Pitches on the Prairie Ep 3 - Kuppenheimer Stadium

Part 1 - Historic Details

Kuppenheimer Stadium

LOCATION: Chicago’s North Lawndale Community, between 18th Street and 19th Street (North/South) on Keeler Ave, just north of K-Town Historic District (1-3, Sanborn Map, Aerials)

Shirt:  “Trans People Belong” in Soccer/Sports

Soccer had been played in the Kuppenheimer Stadium area from at least 1904 when the White Star Rangers played matches at 18th and Keeler in the Chicago Football Association league. Included on the Rangers roster in that 1904 season was Albert Shallcross, an immigrant from England and a mainstay of the Chicago soccer scene for more than 4 decades. We’ll be talking a lot more about Albert Shallcross when we cover Pullman’s extensive soccer history (4).

The primarily British immigrant White Star team did not last long, and soccer seemed to take a hiatus at the field until 1914 when Slavia played games at 18th and Keeler. Slavia, previously known as the Bohemian Sporting Club were a Czech aggregation and the fact that they called the area their local ground, highlights the makeup of the immigrant community on the west side of North Lawndale in the early 1900’s.

In 1920, B. Kuppenheimer & Co. purchased the land where they would build their clothing factory and sports stadium, but it would take more than a decade to complete the project. As construction on the factory at 4101 W.  18th St was taking place, sport was happening in the area as well. The Roosevelt Athletic Club started playing there in 1925 and their rebranded Hakoah (which means “strength” in Hebrew) team in 1927, highlighting the importance of Jewish sport in the space.

As professional soccer in Chicago was finding its footing, numerous clubs began paying their players, including the Maccabees Athletic Club team (5). While initially a Jewish club, Maccabees did not limit their players to the Jewish community. The 1936 Peel Cup winners recruited heavily from the Scottish diaspora to help win games and had long-time Chicago Bricklayers player, Clem Cuthbert (6) on the field and on the sidelines as head coach. 

CREDITS:

1-Vienna Hakoah Collection

2-1950 Sanborn Map, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Sanborn Map Company

3-1938 Aerial Photo of North Lawndale

4-Shallcross, Chicago Tribune 20 Dec 1908 p. 16

5-Maccabees Team Photo 29-30, Hap Meyer Collection Southern Illinois Edwardsville

6-Game Program Maccabees, Carbon Hill Museum, Dick Vidano Collection

Coming soon: North Lawndale Community History

Coming Soon: Historic Soccer Matches at Kuppenheimer Stadium