View Full Version : What stands on the land where some old ballparks use to be?
PeteU
07-17-2007, 05:17 AM
Wolfson Park in Jacksonville. Now the site of the Jaguars' practice fields:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=jacksonville,+florida&ie=UTF8&ll=30.326101,-81.640542&spn=0.005279,0.009656&t=k&z=16&om=0
Note the new ballpark to the east.
hofflalu
08-15-2007, 10:37 AM
Helfaer Field, a little league ballpark, stands on the site of Milwaukee County Stadium, in the Miller Park parking lot. The foul poles are sections of the County Stadium originals.
http://www.brewers-fan.de/bilder/09_helfaer_field_g.jpg
A few pictures I took last night before the Cards-Brewers game (the one where they wore the '82 throwbacks):
Plaque marking home plate of County Stadium:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1408/1127643289_31702fc9a3.jpg
The view from behind County Stadium home plate. The plaque is along the 3rd base line, and the field is behind the plaque and below about 15 feet:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1006/1127640757_51850f2411.jpg
Hank Aaron's 755th home run plaque in Miller Park parking lot:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/1127642679_a6fab3382a.jpg
Looking up towards Miller Park from the Aaron 755 plaque:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1357/1127644013_da06497130.jpg
Looking towards the County Stadium home plate from the Aaron 755 plaque.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1183/1128484120_b69ccff5e4.jpg
MSUlaxer27
08-15-2007, 11:03 AM
One stadium that i cant wait to add to this thread is Shea Stadium.bring on those demolition photos in 2 years.
Maybe we can trade. I'll show you my Shea demolition photos (since I live here and can take pictures) and you can show me your Tiger Stadium demolition photos (since you live there).
What do you say?
TJH1923
08-15-2007, 06:58 PM
Maybe we can trade. I'll show you my Shea demolition photos (since I live here and can take pictures) and you can show me your Tiger Stadium demolition photos (since you live there).
What do you say?
WOW....that is wrong on many levels.........:think: :think: :think: :think:
elktonbase_ball
08-21-2007, 12:18 PM
This is a great thread thanks to the initiator.....in 2003 I got a wild hair to visit all the major league parks....I had already done a number of them.....have done three more extended road trips since then and along the way quickly decided to all the sites where ballparks used to stand.........I take photos of myself...try to find any old timers who might have remembered the area when the parks was there....
It has been a blast, a socio-economic geography lesson as well...
A few notes...I am up to 20 existing parks........20 more sites where parks used to stand......and 12 minor league parks
Can confirm that most all the info here is dead on.......here is my list of parks
visited that used to be and any extra info I have gleaned that is not previously mentioned......
1.Griffith Stadium....washingtom dc........I too thought the site to be the hospital........as i was snapping my pix...an elderly black gentleman came and corrected me.....he swear that the site is actually a little off and that the housing projects visible from the hospital parking lot is the actual...he also saw Josh Gibson play there so he seems a reliable source....not sure of any markers
2.Ebbets field.....Brooklyn
3. Washington park...brooklyn( in use until 1912) location at 3rd ave.....222 first st part of clubhouse wall part of con edison building
4. hilltop park,,,,new York broadway and w. 168....columbia univ med center
5. huntington ave grounds......boston
6. South end grounds.......boston
7. Braves field.......boston
8. Forbes fiels......great phot op at wall in pittsburg site of Maz's homer
9. Three River.....pittsburg......easy trip to heinz field parking lot....next to pnc park
10. exposition park....pittsbutg.........same site....look around for plaque
11. Shibe park/ connie mack.......the site is a church....interestingly as you face ther plaque in front ...look to the right and you will see row house whose rooftops appear to be the location where fans viewed games ala wrigley before mack built a spite wall....can anyone confirm this
12.crosley field....cincinnati.....this site appears from my research to also have been the location of two previous parks lisited below...
13. palace of the fans....cincinnati
14. league park ....cincinnati
15. milwaukee county stadium...parking lot of miller field...little league ballfield there
16. exhibition stadium ....toronto......along the lakeshore south of the existing skydome...never found a marker
17. league park....cleveland...great site...with existing grandstand wall and building and field...plaque......tough area, but played ball with some neighborhood kids there on the outfield some greats used to roam
18. municipal stadium....clevekland..........at site of existing football stadium, near rock and roll hall of fame.......evidently no plaque......seems all the folks at the stadium i talked to just forgot the " mistake by the lake
19.sportsman's park ....st louis........
