During the 1800s, Cornell athletic teams played on Percy Field, located where Ithaca High School now stands. As the university and town grew, the need for a larger, dedicated stadium on campus became apparent. Following the death of former Cornell football player and head football coachHenry Schoellkopf in 1912, his close friend, Willard Straight, donated $100,000 to construct the Schoellkopf Memorial Hall in honor of Henry Schoellkopf. The building was completed in 1913. In response to Straight's generous gift, members of the Schoellkopf family and the Zeta Psi Fraternity donated $70,000 for the construction of Schoellkopf Field in honor of the Schoellkopf family patriarch, Jacob Schoellkopf, Schoellkopf Field was completed in 1915. The opening ceremony for Schoellkopf field took place on Saturday, October 9, 1915, in which an estimated 6,000 people marched in a procession led by university president Jacob Gould Schurman from Goldwin Smith Hall to the new stadium. It was said to be the largest gathering in Ithaca at the time. In 1920, a flood searchlight system was installed by General Electric. The system was intended to allow for play in the fall and winter months, without causing glare in the players' eyes.
Increased capacity
Schoellkopf's original capacity when it was completed was about 9,000, but it has been expanded and changed many times over the years. In 1924, the newly completed "Crescent" replaced the original stands on the east side of the field, increasing seating to about 21,500. In 1947, the stadium's capacity was again increased, this time to a capacity of 25,597, with the construction of permanent steel bleachers on the west side of the field. In 1971, the surface of the field was converted to "Polyturf", an artificial turf. The field has had its turf replaced by a newer type of turf in 1979, 1988, 1999, and, most recently, in 2008.
Later renovations
1986 saw a $3.6 million renovation, including the construction of a press box on the west side. The press box won an award in 1990 from the Sports Writer's Association of America. New light fixtures were installed in 1986 to allow for televised games at night. During the summer of 2005, renovations on deteriorating concrete forced the university to close the Crescent, but it reopened in time for the fall football season. The renovated Memorial Hall at the north end of the field opened in 2006, containing improved locker rooms and training facilities. The Hall was expanded with a three-story wing on its east side, with the varsity football locker rooms on the first floor, a Hall of Fame Room on the second floor, and a museum of Cornell football memorabilia on the third floor. Over the summer of 2008, Cornell replaced the artificial turf with a FieldTurf pitch. The west stands, which had been added 1947, were torn down in March 2016 after falling into disuse and disrepair.
