HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Boys & Girls Club of Hopkinsville is officially planning to use the Walnut Street Stadium site for a future elementary school facility. Demolition of the stadium was announced at the end of November with no official plans in place for reconstruction at the time.
Allocating the new space for elementary school students will allow them to increase the number of younger kids they can serve, said a news release from the club. They have continued to grow and expand in Hopkinsville for the past 11 years, with the teen center expansion already in the works.
“If we are going to continue to increase the number of youths we serve, we will have to grow our footprint and the most logical space for the Boys & Girls Club to grow is Walnut Street Stadium,” said the news release.
The stadium has been standing since 1937 and was originally the Tiger Football Stadium. Storm damage and years of neglect have left the stadium in poor condition, although the field gets used regularly by the surrounding community. The club plans to preserve the history of the stadium while also continuing to grow.
“We understand the history of Walnut Street Stadium”, said Terrence Davis, the Club Executive Director. “We have plans to memorialize & preserve the rich history of Hopkinsville High School, the local High School football tradition and Bud Hudson Youth Football. Walnut Street Stadium will soon be gone, but its legacy will remain. The legacy of Walnut Street Stadium and the city block where the Stadium resides is in the stories that people share about the time they spent there while they were kids. For the past 111 years, this city block has served youth in Hopkinsville. Serving youth is the true legacy of Walnut Street Stadium. Hopkinsville High School. Football on Friday and Saturday nights. Youth football on Saturday mornings. Walnut Street Center. The Boys & Girls Club. Tearing down Walnut Street Stadium will ensure its legacy of serving youth will continue for generations to come.”