The ballpark was built adjacent to the site of an earlier Newark facility known as Wiedenmayer's Park, which served as the home field of the Newark Indians from 1902 through 1916.

It was also the home field of the short-lived Newark Bears of the first American Football League in 1926.

[3][4][5] In January 1932, the stadium was renamed for Jacob Ruppert, a baseball team owner who built the farm system of the New York Yankees.

[6] In October 1952, the Yankees organization announced their intention to tear down the 14,000-seat stadium and sell the land for real estate development.

[7] The local Board of Education stepped in to purchase the stadium for $275,000 and converted the property into a school recreation center.