San Francisco is reclaiming some of its professional football history thanks to the city’s new professional soccer team.
More than 3,800 Candlestick Park seats from the former home of the San Francisco 49ers are being installed during the next two weeks at the team’s original SF home, Kezar Stadium. They’ll join the Candlestick seats already installed at Kezar during stadium improvements in 2014 and 2015.
The seats were acquired by the San Francisco Deltas, which won approval earlier this year to play its home games at Kezar Stadium from the SF Rec and Parks Department. The pro soccer team will start its inaugural season with a friendly against the San Jose Earthquakes in February.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
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Candlestick Seats Being Installed at Kezar Stadium
Robert Raney installs former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Robert Raney installs former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Hector Gomez installs former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Hector Gomez installs former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
The original one thousand Candlestick seats that were installed at Kezar Stadium in 2014. S&S; Seating is adding an additional 3,800 vintage Candlestick seats to the stadium.
The original one thousand Candlestick seats that were installed at Kezar Stadium in 2014. S&S; Seating is adding an additional 3,800 vintage Candlestick seats to the stadium.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Wooden bleachers are being replaced by vintage Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Wooden bleachers are being replaced by vintage Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Former bleacher supports are piled up after being removed and replaced by former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Former bleacher supports are piled up after being removed and replaced by former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
A worker for S&S; Seating collects cuts up bleachers that are being removed and replaced by former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
A worker for S&S; Seating collects cuts up bleachers that are being removed and replaced by former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Supervisor Sam Sprinkle cuts up bleachers that are being removed and replaced by former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Supervisor Sam Sprinkle cuts up bleachers that are being removed and replaced by former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Workers cut up wooden bleachers to install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Workers cut up wooden bleachers to install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Nikki Johnson cleans up the as workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Nikki Johnson cleans up the as workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick park iron chair arms at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick park iron chair arms at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Gregory McDowell, left and Alma Torres install former Candlestick park iron chair arms at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Gregory McDowell, left and Alma Torres install former Candlestick park iron chair arms at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Gregory McDowell installs the chair arms of former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Gregory McDowell installs the chair arms of former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
A jogger works out on the track as workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
A jogger works out on the track as workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Hector Gomez installs former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Hector Gomez installs former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Workers for S&S; Seating install former Candlestick seats at Kezar Stadium on Nov. 30th, 2016.
Photo: Douglas Zimmerman / SFGate
Candlestick seats will soon fill SF’s Kezar Stadium, thanks to Deltas soccer team
The new seating is part of $1 million in improvements the team agreed to make to use Kezar Stadium.
Although the seats ended up costing being double the estimate, Deltas CEO Brian Andrés Helmick felt it was the right choice. “We have to make decisions as fans,” he said. “We are fans first.”
“It is the right thing to do,” Helmick continued. “There is a connection there between Kezar and the 49ers. Candlestick also has a connection with the 49ers. There is already 1,000 of the seats here. Imagine taking it from 1,000 to approximately 5,000 red seats in that stadium? It’s going to look beautiful.”
All of the seats were installed by S& S Seating, a company based out of Indiana that specializes in retrieving and rehabilitating pro sports seating from stadiums being torn down. The company handled the sale of approximately 38,000 Candlestick souvenir seats sold to fans by the 49ers and the San Francisco Giants.
Photo: Pete Kiehart / The Chronicle
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Seats at Candlestick Park
A fan stands next to two seats that were dismantled for souvenirs after a 49ers game against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. It was the last regular-season game at Candlestick Park.
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A fan stands next to two seats that were dismantled for souvenirs after a 49ers game against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. It was the last regular-season
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Photo: Pete Kiehart / The Chronicle
Cards for a "card stunt" are taped to seats above an old name tag before a 49ers game against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. It was the last regular-season game at Candlestick Park.
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Cards for a "card stunt" are taped to seats above an old name tag before a 49ers game against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. It was the last
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Photo: Pete Kiehart / The Chronicle
George Christopher checking out his seats at Candlestick Park opening day in April 1960.
George Christopher checking out his seats at Candlestick Park opening day in April 1960.
Photo: Bob Campbell / The Chronicle
A fan looks for his seat at Candlestick Park in 1986.
A fan looks for his seat at Candlestick Park in 1986.