20. Atlanta/fulton county staium..........parking lot of turner field...diamond lined out and part of fence where aaron's 715 went...great photo op
21. comisky....chicago.....parking lot of us cellular
22. Memorial Stadium.....baltimore
23. Busch stadium....st.louis........parking lot of new field...piece still standing i believe
24 Riverfront.....cincinnati........at site of new football stadium......has a plaque been added ?
25 Veteran's stadium....philadelphia.....out by the spectrum site
It is a great hobby.....be careful....but you'll find many people helpful in the neighborhoods forgotten by time
In regards to the Philadelphia parks, if you take an old picture from Shibe Park and go stand on the corner of 21st and Lehigh, you can visualize the stadium perfectly. The rowhomes that used to have bleachers on them and are in pictures of the 1911 World Series are still there. The bar where legend has it that Babe Ruth used to run across the street and get a hot dog, is still there. Everything is still there except the ballpark itself. A church was built on the 1 block lot right in the middle of where Shibe Park stood.
One thing you missed though was if you went down a few blocks to 15th (?) Street you would have run right in to the site of the old Baker Bowl where the Phillies played. Interesting here too if you take a picture from the 1915 World Series and stand where home plate is (actually stay in your car and look) you will still see the old factory and buildings that look in the same shape as they did in 1915. The site is so old that what ever was built there after the Baker Bowl was razed in 1950 has itself been raised and the area is a mismatch of old derelict buildings and an old car wash. If you look close enough in the neighborhood though of which used to be around home plate, you will see some of the houses have garages that were actually carriages which were used by people who used to come to the games in horse and carriage. You have to look real hard and you'll still see reminents.
(Interesting side note-when you are up there looking at these, you would never guess that in 1909 when the Shibes purchased the land that it was a farm field!)
Vet Stadium is on the corner of Broad and Pattison and is now a parking lot for CBP. Granite markers mark home plate and the bases.
driver62
08-22-2007, 09:17 AM
I would like to point out one slight error. Riverfront stadium was not located where the football stadium is. That area was produce warehouses and parking for Riverfront. Riverfront was still in use while Paul Brown Stadium was being built.
Riverfront was located right next to GABP. In fact, they tore down part of the left field seats so they could finish GABP. The location of Riverfront is now parking lots and a big hole in the ground. The city of Cincinnati just recently decided to build up the area around GABP but I have no idea what they plan on putting there.
As far as I know, there is no marker designating where Riverfront stood. It would be nice if there was a marker for home plate and where Pete Rose's record setting hit landed.
I did enjoy your post and wish I could visit sites of old parks. The only sites I've ever seen are where Riverfront and Crosley Field stood.
Elvis
10-20-2007, 11:09 PM
bump............
ducky
01-30-2008, 10:54 AM
The site of old Kansas City Municipal Stadium (razed in the late 1970s) was a community
garden plot for years; recently, it's become a housing development.
thechefs2003
01-30-2008, 02:57 PM
I would like to point out one slight error. Riverfront stadium was not located where the football stadium is. That area was produce warehouses and parking for Riverfront. Riverfront was still in use while Paul Brown Stadium was being built.
Riverfront was located right next to GABP. In fact, they tore down part of the left field seats so they could finish GABP. The location of Riverfront is now parking lots and a big hole in the ground. The city of Cincinnati just recently decided to build up the area around GABP but I have no idea what they plan on putting there.
As far as I know, there is no marker designating where Riverfront stood. It would be nice if there was a marker for home plate and where Pete Rose's record setting hit landed.
I did enjoy your post and wish I could visit sites of old parks. The only sites I've ever seen are where Riverfront and Crosley Field stood.
If it's just a parking lot, how hard would it be to lay down some bricks to show where the baselines, bases and homeplate used to be. I think they did this for the old Comiskey and in Atlanta.
