Financed by the
George Robert White fund, the cost was originally estimated to be between $350,000 to $450,000. However, the final amount ballooned to $1,000,000 (), a figure that city clerk and former acting mayor
John Hynes blamed on
Mayor James Michael Curley. On October 1, 1949, after twice being postponed due to weather, the opening football games were these: •
Boston Technical High School besting
Boston College High School 12–6 •
Dorchester High defeating
Boston Trade 18–0 •
Boston English defeating
Roxbury Memorial High School 12–6 •
Boston Latin School beating Boston Commerce 33–6 In 1970, a proposal was made to enlarge the stadium to 50,000 seats for a potential home for the
New England Patriots. By the 1980s, White Stadium had deteriorated as maintenance was neglected and improvements were deferred. The scoreboard had been rendered unusable due to vandalism and the locker rooms lacked working showers and toilets. A $45 million renovation and expansion was planned, starting in 2013. The project was shelved by Mayor
Marty Walsh, citing budget concerns.
Renovation In 2023, the city of Boston announced that the stadium would undergo a $30 million renovation to prepare for the arrival of
Boston Legacy FC, set to start play in the
National Women's Soccer League in 2026. The renovation would include additional seats to bring capacity to 11,000 in order to meet the league's minimum standards. The renovation would be a
public-private partnership. Some neighborhood organizations and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy have opposed the renovation, and the latter has filed litigation against it. Demolition work for the project was completed by mid-2025. The renovation of the stadium emerged as a significant item of debate in the
2025 Boston mayoral election. One of Wu's challenger
Josh Kraft's top criticisms of her is the renovation she had championed, with Kraft characterizing it as expensive as well as unpopular with and detrimental to communities living near the stadium. Wu countered by refuting Kraft's allegations of rising costs for the project, and alleging that Kraft had a
conflict of interest against the stadium due to his family's company, the
Kraft Group, planning to build a privately-owned soccer stadium in the neighboring city of
Everett for their
New England Revolution men's team since a renovated White Stadium could compete with the Kraft's planned soccer stadium for event bookings. ==Other events==