Francis Olympic Field, Track and field stadium at Washington University in St. Louis, United States.
Francis Olympic Field is a stadium on the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis, fitted with an artificial turf surface used for soccer and football. It holds around 4,000 spectators and sits on the western side of the campus.
The site was built in 1902 for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and then hosted the 1904 Summer Olympics, the first Games held outside Europe. The facility has been updated over the years but continues to serve as a sports venue for the university.
The field is named after David Rowland Francis, a former Missouri governor who played a key role in bringing the 1904 Games to St. Louis. His name on the facility connects the university campus to that chapter of the city's past.
The field is on the western part of the Danforth Campus and easy to reach on foot from the main university entrances. Visitors can combine a stop here with other sports facilities located nearby on campus.
The Francis Gymnasium next to the field has hosted four United States presidential debates over the years. This makes the sports complex one of the few places in the country where major athletic and political events have taken place side by side.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
