Bank of the James Stadium

Bank of the James Stadium
Location	Lynchburg, Virginia
Building chronology
Opened	1939
Former names
Merritt Hutchinson Stadium
Tenants
Lynchburg Hillcats
Capacity
4,281

Bank of the James Stadium in Lynchburg, VA, is the home of the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Cleveland Guardians' Low-A Carolina League farm team. It is actually part of a two-stadium complex that hosts baseball in one and grid-based sports like football in the other.

The baseball side also hosted Negro Leagues games in at least the 1940s.

Opened in 1939, the WPA-built complex was designed by New York City-born architect Gavin Hadden. Hadden, whose work was featured in the 1932 Olympics, specialized in collegiate sports facilities. The New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers christened the baseball side, Lynchburg City Stadium, in an April 11, 1940, exhibition game that drew an estimated 7,000. It has at least once since drawn more than 8K - 8,208 on July 4, 2000.

It has hosted various minor league teams in its long history. From 2000 through 2002, it was called Merritt Hutchinson Stadium to honor developer Ann Merritt Hutchison's $1 million donation toward a renovation. After resuming Lynchburg City Stadium, the ballpark prepended "Calvin Falwell Field" in August of 2004 to honor Calvin F. Falwell for seamlessly returning baseball after Lynchburg lost a club amid 1966 racial strife. Falwell served as head of the Lynchburg Baseball Corporation from its founding that year until his 2019 death.

The stadium has had many renovations since its inception. The 1978 facelift included reconstructing the outfield fence, grandstand roof, grandstand screen and adding new lights. In 1981, a clubhouse was added to accommodate both the football and baseball stadiums.

In 2002 plans began for a $6.5-million renovation to Lynchburg City Stadium's concourse with the addition of seat back chairs, and two picnic areas. That renovation also included the addition of two new concession stands, eight luxury boxes, a new press box, arcade room, spacious bathrooms and a state-of-the-art scoreboard. Prior to the 2005 season, six new luxury boxes were added in addition to a state-of-the-art video board in right field.

Appomattox Court House is just 30 minutes from the ballpark.

External links

• City Stadium