Loeb Stadium - Lafayette Aviators
Updated: Aug 31
Photos by Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86
Loeb Stadium 1915 Scott St. Lafayette, IN 47904
Year Opened: 2021
Capacity: 2,600
Lafayette's Loeb Stadium is That Ballpark
From 1940 to 2019, the original Loeb Stadium in Lafayette, Indiana, was the home for baseball. It served as home to the Lafayette-Jefferson High School baseball program, the Colt World Series, various minor league baseball teams, and, since 2016, the Lafayette Aviators of the Prospect League.
That changed when construction began on August 27, 2019, on a new ballpark scheduled to open for the 2021 high school baseball season. The $22 million renovation plan would include a press box, multiple concession stands, and bathrooms, stadium seats, a terrace level with hospitality suites, and new turf.
The grandstand was rotated 180 degrees from its original position, and its main entrance is now at the corner of Main and Waters Street. The new ballpark also houses a video scoreboard, a beer garden, and a wraparound concourse. Construction took 19 months, including a three-week shutdown for the pandemic, in April 2020. On March 31, 2020, the first event took place when the Lafayette-Jefferson Bronchos debuted at the ballpark.
The construction was paid for using an economic development income tax, rather than property tax. Its development hopes to serve as a gateway for visitors to the downtown corridor about three miles north of the stadium. The high school team will be the primary tenant during the springtime and will host tournaments, summer collegiate ball, and hopefully a soccer club.
Food & Beverage 4
The ballpark features two main concession stands offering a full menu of ballpark staples including hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, pizza, corn dogs, fries, and soft drinks. Fan favorites include chicken tender baskets and nachos served in collectible batting helmets, along with locally-made Glover's Ice Cream. Lafayette-Jefferson High School volunteers staff the concession stands, creating a community connection as the school's baseball team also calls the stadium home during the spring season.
There are a couple of local proprietors on the third base side of the concourse. Nanny Boos giant kettle cooker can be found popping up caramel, original, and jalapeño bags of popcorn. Just next door is Little Miss Cupcakes, which sells fresh-baked cookies, cupcakes, and crispy rice treats. They have a cookie with Cracker Jack and Peanuts.
The stadium sells draft beer, including Mich Ultra, Modelo, Bud Lite, Mango Cart Wheat Ale, and Stella. The beer garden is at the end of the first-base side of the stadium and offers beer from local Teays River Brewing. They have great options like Trama Llama Ding Dong and 6th Street Cerveza.
Atmosphere 4
A packed house welcomed the Aviators to their new digs, with the local Lafayette-Jefferson High School band playing outside the stadium as part of the pre-game festivities. Once through the gates, staff members welcomed you and plenty of local businesspeople with tables hawking their services.
Before the game, the crowd watched the mayor throwing out the first pitch, three skydivers landing onto the field amid reddish smoke, and the team mascot Ace arriving by a makeshift landplane. The audience was ready for summer collegiate baseball in its fancy, modern baseball facility.
The design of the stadium, similar to other ballparks, bears a striking resemblance to the nearby Kokomo Municipal Stadium. However, with only a 2,600 capacity, compared to Kokomo’s 4,000, Loeb feels just about ideal for summer collegiate baseball. American Structurepoint was the architect behind both buildings, and there were a few notes of inspiration taken for their latest project in Lafayette.
According to its website, the design incorporates architectural precast concrete colonnades, traditional brick facades, and exposed structural steel, drawing inspiration from the stadium's original 1940s-era Art Deco architecture. The colors of sandstone, dark brown, and brick provide an eye-popping aesthetic and break away from the ballpark colors of brick red and forest green.
Fans can also enjoy a walk around the entire concourse, which includes a well-balanced lawn seating area behind the left-field wall and a beautiful view of the Tropicanoe Cove water slide. However, as you make your way to the right-field side, the playing field is cut off by a narrow walkway and tall screen to protect from fly balls crashing into the nearby Columbia Park offices and parking lot.
The Aviators official team store is located near the entrance, offering an array of merchandise: replica jerseys, team caps, mini baseball bats, and both men's and women's T-shirts. There is also All-Star Game merchandise.
Neighborhood 3
Loeb Stadium is adjacent to the Tropicanoe Cove Waterpark and Columbian Park Zoo. It is also about three and a half miles away from the campus of Purdue University. The zoo features close to 200 animals, and admission is free, but donations are encouraged. The rest of the park offers walking and biking trails, playgrounds for the children, shelters, and picnic areas.
Within the visibility of the outfield walls are two popular spots before or after the game: Arni’s Pizza and Original Frozen Custard. The custard stand has been a tradition since 1932, featuring custard, milkshakes, hot dogs, tenderloin sandwiches, phosphates, and Coca-Cola drinks flavored with marshmallows and Tiger Blood (coconut and cherry) syrups. It’s the perfect place for a pre-game meal and a post-game dessert.
If you would like to venture around the town of Lafayette, a few suggestions would be Ripple & Company, Black Sparrow, and East End Grille. Triple XXX Family Restaurant is a popular destination among locals and tourists and has been on Food Network. Their homemade root beer is worth a glass or two when in town for the game.
Fans 4
It was a large crowd on hand for the game; others were there for a night out with friends and family, while others were there for a baseball game. The club has been around for over a decade and cemented itself within the community. The team averages above the league average.
Access 4
The stadium is easy to navigate, with ample space to move between different areas. If you still want to stay clear of a large audience, most, if not all, were without masks; grab a spot in the lawn section.
There are also a couple of methods off I-65 to the ballpark, about 5 miles from each exit. A free parking lot is a couple of blocks south of the ballpark, and there is plenty of street parking in the surrounding residential neighborhood. The traffic runs smoothly, but arrive early for a close spot.
Return on Investment 4
Single-game tickets start at $11.50 for General Admission. The parking is free, the beer is between $7 and $8 merchandise runs reasonably inexpensive. If you are there with the family, it's $44 for 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 soft drinks or waters for Sunday games. Fans can park in the frozen custard lot across the street for a premium. When you add this all up, it’s quite a budget-friendly night of baseball.
Extras 4
Loeb Stadium earns a point for its view of the water slide behind the left-field lawn seating, adding a sweet aesthetic to the game. The second point is for the custard stand, roughly the same distance from a throw from second to first base, which is a must either before or after the game. The fourth point is for the giant popcorn kettle that prepares caramel popcorn on site. The final point concerns the ballpark's colors and comfort, ensuring it is appropriately sized and maintains a welcoming, familiar atmosphere similar to other beloved ballparks.
Final Thoughts
Loeb Stadium might be one of the better summer collegiate ballparks in the league, if not in the country. Its size, comfort, design, and aesthetics are what future ballparks should be modeled after.
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Follow all of Marc’s stadium journeys on Twitter @ballparkhunter and his YouTube channel. Email at Marc.Viquez@stadiumjourney.com