Kentucky Bomber
01-30-2008, 04:51 PM
If it's just a parking lot, how hard would it be to lay down some bricks to show where the baselines, bases and homeplate used to be. I think they did this for the old Comiskey and in Atlanta.
Isn't the Underground Railway Museum on part of the Riverfront site?
jl1718
01-30-2008, 08:00 PM
The bicentennial mall now stands where Sulpher Dell used to be, IIRC.
Petemc1969
01-31-2008, 06:59 AM
Here is an overhead view of where Ebbets Field once stood. The main rotunda was on the bottom left corner of the site...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/petemc1969/EbbetsFieldApts.jpg http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/petemc1969/ebbetsdemolition.jpg
driver62
01-31-2008, 09:18 AM
Isn't the Underground Railway Museum on part of the Riverfront site?
No it's not. It's across the street on Pete Rose Way.
DODGER DEB
01-31-2008, 09:51 AM
Here is an overhead view of where Ebbets Field once stood. The main rotunda was on the bottom left corner of the site...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/petemc1969/EbbetsFieldApts.jpg http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/petemc1969/ebbetsdemolition.jpg
These apartment buildings, which stand where OUR Ebbets Field once proudly stood, are the most disgusting, dilapidated eye sores that I have ever seen. The living conditions in these places are appalling. If you had seen the "artists" drawings of the what Kratter Corp was selling NYC to build these apartments, you would have thought the land of OZ was going to be moved to Bedford Avenue at Sullivan Place. The reality, even when new, never came close to what was promised, and BROOKLYN is left with this monstrosity.
OUR Ebbets Field should have been preserved with landmark status...something NYC did not have at that time.
And, for the record, WE had only one ROTUNDA in OUR Ebbets Field. It was a beauty...made of the most incredible Italian marble you ever saw. And, no one in NYC thought this was worth saving? To this day, when I think about it, it drives me crazy, since I was there when they were throwing it down. It's a sight, and a piercing pain, that will stay with me forever!
c.
jrh31584
01-31-2008, 08:29 PM
These apartment buildings, which stand where OUR Ebbets Field once proudly stood, are the most disgusting, dilapidated eye sores that I have ever seen. The living conditions in these places are appalling. If you had seen the "artists" drawings of the what Kratter Corp was selling NYC to build these apartments, you would have thought the land of OZ was going to be moved to Bedford Avenue at Sullivan Place. The reality, even when new, never came close to what was promised, and BROOKLYN is left with this monstrosity.
OUR Ebbets Field should have been preserved with landmark status...something NYC did not have at that time.
And, for the record, WE had only one ROTUNDA in OUR Ebbets Field. It was a beauty...made of the most incredible Italian marble you ever saw. And, no one in NYC thought this was worth saving? To this day, when I think about it, it drives me crazy, since I was there when they were throwing it down. It's a sight, and a piercing pain, that will stay with me forever!
c.
If they didn't want to save Penn Station, Ebbets Field didn't stand a chance.
Gary Dunaier
01-31-2008, 10:37 PM
If they didn't want to save Penn Station, Ebbets Field didn't stand a chance.
Ebbets Field was already demolished by the time they started talking about getting rid of the original Pennsylvania Station.
Seattle1
02-01-2008, 12:25 PM
Note the new ballpark to the east.
Do you mean to the west?
icee82
02-03-2008, 07:36 AM
In Cincinnati, there is a marker where Pete Rose's hit touched the turf. It is inside of the Reds' Hall of Fame and is called the Rose Garden.
driver62
02-03-2008, 07:58 AM
In Cincinnati, there is a marker where Pete Rose's hit touched the turf. It is inside of the Reds' Hall of Fame and is called the Rose Garden.
They may have something in the Reds Hall of Fame but it's not where the ball landed. The hit landed in short left center field which isn't anywhere close to the Reds Hall of Fame or to GABP. The spot the hit landed is probably a few hundred feet from GABP.
Maybe they cut out a piece of the field where it hit. I'll have to visit the Hall of Fame the next time I'm in Cincy for a game.
JohnCropp
02-03-2008, 09:11 AM
They may have something in the Reds Hall of Fame but it's not where the ball landed. The hit landed in short left center field which isn't anywhere close to the Reds Hall of Fame or to GABP. The spot the hit landed is probably a few hundred feet from GABP.
