Daniel S. Frawley Stadium

Daniel S. Frawley Stadium is a stadium in Wilmington, Delaware. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball team. The park was originally known as Legends Stadium when it was built in 1993. It was renamed in 1994 for Wilmington mayor Daniel S. Frawley, who had pushed for a return of the Blue Rocks. The field is named separately for Judy Johnson, a local Negro league baseball star.

History

The stadium was designed by architect Trish England, head of Design Exchange, who had previously designed dozens of commercial buildings in Delaware. Construction began on November 1, 1992 and was headed by contractor Matthew Minker, a part owner of the team. Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical systems for the stadium were designed by Richard C. Sokoloski, P.E., who has provided engineering services for most of the commercial buildings along the Wilmington Riverfront. The 20-acre (81,000 m²) stadium site was once part of a Christina River shipbuilding operation. In 1986, the 86-acre (350,000 m²) Dravo Shipyard, with several buildings, was bought by Verino Pettinaro, a local contractor, for a little more than $1 million. Mr. Pettinaro sold 6 acres (24,000 m²) for the stadium to the Delaware Stadium Corporation for $300,000. The Delaware Stadium Corporation, a city and state entity, has owned the stadium since its construction.