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BAKER ATHLETICS COMPLEX
DIRECTIONS | BAKER ATHLETIC COMPLEX MAP (PDF) | COMMUNITY INFORMATION
QUICK FACTS
Official Name: Baker Athletics Complex
Date Opened: 1923
Size: 21 acres bordering the Hudson and Harlem Rivers to the north and west, 218th Street on the south and Broadway Avenue to the east
Location: Inwood-Manhattan, New York City
Land Bought For: $700,000 on December 31, 1921
Named For: George H. Baker
Address: 505 West 218th Street, New York, N.Y. 10034
First Sporting Event: Football Game, September 29, 1923, vs. Ursinus
THE COMPLEX
For nearly 100 years, Baker Athletics Complex has served as Columbia University’s athletics and recreational facility for Columbia's outdoor varsity sports and recreational programs. A 21-acre complex at the northernmost tip of Manhattan, Baker is utilized by 14 intercollegiate teams (seven women's teams and seven men's teams) and is the venue for practice and intercollegiate competitions for nine varsity sports.
Located at the corner of the 218th Street and Broadway Avenue site contains Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium (football and women's lacrosse), Chrystie Field House, The Gould-Remmer Boathouse, 1923 Boathouse and other rowing facilities, Rocco Commisso Soccer Stadium, Columbia Softball Stadium, Robertson Field at Satow Stadium (baseball), Columbia Field Hockey Stadium, The Dick Savitt Tennis Center, and the Campbell Sports Center, which opened in 2012. The Bubble at Baker Indoor Practice Facility is in use during the winter months between December through March.
Columbia University has been a proud part of Inwood since 1921 and looks forward to continuing a close working relationship with the community.
The original 26-acre Baker Field was purchased for the university by financier George H. Baker for $700,000 on December 31, 1921. It was dedicated the following April, but it was not until 1923 that the Columbia football team began playing there. A 32,000-seat wooden stadium was built on the site in 1928; this was in use until 1982, when it was demolished to make room for the current 17,000-seat Lawrence A. Wien Stadium.
Baker was a financier who was known as the “Dean of American Banking.” He made his fortune after the Civil War in railroads and banking, and at his death he was estimated to be the third richest man in the United States.
In 1984, Columbia sold off five acres on the northeast corner of the property to Presbyterian Hospital, which constructed the Allen Pavilion, a 300-bed community hospital that opened in 1988. In return for the property, Columbia received 1.5 acres of property across Broadway from Baker, along with funding for the west stands, lighting and artificial turf at the new Lawrence A. Wien Stadium, a new track, soccer stadium and baseball field renovations.
BAKER ATHLETICS COMPLEX AMENITIES
Campbell Sports Center
- Five-story, 48,000-square foot building housing Columbia’s outdoor sports
- Administrative offices for Columbia’s football, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s lacrosse and field hockey programs
- State-of-the-art strength and conditioning center
- Ruzika Classroom and Lecture Hall: two-level auditorium with seating for 175
- Milstein Pavilion: banquet and event facility with kitchen
- Student-Athlete Study Lounge
- Student-Athlete Lounge
- Four theater-style conference rooms with the latest state-of-the-art video technology
- Three Hospitality Suites
Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
- Competition home to Columbia’s football and women’s lacrosse teams
- New Field Turf installed in 2015
- 17,000 chairback and bleacher seats
- Outstanding view of the Hudson and Harlem Rivers
- 400-meter all-weather, eight-lane track
- Configurable for other sports including soccer, track and field, and other activities.
- Scoreboard featuring hi-def videoboard, installed in 2009
- Elevator access Press Box with two levels for media/television (third floor) and Maniatty Remer Lounge for alumni functions (second floor)
- Two full-service concessions locations
- Full-service ticket operation
- Plentiful restrooms
- Roof for television cameras
Bubble at Baker Indoor Practice Facility
- Winter practice home for football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, baseball, softball, field hockey, and lacrosse
- New Field Turf Revolution 360 installed in 2017
- Air supported structure over Rocco Commisso Soccer Stadium
- 92,000 square feet of practice space
- Heated structure
- Winter practice facility during cold-weather months (December through March)
Chrystie Field House
- Locker rooms for football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, field hockey, women’s lacrosse, baseball, and softball
- Visitors’ Locker Rooms
- Full-service Athletic Training Room
- Team meeting room and media room
- Full-service Equipment Room
- Administrative Offices
- Elevator access
- Facility maintenance headquarters
Rocco Commisso Soccer Stadium
- Competition home for Columbia men’s and women’s soccer teams
- New Field Turf Revolution 360 installed in 2017
- Stadium lighting for night matches
- Daktronics scoreboard and videoboard
- Press Box
- Heated, air-supported structure over Rocco Commisso Soccer Stadium in the winter months (December-March)
- 92,000-square foot practice facility from winter months December through March
Robertson Field at Satow Stadium
- Competition home for Columbia baseball team
- Brand-new Field Turf Revolution 360 installed in 2018
- Batting Cages beyond left field wall
- Upgraded dugouts
- Stadium-style seating
- Daktronics scoreboard and videoboard
- Extended Press Box
Columbia Softball Stadium
- Competition home for Columbia softball team
- Field Turf installed in 2010
- Batting Cages beyond first base stands
- Upgraded dugouts
- Bleacher seating
- Daktronics scoreboard
Columbia Field Hockey Stadium
- Competition home for Columbia field hockey team
- State-of-the-art synthetic polypropylene surface installed in 2005
- Stadium lighting for night games
- Press Box at midfield
- State-of-the-art sprinkler and drainage system
- Bleacher seating
- Daktronics scoreboard
Dick Savitt Tennis Center
- Competition home for Columbia’s men’s and women’s tennis programs
- Six regulation courts
- Heated indoor facility covered by a state-of-the-art air dome
- State-of-the-art surface
- Beautiful lighting system
- Bleacher seating
- Video recording system on each court
- Scoreboards on each court
- Clubhouse featuring men’s and women’s locker rooms, offices, workout room, and entrance lounge
Boathouses
- Home for Columbia’s heavyweight, lightweight and women’s rowing teams
- Three 21x76-foot storage bays in shell house
- 2,000-square foot aerobic training room
- Upper level includes an erg and weight room along with beautiful area overlooking the water
- Locker room
