. According to the resolution, the first bond is for design of visitors’ bleachers, concession stands and ticket booths. The second bond is to pay for field lighting and stanchions and an upgraded scoreboard.

Aug. 23, 2011: City Council approves hiring Avanti Building Construction Corp., the lowest bidder for the redevelopment of Memorial Field. The recommendation comes from the city’s recreation commissioner, and is for up to $1.67 million for “Memorial Field redevelopment and site preparation.”

Aug. 31, 2011: Westchester County officials, including Legislator Lyndon Williams, a former Mount Vernon councilman, hold a press conference at Memorial Field to announce the start of work on the joint city-county project.

Dec. 7, 2011: Avanti Construction receives first two payments from Mount Vernon, totaling $520,600. Avanti was contracted for “Memorial Field Redevelopment site preparation.” There would be an additional seven payments made through Jan. 21, 2014, with Avanti ultimately being paid a total of nearly $1.4 million.

Jan. 31, 2012: Newly returned to office, Mayor Ernie Davis says he told Avanti Construction to stop demolition of the grandstands. HHe said Avanti would be paid for work it had done. However, Avanti received seven more payments over the next two years, totaling another $840,000. But Davis, a lifelong avid tennis player, would spend the next four years re-focusing the Memorial Field project, ignoring the field and grandstands and making the rebuilding and reopening of the tennis center a priority.

Feb. 13, 2013: The City Council votes to bid for “construction of tennis courts at Memorial Field in accordance with attached specifications.” The ordinance is signed by Mayor Ernie Davis the following day, giving the commissioner of recreation permission to request bids.

March 27, 2013: The City Council approves amendment to Woodard & Curran contract, adding $125,000 for design services. It is the third change order on the original contract, and calls for repair and renovation of the existing grandstand, renovation of the bathrooms, repair of concession stands, installation of brick piers and metal vertical fencing to replace cyclone fencing, examination for the use of solar energy for lighting, and additional engineering work. Only $43,607.50 of the contract was ever paid.

April 16, 2013: Board of Estimate & Contract approves contract for Landi Contracting Inc. for masonry and retaining structures at Memorial Field. The contract is for $330,000, but is amended on Nov. 19, 2013 to add another $3,000. There are later two more change orders: $40,000 on July 16, 2014 and $62,125 on Oct. 28, 2014. In all, Landi is approved for $435,125. Through July 14, 2015, the company received seven payments totaling $400,021. However, more than a year later, on Nov. 4, 2016, Landi received an eighth payment of $105,001.88, bringing the overall total to $505,000.

July 10, 2013: City Council approves hiring Fuller & D’Angelo for architectural, structural and engineering work at Memorial Field. The approval is for a $377,925 contract, which is paid out through Dec. 29, 2014. However, the firm is approved for an additional $30,512 under a change order approved Nov. 12, 2014.

Sept. 11, 2013: City Council approves contracts with two firms for work at Memorial Field, for a total of $45,000. DiMarino Brothers Contracting Inc. is approved for $30,000 for “labor and machine work to scarify, remove vegetation and grade track and football field for vehicle and pedestrian traffic.” The engineering firm of Wohl & O’Mara is contracted for $15,000 for surveying work. DiMarino is paid in two payments dated Sept. 20 and 24, 2013. Wohl & O’Mara received three payments on May 30, 2014.

Oct. 23, 2013: City Council approves re-advertising bids for construction of tennis courts at Memorial Field.

April 15, 2014: SEQR Amended Negative Declaration filed for new version of the Memorial Field redevelopment. The new plan, revised by Mayor Ernie Davis, calls for a “substantially reduced” renovation of Memorial Field. It seeks to restore, not replace, the grandstand and increases the amount of space devoted to tennis. It keeps all six tennis courts and adds three more where the handball courts were. The revised plan also reduces the size of running track from eight to six lanes, adds a historical monument area to the entry plaza, and retains the grandstand, albeit with new seating, bathrooms and other amenities.

April 15, 2014: Board of Estimate & Contract awards tennis court contract to Brewster-based Sport-Tech Construction Inc. The contract is for $375,166.

Sept. 17, 2014: Mount Vernon Water Commissioner Anthony Bove, who was put in charge of the Memorial Field renovations by Mayor Ernie Davis, tells Bob Marrone of WVOX radio during a videotaped interview that at least some of the money designated for the Memorial Field renovations was being used to re-build and reopen the tennis center. “Over $2 million,” Bove told Marrone. “Obviously, a little bit of that money, we used some of that money for the foundation (for the tennis courts.). You know, we need product.” Bove also tells Marrone that the entire project “should be done next year.” In a separate interview with Black Westchester magazine in 2014, Bove said the work was being done “with our own resources, with our own manpower.”

