Viejas Arena, situated in the former Aztec Bowl stadium in 2005 | |
![]() Interactive map of Aztec Bowl | |
| Location | 5500 Canyon Crest Dr., San Diego,California |
|---|---|
| Owner | San Diego State University |
| Operator | San Diego State University |
| Capacity | 10,000 (1936–1948) 12,592 (1948–1995) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1933 |
| Opened | October 3, 1936; 89 years ago (1936-10-03) |
| Expanded | 1948 |
| Closed | March 1995 |
| Construction cost | $476,863 ($10.9 million in 2024[1]) |
| Tenants | |
| Aztec football (NCAA) (1936–1966) Aztec rugby -men (USA Rugby) (1958–1995) Aztec rugby -women (USA Rugby) (1975–1986) Aztec soccer -men (NCAA) ( –1995) Aztec soccer -women (NCAA) ( –1995) San Diego JawsNASL (1976) | |
Aztec Bowl | |
| Coordinates | 32°46′28″N117°4′29″W / 32.77444°N 117.07472°W /32.77444; -117.07472 |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| Part of | San Diego State College (ID97000924[3]) |
| CHISL No. | 798[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 1994 (1994-05-19) |
| Boundary decrease | September 4, 1997 (1997-09-04) |
| Designated CHISL | September 16, 1964 (1964-09-16)[4] |
| Removed from NRHP | May 30, 2012 |
| Delisted CP | September 4, 1997[5][6] |
Aztec Bowl was an outdoorstadium inSan Diego, California, located on the campus ofSan Diego State University (SDSU). The stadium was the home of theSan Diego State Aztecs football team.
Construction of a 10,000 seat stadium began in 1933 following the first of twoWorks Progress Administration (WPA) grants. 2,592 more seats were added in 1948.
Aztec Bowl hosted theSan Diego State Aztecs football team until they moved toSan Diego Stadium in 1967. The stadium was used for soccer matches and as a musical venue for theSan Diego Symphony, theGrateful Dead in 1969,the Police in 1983 andLollapalooza in 1994.[7]
John F. Kennedy, then thepresident of the United States, gave a commencement address and received the first honorary doctorate given by a California State University at the stadium on June 6, 1963.[8][9][10] Then-mayorPete Wilson's 40th birthday party was held there in 1973.[11]
Viejas Arena, the school's basketball arena, has been sitting on the site of the stadium since 1997. The arena was built directly into the canyon hillside, enclosing one end of Aztec Bowl. Two sections of the stadium's original concrete bleachers and cobblestone walls remain visible.
The stadium was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1994.[12] A request was made to remove the stadium from the National Register of Historic Places,[13] and was removed on May 30, 2012.[14]