Maybe they cut out a piece of the field where it hit. I'll have to visit the Hall of Fame the next time I'm in Cincy for a game.
If I'm not mistaken, the Reds marked the turf where the ball landed but the Bengals (unknowingly?) removed it.
Where's my Wiki...
update: I can't find anything on that myth/urban legend/historical fact, but I did see on Wikipedia that one of Cobb's hits was counted twice so Rose's record breaking hit actually came before that celebrated moment. I also found a piece of Riverfront turf for sale that is mounted to a plaque honoring the hit... only the turf was installed and removed from Riverfront long after Rose played. There's something about these little inaccuracies that is somehow appropriate.
So to bring back to the point, the turf at the Reds' Hall of Fame marks the spot? Sure. Count it. Just don't let Jim Gray near it with a microphone, for Godsakes!
jimmyjimjimz
02-03-2008, 10:45 AM
If I'm not mistaken, the Reds marked the turf where the ball landed but the Bengals (unknowingly?) removed it.
Where's my Wiki...
update: I can't find anything on that myth/urban legend/historical fact, but I did see on Wikipedia that one of Cobb's hits was counted twice so Rose's record breaking hit actually came before that celebrated moment. I also found a piece of Riverfront turf for sale that is mounted to a plaque honoring the hit... only the turf was installed and removed from Riverfront long after Rose played. There's something about these little inaccuracies that is somehow appropriate.
So to bring back to the point, the turf at the Reds' Hall of Fame marks the spot? Sure. Count it. Just don't let Jim Gray near it with a microphone, for Godsakes!
lol I remember watching that interview with Jim Gray. That was messed up. Why would he ask such a question?
The hit landed in short left center field which isn't anywhere close to the Reds Hall of Fame or to GABP.
Actually, the Hall of Fame and reconstituted Main Street are located where the old park's outfield was.
Just after the implosion:
http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/implosion2.jpg
Today (the hall is located on the first base side of the park):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/bremertonian/guglerph/mlb/cin.jpg
Here's a better view of Main Street and the hall.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/southfork76/The_Great_American_Ballpark.jpg
TheMightyJobu
02-07-2008, 12:11 AM
BlueSteve when that happens please let us know, tHERE ARE SEVERAL OF US WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE WRECKING BALL HIT THAT PLACE.
Preferably while they're using it, and before the sixth inning.
TheMightyJobu
02-07-2008, 12:17 AM
The bicentennial mall now stands where Sulpher Dell used to be, IIRC.
Does anyone have any pictures of this park? After reading the article in the Fireside book, I've been dying to see what it looked like.
driver62
02-07-2008, 12:21 PM
Here's a better view of Main Street and the hall.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/southfork76/The_Great_American_Ballpark.jpg
Since I've never visited the Reds HOF, I'm a little confused. Is the HOF actually in the park or in a seperate building outside? I thought it was inside. If it's outside, it could very well be where the hit landed.
PeteU
02-07-2008, 12:30 PM
Do you mean to the west?
My bad. To the east is the Jaguars stadium.
(And in between used to be the old Veterans Coliseum, which was leveled to make a parking lot.)
Since I've never visited the Reds HOF, I'm a little confused. Is the HOF actually in the park or in a seperate building outside? I thought it was inside. If it's outside, it could very well be where the hit landed.
The HOF is the brick-and-glass structure seen in the lower left-hand corner of the photo. The twin rose gardens adjacent to it (also visible in the pic) are purported to be the spot where Pete's record breaker landed.
jl1718
02-07-2008, 03:35 PM
Does anyone have any pictures of this park? After reading the article in the Fireside book, I've been dying to see what it looked like.
Good site about Sulpher dell, http://www.sulphurdell.com/index.htm
http://www.sulphurdell.com/Marquee.jpg
http://www.sulphurdell.com/Full%20View.jpg
http://www.sulphurdell.com/Sulphur%20Dell%20Photo%201.jpg
catcher24
02-07-2008, 05:30 PM
Great pics, jl1718!:thumbsup::applaud: And a great website. I had never heard of that ballpark before, but it's got to be one of the most unusual ballparks ever. Thanks for the photos and link!
