Memorial Stadium in Seattle, Washington, is located in the northeast corner of the Seattle Center grounds. It was the venue for much of the opening ceremonies for the Century 21 Exposition, a World's Fair held in Seattle in 1962. The stadium currently seats approximately 12,000 people. This was expanded to 17,000 during 1974-75, while the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League played at Memorial Stadium before moving to the newly constructed Kingdome. Similarly, an A-League reincarnation of the Sounders franchise played at Memorial Stadium before also moving to a newly-built stadium, Qwest Field. In 1948, Memorial Stadium was built in memory of all the former Seattle high school youth who gave their lives in WWII. In dedication a memorial wall was built with all of the names of the fallen individuals. The facility is not operated by the Seattle Center itself, but is owned by the Seattle School District and still serves as the "home field" for football games played by high schools within the district. In addition, the stadium is used periodically for concerts, such as in connection with festivals, like Bumbershoot, being held at the Center.
