Bank of the James Stadium, formerly Calvin Falwell Field at City Stadium and originally named "City Stadium", is a

ballpark A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...

located in Lynchburg,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States, and the current home of the

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinn ...

team. The baseball stadium was built in conjunction with an adjacent 6,000-person football stadium known modern day as "City Stadium". The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

and the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

played in the inaugural game at City Stadium (the baseball portion) on April 11, 1940, in front of an estimated crowd of 7,000. The following professional baseball teams have all fielded affiliates of their parent club in Lynchburg: the Washington Senators,

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

, Texas Rangers,

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

, and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. The stadium is currently home to the

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, and is one of the oldest active ballparks in Minor League Baseball. The Hillcats have been an affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians since 2015. From 2010 to 2014 they were affiliated with the

. In 2005, the Hillcats set an attendance record with a total of 151,266 fans passing through the gates.

Name

City Stadium opened in 1940. It was renovated and the field was renamed Calvin Falwell Field at City Stadium in 2004. In March 2020, the name was changed to Bank of the James Stadium when the city entered into a six-year naming rights deal worth $50,000 annually with Bank of the James, proceeds to be equally split between the city and the team.

Renovations

The stadium has had many major renovations since its inception in 1939. The first major renovation occurred in 1978. The renovation included reconstructing the outfield fence, grandstand roof, grandstand screen and adding new lights. In 1981, a clubhouse was added to accommodate both the football and baseball stadiums. In 2002 plans began for a $6.5 million renovation to Lynchburg City Stadium. The renovation included a complete renovation of the concourse with the addition of seat back chairs, and two picnic areas. The renovation also included the addition of two new concession stands, eight luxury boxes, a new press box, arcade room, spacious bathrooms and a state-of-the-art scoreboard. Prior to the 2005 season, six new luxury boxes were added in addition to a video board in right field. In August 2004, the field was dedicated to Calvin F. Falwell, President of the Lynchburg Baseball Corporation since its inception in 1966.

References

External links

*
Seating Chart , Lynchburg Hillcats

* [http://www.littleballparks.com/Stadium/2001/Lynchburg/Lynchburg.htm Lynchburg City Stadium (pre-renovation) – ''Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues''] {{Carolina League Ballparks Buildings and structures in Lynchburg, Virginia Minor league baseball venues Baseball venues in Virginia Tourist attractions in Lynchburg, Virginia 1940 establishments in Virginia Sports venues completed in 1940 Sports in Lynchburg, Virginia Carolina League ballparks