That right field is wild! Appears the terrace - a very large one - runs all the way from right field almost to dead center.
thechefs2003
02-07-2008, 08:44 PM
Actually, the Hall of Fame and reconstituted Main Street are located where the old park's outfield was.
Just after the implosion:
http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/implosion2.jpg
That's a great photo
driver62
02-08-2008, 09:10 AM
The HOF is the brick-and-glass structure seen in the lower left-hand corner of the photo. The twin rose gardens adjacent to it (also visible in the pic) are purported to be the spot where Pete's record breaker landed.
Thanks, that clears things up. Would you by any chance know if there is a marker where home plate was?
Thanks, that clears things up. Would you by any chance know if there is a marker where home plate was?
There's no marker as of yet. It's just an empty lot at this point.
Gary Dunaier
02-12-2008, 11:44 AM
Hilltop Park, where the Yankees first played as the New York Highlanders in 1903, is now the location of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I believe there is a marker of where home plate used to be located.
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/hilltop1.jpg
The apartment building across the street from Hilltop Park, just outside the left field fence as seen in the below photo, still stands.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2409/2163088355_e8968ebd98.jpg?v=0
(Photo listed as having been taken in 1912. Link to original source: here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163088355/))
It's on the corner of Broadway and 168th Street.
Gooseamania
03-27-2008, 02:13 PM
here is a picture of the south end grounds in boston massachusetts, former home of the boston braves. there were 3 versions of the stadium, the first one was built in 1871, the last version was demolished in 1914.
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/sthend02.jpg
and here is the south end grounds location today...
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/sthend04.jpg
the cigar factory behind right field is still standing, although it may be hard to tell from these pictures.
cgcoyne2
04-17-2008, 12:57 AM
Well, I don't think Fulton County Stadium could be considered a geniuely "old" ballpark like the Baker Bowl or the Polo Grounds, but FCS is just a parking lot now. There is a marker for Hank Aaron's 715th homer, all of the bases and the wall still stands.
If you go to www.maps.google.com and look up Turner Field, right above it you'll see the parking lot. Zoom in, it is very cool.
David Atkatz
04-17-2008, 11:53 AM
The apartment building across the street from Hilltop Park, just outside the left field fence as seen in the below photo, still stands.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2409/2163088355_e8968ebd98.jpg?v=0
(Photo listed as having been taken in 1912. Link to original source: here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163088355/))
It's on the corner of Broadway and 168th Street.
Here it is:
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j245/datkatz/168.jpg
Kentucky Bomber
04-17-2008, 12:04 PM
(Photo listed as having been taken in 1912. Link to original source: here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163088355/))
It's on the corner of Broadway and 168th Street.
Reference to the history of uniforms book confirms 1912 as the year this was taken. The only year in Hilltop that the Yanks wore pinsripes with the NY on the breast. And it confirms also that the story of the Yankees going to pinstripes to make Babe Ruth look slimmer is ridiculous as this is 8 years before the Babe joined the club.
Jaybird
04-17-2008, 07:19 PM
CBS Television City (Where they taped All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Carol Burnett, The Price is Right etc.) sits on the site of Gilmore Field, the Former home of the Hollywood Stars of the PCL.
Gilmore Field itself was the site of many movies and TV shows that filmed there (The Stratton Story, The Jackie Robinson Story etc). Also Gilmore Stadium was next to Gilmore Field and hosted among other things the 1940 NFL Pro-Bowl and many years of motorsports.
Gilmore Stadium was the filming location of the Three Stooges short "Three Little Pigskins". I noted this because this is my favorite of the Moe-Larry-Curly Stooge pics, not to mention the fact that it starred a young lady with blonde hair who was just starting out, however, when she dyed her hair red, her career took off. Does the name Lucille Ball ring a bell?
Reds41
04-17-2008, 08:24 PM
Crosley field was rebuilt in kentucky but was torn down in the early 1970s. crosley field is now in blue ash ohio.
The Crosley Field that was built in Union, KY was torn down in 1980 or 1981.