Jan. 12, 2015: The state Department of Environmental Conservation conducts its first inspection of Memorial Field. The DEC made three additional visits over the following year. Inspectors later reported that 12,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil had been illegally dumped on the site.

April 14, 2015: Anthony Bove, the city water commissioner in charge of the Memorial Field renovations, arranges to meet an unidentified city employee at Memorial Field, where he asks for a $10,000 bribe. The employee needs Bove to sign off on his request for a promotion and Bove said he would only do so if he was bribed. He asks for $5,000 in advance, then for installments. Although he was never paid, the incident is eventually brought to the attention of federal law enforcement officials, who interview Bove about the allegation on Dec. 7, 2015.

May 6, 2015: Board of Estimate & Contract approves contract for steel framing of tennis center to lowest bidder. Bronx-based Walters & Walters Iron Works Inc. is approved for $345,000 to do the work. Records released by the mayor’s office show that the company is paid a total of $265,500 in three payments between July 23 and Dec. 8, 2015. But records released by the city Comptroller’s Office show an additional payment of $25,200 to Walters & Walters on July 29, 2016, which would bring the total paid to the company to $290,700.

July 14, 2015: Board of Estimate & Contract accepts bid for installation of water and gas service at the tennis center at Memorial Field. Guglielmi Plumbing & Heating Inc., based in Thornwood, gets the contract for “installation of supply and sanitary lines for water and gas service for tennis facility building at Memorial Field.” The contract is not to exceed $132,000. The company received a payment of $63,403 on Oct. 26, 2015, and a second payment of $35,182.30 on Dec. 15, 2016, for a total paid out of $98,585.30. The second payment is described as “sanitary pipe lines.”

Also on this day, the city makes a payment of $29,450 to NAFCO International, a company that provides light poles and fixtures. No documents available.

Nov. 2, 2015: Anthony Pugliese, owner of Sport-Tech Construction, writes to the city that there is not enough room to fit three courts at the tennis center.

Nov. 20, 2015: The state Department of Environmental Conservation files a Notice of Violation against the city regarding Memorial Field. The state cites soil samples taken on Jan. 12, 2015 and Nov. 3, 2015, which show that soil dumped at the field without permits contained coal, ash and slag. There is no determination as to how the 12,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil came to be dumped at the field.

Dec. 31, 2015: As Mayor Ernie Davis leaves office, questions linger about the city’s IMA with Westchester County for Memorial Field. In the coming months, new Mayor Richard Thomas and city Comptroller Maureen Walker increasingly spar over city spending, including over Memorial Field and money spent on the project thus far. However, both generally agree that the $3.4 million advanced by the county was spent, with county officials withholding the remaining $6.3 million called for in the agreement. Both also agree that the city spent about $1.1 million of the $2.25 million that the city bonded.

April 27, 2016: Sport-Tech Construction Inc. sues Mount Vernon, claiming unpaid money for their work on the tennis center. The company claims they were asked to do additional work in the fall of 2015 and completed it. The lawsuit alleges that the city owes Sport-Tech an additional $31,518.30 for their work.

May 2, 2016: Mayor Richard Thomas releases development options for Memorial Field. The mayor proposes three alternatives to reopen the field, ranging from a $14.2 million minimal repair plan to a $31 million plan to refurbish the field and add retail space.

July 8, 2016: Former Water Commissioner Anthony Bove sentenced to federal prison. Bove is sentenced to 15 months in prison for soliciting a $10,000 bribe.

July 14, 2016: City Recreation Commissioner Darren Morton is paid $2,394.67. Payment is described as “reimbursement” by the Comptroller’s Office. No further explanation provided.

Sept. 6, 2016: Mount Vernon-based Gennie May Contracting Inc. is paid $10,250 for installation of exterior walls at Memorial Field. The company receives two additional payments – $10,250 on Dec. 27, 2016 and $1,190 on Dec. 31, 2016 – for a total of $21,690. All of the payments are for work on exterior walls at the field. But according to the New York State Department of State, which lists Richard Smallwood as the company’s owner, Gennie May was dissolved by proclamation on Oct. 26, 2011 and is not an active company in the state.

Dec. 1, 2016: Arcadis of New York, an engineering firm, receives two payments of $34,146.54 and $5,000, for a total of $39,146.54. No description of the work is provided.

Also on this day, the city pays $4,615 to Home Depot for “Memorial Field entrance.” No further description is provided.

