The opening of the Meadowlands Racetrack in 1976, one month before Giants Stadium brought an NFL team to “The Swamps Of Jersey,” revolutionized the sport of horse racing in the U.S.
But on Thursday, the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority approved a $16.9 million plan to erase its long-abandoned grandstand that in its “glory days” was hosting 25,000 patrons each Saturday night.
The impetus for the decision appears to have been a Meadowlands Sports Complex site visit in September by key officials of FIFA — the World Cup soccer governing body — as well as Gov. Phil Murphy and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. MetLife Stadium is a leading candidate to host games when the World Cup returns to the U.S. in 2026, and possibly even the championship match.
The authority’s resolution approving the demolition noted “security concerns presented by federal and state experts” due to the proximity of the old grandstand to the stadium.
With the issue of the dormant site out of the way, the New Jersey stadium will have one advantage over the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., which hosted the 1994 World Cup final. If Euro-centric FIFA chooses MetLife Stadium, legal, regulated gambling will be available to all spectators. At a California location, it is not clear if sports betting will be approved by the time of the matches. Decisions on host sites are expected to be announced as soon as next spring.
In 1994, the Meadowlands played host in the group stage to a stunning upset by Ireland over powerhouse Italy, which nonetheless advanced before falling in the title match to Brazil. Ireland also played Norway to a scoreless draw at the same site before Bulgaria defeated Mexico in a Round of 16 match in East Rutherford, knocked off Germany in the quarterfinals, and then fell to Italy in the semifinals.
The old grandstand played host to its last races in November 2013 and has stood dormant ever since, while the new $100 million grandstand has accommodated attendees on the site of the former backstretch.
What cost keeping the old site open?
The resolution approved by the authority’s board at Thursday’s monthly meeting noted a “small portion” of the old grandstand is used as the hub for the agency’s information technology (IT) and New Jersey State Police infrastructure, requiring a $1 million annual cost to maintain the entire facility.
Also, “demolition of the Old Grandstand and roadway improvements facilitated thereby are … an essential element in the NJSEA’s bid for hosting 2026 World Cup Soccer matches.”
So funding has now been approved, to be paid by the state Treasury Department, to remove the “old barn” at the most important site for harness racing in North America — and the world — in the past half-century.
The original grandstand was a close neighbor of Giants Stadium and now MetLife Stadium — home to the Jets and Giants NFL teams — while its $100 million replacement lies closer to Paterson Plank Road in East Rutherford.
The NJSEA agreement includes the stadium owners as part of the demolition process, though at no cost to either team. The deal also promises demolition work to be performed with no significant disruption of football games, other sporting events, or concerts at the stadium.
Rerouting of roads, demolition of a toll plaza, and a state Department of Environmental Protection review are part of the plans for the removal of the former grandstand.
Giants Stadium removal plan took a different path
The old grandstand’s neighbor, Giants Stadium, wound up meeting its demise at no cost to state taxpayers.
That’s because a deal was reached in 2010 with memorabilia legend Brandon Steiner that had him absorb an estimated $10 million in demolition costs in exchange for giving Steiner the right to sell online anything in the stadium that wasn’t nailed down — and even some things that were, like signage for sections that season ticketholders frequented for decades.
As for the other “white elephant” at the Meadowlands Sports Complex — the indoor sports site formerly known as Continental Arena and Izod Center — the authority on Thursday approved $1 million to mitigate September damage from Hurricane Ida.
“Subsequent inspections at the Meadowlands Arena revealed major subsurface erosion and voids at the northern and southern entrances to the Meadowlands Arena resulting in a partial blocking of areas in danger of collapse and restricted access of ambulances to our EMT emergency care facility,” according to the resolution.
“Flooding of electro-mechanical components of Arena elevators have rendered the elevators inoperable for both emergency EMT purposes and employee and tenant access purpose.”
NJSEA President Vincent Prieto told NJ Online Gambling that there has been no final determination of the arena’s fate. The site houses numerous rehearsals for concert events, producing enough revenue to make the arena more sustainable than the old grandstand was.
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