The Cincinnati Suds of the American Professional Softball League played there.
catcher24
04-18-2008, 04:30 AM
Gilmore Stadium was the filming location of the Three Stooges short "Three Little Pigskins". I noted this because this is my favorite of the Moe-Larry-Curly Stooge pics, not to mention the fact that it starred a young lady with blonde hair who was just starting out, however, when she dyed her hair red, her career took off. Does the name Lucille Ball ring a bell?
Sure does. Lucy's from my home town (Jamestown, NY) and my mom always talked about her. Mom lived near the Balls and in fact used to play with Lucy's younger brother, Fred. There are two annual Lucy Festivals here in the city (one Memorial Day weekend, and the other in August, close to Lucy's birthday) and her burial site in Lakeview Cemetery is a pilgrimage spot for Lucy fans, as is the Lucy-Desi Museum in downtown Jamestown. They now have the living room set from I Love Lucy at the Museum, courtesy of Lucy's daughter.
withfood
04-19-2008, 09:13 AM
There isa mrkerat Columbia Presb Hosp where the original home plate was.
i have severalpics of it ....will send
themIn regards to the Philadelphia parks, if you
take an old picture from Shibe Park and go stand on the corner of 21st and Lehigh, you can visualize the stadium perfectly. The rowhomes that used to have bleachers on them and are in pictures of the 1911 World Series are still there. The bar where legend has it that Babe Ruth used to run across the street and get a hot dog, is still there. Everything is still there except the ballpark itself. A church was built on the 1 block lot right in the middle of where Shibe Park stood.
One thing you missed though was if you went down a few blocks to 15th (?) Street you would have run right in to the site of the old Baker Bowl where the Phillies played. Interesting here too if you take a picture from the 1915 World Series and stand where home plate is (actually stay in your car and look) you will still see the old factory and buildings that look in the same shape as they did in 1915. The site is so old that what ever was built there after the Baker Bowl was razed in 1950 has itself been raised and the area is a mismatch of old derelict buildings and an old car wash. If you look close enough in the neighborhood though of which used to be around home plate, you will see some of the houses have garages that were actually carriages which were used by people who used to come to the games in horse and carriage. You have to look real hard and you'll still see reminents.
(Interesting side note-when you are up there looking at these, you would never guess that in 1909 when the Shibes purchased the land that it was a farm field!)
Vet Stadium is on the corner of Broad and Pattison and is now a parking lot for CBP. Granite markers mark home plate and the bases.
TnNYYfan
04-30-2008, 01:15 PM
I know it's nothing special but we used to have a great old minor league park in Knoxville. With old warehouses in left field it really gave a throwback feel to games played there. The park was demolished but there is a park and the field itself is still used for baseball.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ballparkreviews.com/knox/meyer2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ballparkreviews.com/knox/meyer.htm&h=357&w=640&sz=49&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=p_miGemVUj-_SM:&tbnh=76&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbill%2Bmeyer%2Bstadium%2B%26um%3D1%26 hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1G1GGLQ_ENUS268%26sa%3DG
six4three
04-30-2008, 01:33 PM
Reference to the history of uniforms book confirms 1912 as the year this was taken. The only year in Hilltop that the Yanks wore pinsripes with the NY on the breast. And it confirms also that the story of the Yankees going to pinstripes to make Babe Ruth look slimmer is ridiculous as this is 8 years before the Babe joined the club.
Yeah, but nobody believes that story.
Philtration
04-30-2008, 09:42 PM
The University Of Illinois Chicago Neuropsychiatric Center now stands on the site of West Side Grounds where the Cubs played from 1893-1915 and won their last World Series 100 years ago this year.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/WestSidePark_1908-08-30-with-captio.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/West_Side_Park_1906_World_Series.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/West_Side_Grounds_Stands_1908.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/West_Side_Grounds_1908.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/Cap_Anson_WSP_19080422.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/6a29751r_1909.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/wsgrd3.jpg
I'm not looking through the whole thread...