Dec. 12, 2016: A state Supreme Court judge grants Sport-Tech’s motion for summary judgment in the company’s lawsuit against Mount Vernon. Justice Lewis Lubell says the company “is entitled to judgment as a matter of law in the amount of $24,451.30,” plus interest. He orders both sides to a settlement conference, But the case is still pending.

Dec. 31, 2016: Mayor Richard Thomas completes his first full year in office, during which the city spent $316,247.69 on Memorial Field, including for pre-existing contracts and $86,710.69 in new contracts or payments authorized after Thomas took office.

March 4, 2017: Mayor Richard Thomas announces the reopening of Memorial Field to the public. The mayor says the Universoul Circus will set up its tent at the field from May 16 through 29, 2017. However, weeks later he reconsiders and moves the circus to Hutchinson Field.

April 3, 2017: The Board of Estimate & Contract signs a DEC consent order acknowledging that contaminated soil was illegally dumped at Memorial Field. The order requires the city to pay a $40,000 fine and begin working on a cleanup plan with the state. The city faced an additional $10,000 fine if it had delayed on signing the consent order.

April 10, 2017: In response to an inquiry from The Journal News/lohud, the DEC says “a site investigation is needed to determine the full nature and extent of the construction and demolition debris” that was dumped at Memorial Field. However, the agency says it “does not make health determinations” regarding the contaminants, has not determined if the contaminated soil needs to be removed from the site, and will have little or no input into who the city eventually hires to remove them it is deemed necessary. It remains unknown how and by whom the contaminated soil was dumped at the field.

May 6, 2017: Mayor Richard Thomas makes a new Memorial Field plan public. Thomas said he envisions a $120 million stadium with 15,000 seats, a retractable dome, underground parking and retail space to make it “an economic driver.” One week later, he says the plan is “flexible” and could expand to 25,000 seats with a movie theater.

May 17, 2017: DEC provides two reports on soil samples taken at Memorial Field in response to a state Freedom of Information Law request from The Journal News/lohud. Officials at the DEC Region 3 office in New Paltz say the reports “are the only records that the Region 3 Division of Materials Management has response to your request.” However, DEC in Albany is reviewing other portions of the FOIL request.

May 22: 2017: DEC officials respond to remaining portions of the FOIL request from The Journal News/lohud by refusing to release dozens of records pertaining to the contaminated soil at Memorial Field. The agency first denies 15 records, citing three statutory variations of attorney-client privilege, and an additional 31 records “as attorney work-product (attorney notes) pursuant to NYS Public Officers law.”

May 28, 2017: Memorial Field opens to the public for the first time in nearly a decade. Mayor Richard Thomas has the grandstand and portions of the field closed off for a “Seafood Festival” hosted by Dazzles restaurant. Patrons are charged $40 a head. The event irks the city council, which wasn’t notified nor assured the field was safe.

July 15, 2017: Mayor Richard Thomas scheduled “Daydreams NYC,” a Caribbean food and music festival, for Memorial Field on this day. It is unclear if the event took place.

July 19, 2017: Mayor Richard Thomas posts a video on his facebook page of a walk-and-talk at Memorial Field. The video, which lasts nearly 9 minutes, shows the mayor walking around the field holding a cup of coffee while he speaks. “As I said, we’re not going to get any help,” he says of repairs to the field. “We’re going to do it ourselves. I meant that literally.” Thomas says the city is currently working “to level the field, clear up a lot of the debris and the rubble,” and calls it “a labor of love.” He says the field will have a track installed and will be ready to open to the public in mid-August.

Early 2018: Thomas administration notifies Kela Tennis Center they must vacate the premises due to the unsafe condition of the grandstand next door.

May 2018: Thomas administration has the grandstands demolished.

June 1, 2018: The tennis bubble is demolished. Within a week, the operator of the tennis center, Kela Simunyola, files a $27 million breach of contract lawsuit against the city.

June 2018: Westchester County Executive George Latimer writes to the city expressing the county’s interest in completing Memorial Field and seeking details on how the earlier county money was spent.

July 2018: City council obtains a restraining order blocking the Thomas administration from any further action at Memorial Field.

February 2020: Latimer announces county plan to rebuild Memorial Field.

August 2020: LandTek is awarded $24.9 million contract to rebuild Memorial Field with a football field, eight-lane track, 3,000-seat grandstand, skate park, tennis court, concession stand and locker rooms.

March 2022: County announces the cost of renovation increased to about $40 million due to supply issues and discovery of additional buried debris and concrete.

Sept 21, 2022: The new Memorial Field will be formally opened.

Sept. 24, 2022: The Mount Vernon High School football team will play at Memorial Field for the first time in 15 years.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Significant dates in the history of Memorial Field