JOHN F. KENNEDY STADIUM (FORMERLY PHILADELPHIA MUNICIPAL STADIUM, SESQUICENTENNIAL STADIUM)

John F. Kennedy Stadium, formerly Philadelphia Municipal Stadium and Sesquicentennial Stadium, was an open-air stadium in Philadelphia that stood from 1926 to 1992. It was located at the east side of the far southern end of Broad Street, as part of the Sesquicentennial, at a location which is now part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. It was designed by the architectural firm of Simon & Simon in a classic 1920s horseshoe shape resembling Harvard Stadium, which was built in 1903. On September 23, 1926, an announced crowd of 120,557 packed the then-new Stadium during a rainstorm to witness Gene Tunney capture the world heavyweight boxing title from Jack Dempsey. Undefeated Rocky Marciano knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott at the stadium on September 23, 1952, to win boxing's heavyweight championship. It was demolished on September 23, 1992 after being condemned due to the stadium being structurally unsafe as well as potential fire hazard, renovations and repairs were rejected due to exceedingly high costs. Xfinity Mobile Arena now stands on the site. The arena is part of the Sports Complex that also includes Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park.