Photo: LIZ HAFALIA
Fans start to fill the seats before the San Francisco 49ers play the Atlanta Falcons during a Monday Night Football game in December 2013. It was the last regular season game to be held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
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Fans start to fill the seats before the San Francisco 49ers play the Atlanta Falcons during a Monday Night Football game in December 2013. It was the last regular season game to be held at Candlestick Park in
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Photo: Michael Short / The Chronicle
49er fan Jhan Gonzalez from Union City walks to stands before the San Francisco 49ers kick off against the Detroit Lions at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday September 16, 2012.
49er fan Jhan Gonzalez from Union City walks to stands before the San Francisco 49ers kick off against the Detroit Lions at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday September 16, 2012.
Photo: Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle
Rael Enteen of San Francisco sits by himself in the stands after the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons during a Monday Night Football game, the last regular season game to held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on December 23, 2013.
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Rael Enteen of San Francisco sits by himself in the stands after the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons during a Monday Night Football game, the last regular season game to held at Candlestick
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Photo: Michael Short / The Chronicle
The gear mechanism that used to pull the seats away from the Giants scoreboard at Candlestick Park before the baseball team left for their new stadium in 2000.
The gear mechanism that used to pull the seats away from the Giants scoreboard at Candlestick Park before the baseball team left for their new stadium in 2000.
Photo: Mike Kepka / The Chronicle
Candlestick Park chief engineer Mike Gay is very concerned about the condition of the old ballpark in April 2001. He complains that many of the seats haven't been replaced in years and actually bend to one side.
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Candlestick Park chief engineer Mike Gay is very concerned about the condition of the old ballpark in April 2001. He complains that many of the seats haven't been replaced in years and actually bend to one
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Photo: Brant Ward / The Chronicle
Old Stadium seats are pilled up under the Candlestick Park bleachers as the 49ers home shows its age.
Old Stadium seats are pilled up under the Candlestick Park bleachers as the 49ers home shows its age.
Photo: Lance Iversen / The Chronicle
Seats on the sunny side of Candlestick Park.
Seats on the sunny side of Candlestick Park.
Photo: Mike Kepka / The Chronicle
Looking at the seats and Bill Walsh field of Candlestick Park stadium in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, April 13, 2012.
Looking at the seats and Bill Walsh field of Candlestick Park stadium in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, April 13, 2012.
Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle
A fan works to remove a number plate from a seat after a 49ers game against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. It was the last regular-season game at Candlestick Park.
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A fan works to remove a number plate from a seat after a 49ers game against the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on December 23, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. It was the last regular-season game at
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Photo: Pete Kiehart / The Chronicle
A pile of stadium seats sits on the field inside Candlestick Park on February 4, 2015 in San Francisco, California. The demolition of Candlestick Park, the former home of the San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers, took more than 3 months to complete. A development with a mall and housing is planned for the site.
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A pile of stadium seats sits on the field inside Candlestick Park on February 4, 2015 in San Francisco, California. The demolition of Candlestick Park, the former home of the San Francisco Giants and San
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Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Rows and rows of grandstand seat are removed as the demolition of Candlestick Park in February 2015.
Rows and rows of grandstand seat are removed as the demolition of Candlestick Park in February 2015.
Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle
Torn-out seats at Candlestick Park in 2015.
Torn-out seats at Candlestick Park in 2015.
Photo: Phillip Matier/The Chronicle / Phillip Matier
Candlestick seats will soon fill SF’s Kezar Stadium, thanks to Deltas soccer team
When the Deltas first considered seating options for Kezar, the team was informed by the city all remaining seats had been destroyed during the demolition of Candlestick.
The team spent time considered several different seating options for the stadium. However, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Dept. raised concerns about the look and maintenance costs involved in the team’s possible choices.
As the search continued, Helmick once again wondered if any seats might have survived. The Deltas contacted S& S Seating directly and found the company had about 3,800 additional Candlestick seats in a warehouse in Indiana. The extra seats were the remainder the company did not sell as souvenirs.
S&S Seating specializes in removing seats from large professional stadiums that are being torn down (including the former Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Busch Stadium in St. Louis and Shea Stadium in New York) and rehabilitating them be sold to sports clubs, colleges and high schools, said the company’s president Jim Sprinkle.
To renovate and repair the iron frames of the seats, the company first puts them in an oven to bake the paint off and then sandblasts to the bare metal. “Then the chair arms are taken completely apart then put back together, and they are painted,” explained Sprinkle. “The repainting process goes through a curing oven. After that, they are ready to be installed.”
