The New York herald., 1922-04-01
LEWISOHN STADIUM
MUST EARN OR ROT
Hylan and Hubert Aroused
Because College Will Take
Share at Ball Games.

Decision by the trustees Of the College
of the City OF New York to let semi
professional baseball teams play In the
Lewisohn stadium on Sunday afternoons
and charge admission OF fifty cents.
20 per cent. of which would go to the
maintaining the stadium. provoked
Mayor Hylan and Murray Hubert. presi-
cent OF the Aldermen. in yesterday 8
meeting of the Board of Estimate.
They objected not 10 Sunday baseball
but TO the exaction OF a fee. Remind
ing the Mayor that the site of the stad-
iun formerly was a public park, Mr..
Hubert said:
What I want TO know Is, what right
have tho trustees Of the college to
charge the people for admission to their
own grounds?"
The answer of the trustees is that the
charter and a resolution of the Board of
Estimate specifically give them that
right. Their supplementary answer is
that the Board of Estimate has consis-
tently refused to appropriate for the up
keep Of the stadium and If somebody
doesn't raise some money pretty soon
there won't be any stadium.
Adolph Lewisohn's responsibility for
the stadium ended when he gave about
s25o,0Oo to build it 1t Is made of con.
crete. and in this climate such a struc-
ture Is bound to crack and crumble in
places. Yale. Harvard and Princeton
have to spend between $4,000 and S15.0 .0oC
. year to keep their coliseums in repair.
But City College hasn't had a cent TO
spend on the Lewisohn stadium since II
was built, seven years ago.
Its requests for money have been con-
sissently turned down or sidetracked by
the Board or Estimate. The result is
that cracks In the concrete are con-
stantly lengthening. that corners here
and there have fallen off. and an iron
fence around part OF the stadium has
never been painted and is rusting away
Half dozen promoters or senii-pro-
fessIonal baseball made offers for the
right to use the stadium on Sunday
afternoons. The contract went to the
man who offered the largest percentage
OF the receipts, William Jordan. 1t is
stipulated that every Sunday before the
game for which a fee is charged there
may be preliminary game without fec,
the teams to be selected by City College.
BY a resolution of the Board OF Esti-
mate October 2. 1913, the college trustees
were asked to devise ways and means Of
obtaining a revenue from the stadium
FOR its maintenance and upkeep." An
amendment to tho city charter passed
by the Legislature in 1915 authorized tho
trustees to prescribe fees or charges for
the use OF the stadium, the money so
derived to be paid 10 the Comptroller
and credited by him to a special fund
for the use OF the athletic council OF the
college.
Murray Hubert said when I want
to see q professional ball game ] 20 up
to the Polo Grounds and pay. 4 lot OF
people don't care for that. They want
70 play baseball themselves. When the
boys Of the City College are not using
tho stadium themselves it ought to be
open to everybody all tho time, and II
will he IL have anything TO do with it,
This protest caused Mayor Hylan to
say:
Don't you understand that Hunter
and City colleges are on so-called
higher ground than the average institu-
tion? You know those who are on a
higher plane, ABOVE the common people
as it were. put things over on a high
class plane and get away with il and
even the papers don't dare say a word"