Arboretum once site of Little 500, football

The green space on 10th Street known as the Arboretum was once the site of the original Memorial Stadium, a structure that housed both football games and the annual Little 500 bike race. \nMemorial Stadium was first conceived in 1921 when funding for the massive stadium began, according to the 1976 July/August issue of IUB Campus. Costing approximately $250,000 and requiring two years of work from 200 men, Memorial Stadium was dedicated Nov. 21, 1925. The road to the dedication, however, was not a smooth one, as building problems and constructional ineptitude led to the eventual need to tear down almost the entire structure and rebuild.\nThe stadium was named for the 2,800 IU students who served, and 52 who died, in the First World War.\nIU's first homecoming game was played in Memorial Stadium the day of its dedication and ignited what would become the 'Old Oaken Bucket' rivalry between IU and Purdue. Though the game ended in a tie, the day was considered historic because it also marked the first radio broadcast of an IU football game.\nIn 1980 the almost 60-year-old structure had finally deteriorated beyond repair, according to Nov/Dec 1982 issue of The Indiana Alumni. \nFifty thousand dollars was required to make the stadium safe for the last Little 500 race to be held on 10th Street on April 26, 1980, according to an April 1980 Indiana Daily Student article. Many people didn't want to see the old stadium go because of its great historical and sentimental value, but it was determined that rehabilitation would be too costly. \nPhillip Summers, professor of psychology, remembers the old stadium and Little 500 from his time as a student from 1957-1960. \n"(Little 500) was always very exciting, though on a much smaller scale back then, of course," he said. "But the feelings were still there." \nSummers said he remembers the demolition of 10th Street Memorial Stadium and the relocation to 17th Street.\n"It seemed to be the natural evolution and redevelopment of the campus," he said. "When I was a student, 10th Street was the farthest border of campus, but now the University had to accommodate the growing student population." \nPrior to its destruction, portions of the seats at the 50-yard line were salvaged and engraved to be used as mementos of the historical landmark, according to an interdepartmental communication at the IU archives. \nThe demolition began in 1982, according to a September 1982 IDS article. Several parts of the old stadium -- two stone towers, a wrought iron fence and three ticket booths -- were preserved and are still present today. \nAs for what would happen to the land the stadium once occupied, many different options were considered. According to interdepartmental memos from the IU archives, suggestions included a surface parking lot or another building. It was former IU President John Ryan, however, who suggested during his May 1982 commencement speech that an arboretum be built as a tribute to the woodland beauty of the campus.