The Deltas received approval from the Rec and Parks Department for the seating, and S& S Seating started installing the seats this week at Kezar Stadium. Many people in the neighborhood who use the stadium for recreation asked the workers about the project. Some expressed reservations about removing the stadium’s current bleacher seats. “There are sentimental people but once they heard [the seats were] coming from Candlestick they were all overjoyed,” Sprinkle said. “Everyone has come in and said this is a great thing.”
After the installation is complete, 10 of the 18 seating sections at Kezar will be filled with the refurbished Candlestick seats. The other parts of the stadium will remain as bleacher seating.
A few months ago, an additional 500 Candlestick seats were also discovered in a City of San Francisco warehouse. The city called the Deltas asking if they could remove the seating to save them from being destroyed. After looking at possible solutions, the team asked S& S Seating if they could take possession of the seats. The company provided a truck for free to transport the seats to Indiana. Some of those seats were also rehabilitated and are also part of the current installation.
“Let’s make sure that they have another life,” Sprinkle said. “And that’s what we are doing with them, giving them another life.”
Helmick believes, as the current stewards for Kezar, the Deltas have to respect and honor the stadium’s traditions.
Photo: Courtesy Sal Colombo
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Photos of the original Kezar Stadium
Benches at Kezar Stadium just before it was dismantled. San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original stadium before it was torn down in 1989.
Benches at Kezar Stadium just before it was dismantled. San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original stadium before it was torn down in 1989.
Photo: Courtesy Sal Colombo
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original Kezar stadium before it was torn down.
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original Kezar stadium before it was torn down.
Photo: Courtesy Sal Colombo
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original Kezar stadium before it was torn down.
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original Kezar stadium before it was torn down.
Photo: Courtesy Sal Colombo
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original Kezar stadium before it was torn down.
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original Kezar stadium before it was torn down.
Photo: Courtesy Sal Colombo
The present day view of Kezar Stadium.
The present day view of Kezar Stadium.
Photo: Peter Hartlaub/Chronicle
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original stadium before it was torn down.
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original stadium before it was torn down.
Photo: Courtesy Sal Colombo
A recent view of Kezar Stadium before the Candlestick seats were installed.
A recent view of Kezar Stadium before the Candlestick seats were installed.
Photo: Peter Hartlaub/Chronicle
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original stadium before it was torn down.
San Francisco resident Sal Colombo took photographs of the original stadium before it was torn down.
Photo: Courtesy Sal Colombo
The present day view of Kezar Stadium.
The present day view of Kezar Stadium.
Photo: Peter Hartlaub/Chronicle
The present day view of Kezar Stadium.
The present day view of Kezar Stadium.
Photo: Peter Hartlaub/Chronicle
Sept. 2, 1968: Kezar Stadium with a crowd of 57,593 to watch the Raiders play.
Sept. 2, 1968: Kezar Stadium with a crowd of 57,593 to watch the Raiders play.
Photo: Art Frisch / The Chronicle
Spet. 8, 1969: Quarterback Steve Spurrier gets sacked in a 49ers game against the Cardinals.
Spet. 8, 1969: Quarterback Steve Spurrier gets sacked in a 49ers game against the Cardinals.
Photo: Bill Young / The Chronicle
Dec. 23, 1957: Fans in Kezar Stadium -- and on neighboring roofs -- watch Detroit Lion Steve Junker catch a 36-yard pass to set up a winning TD.
Dec. 23, 1957: Fans in Kezar Stadium -- and on neighboring roofs -- watch Detroit Lion Steve Junker catch a 36-yard pass to set up a winning TD.
Photo: Bob Campbell / The Chronicle
Jan. 2, 1965: A seagull ventures onto the field during a 49ers game.
Jan. 2, 1965: A seagull ventures onto the field during a 49ers game.
Photo: Barney Peterson / The Chronicle
Dec. 23, 1957: 49ers fans waiting in line for tickets at Kezar Stadium.
Dec. 23, 1957: 49ers fans waiting in line for tickets at Kezar Stadium.
Photo: Ken McLaughlin / The Chronicle
April 8, 1958: An aerial view of Kezar Stadium.
April 8, 1958: An aerial view of Kezar Stadium.
Photo: Chronicle file
Candlestick seats will soon fill SF’s Kezar Stadium, thanks to Deltas soccer team
The team has reached out to former 49ers who played at Kezar to learn more about its history. They hope they can incorporate what they learn in other stadium improvements, including updating the stadium’s original locker rooms.
“[Kezar is] a place where national team games were played, where Jesse Owens ran track, Where Pele played,” said Helmick. “There is tremendous history that’s happened there that people don’t know about. We believe it’s our responsibility to let people know how special it is.”