Comiskey is now a parking lot :(
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Chips347/P1010638.jpg
catcher24
05-01-2008, 05:08 AM
Great photos, Philtration! In the second one, I wonder if they're expecting a bunt? The infield is in further than I've ever seen; note how big the leads of the runners are on first and second because no infielder is even close to them - the runner on second is almost halfway to third. Love the stands on top of the neighboring buildings in #4 (still do that at Wrigley, too), and the batter at the plate for the ceremonial first pitch in #5!
efin98
05-01-2008, 06:50 AM
One park site that I have seen personally that I never knew was a site is Congress St. Grounds in Boston...it's among decades old warehouses and office buildings a couple of blocks off of the Fort Point Channel in South Boston...
If anyone ever gets the urge to walk around there(a couple of attractions nearby, might pass through it in car/on foot...) you can get a feel of what the outside of hte park looked like by taking a close look at the buildings, they all pretty much match what the exterior brickwork looked like minus the cupoloa at the top...
Philtration
05-01-2008, 01:27 PM
Great photos, Philtration! In the second one, I wonder if they're expecting a bunt? The infield is in further than I've ever seen; note how big the leads of the runners are on first and second because no infielder is even close to them - the runner on second is almost halfway to third. Love the stands on top of the neighboring buildings in #4 (still do that at Wrigley, too), and the batter at the plate for the ceremonial first pitch in #5!
I noticed that with the infielders too.
Those seats in the 2nd deck had to be great! You are looking right down on the field.
I was lucky to grow up in Chicago because this was the Mecca of classic stadiums for a while. We had Wrigley Field, Comiskey Park, Soldier Field and the Chicago Stadium all standing.
After the renovation of Soldier Field which left very little of the original stadium Wrigley is the only one left.
Philly. Shibe was on the left side of this pic and the Baker Bowl was on the right.
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/6160/shibebakerwb5.jpg
stlfan
05-22-2008, 12:00 PM
It always amazed me how close those 2 parks were. They look to be as close as Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds were.
Philtration
05-22-2008, 12:11 PM
Site of Comiskey Park across the street from U.S. Cellular Field
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/phil62/baseball%20site/ComiskeyPark317181992.jpg
It always amazed me how close those 2 parks were. They look to be as close as Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds were.
I know. This pic shows it better too. I've always loved this pic.
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/shibep/shibep15.jpg
catcher24
05-22-2008, 07:26 PM
It always amazed me how close those 2 parks were. They look to be as close as Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds were.
The two parks in Boston in the early 1900s (Pilgrims Huntington Avenue Grounds and Braves South End Grounds) were also very close together. A map of the Boston stadium setup in "Diamonds: The Evolution of the Ballpark" by Michael Gershman (an excellent book BTW) gives every appearance that it would be entirely possible to hit a golf tee shot from home plate of one to home plate of the other on the fly.
43085
efin98
05-22-2008, 08:35 PM
The two parks in Boston in the early 1900s (Pilgrims Huntington Avenue Grounds and Braves South End Grounds) were also very close together. A map of the Boston stadium setup in "Diamonds: The Evolution of the Ballpark" by Michael Gershman (an excellent book BTW) gives every appearance that it would be entirely possible to hit a golf tee shot from home plate of one to home plate of the other on the fly.
43085
The map is from very late in their life, probably 1910 or 1911...Boston Arena over on Gainsborough St. opened up in 1910 and Huntington Ave. Grounds closed in 1911
They are in the same shot due to their closeness, especially if you look closely at the famous 1903 World Series victory photo
Astros4Life
05-22-2008, 10:16 PM
There were lawsuits that delayed commencement of construction on the Astrodome and they had to continuously pump out water from the hole.
is that why the dome didnt open till 65, i read somewhere that it was supposed to be open in either 63 or 64
catcher24
05-23-2008, 04:11 AM
Posted by Efin98:
They are in the same shot due to their closeness, especially if you look closely at the famous 1903 World Series victory photo
Thanks for that additional info. I've seen that photo numerous times, but next time I will look for South End Grounds in the background.
stlfan
05-23-2008, 07:01 AM
Thanks for that additional info. I've seen that photo numerous times, but next time I will look for South End Grounds in the background.
I found this one of Huntington Ave. Grounds with South End Grounds in the back ground. I outlined it in yellow. WOW they were close.
whoisonit
05-23-2008, 07:48 AM
I found this one of Huntington Ave. Grounds with South End Grounds in the back ground. I outlined it in yellow. WOW they were close.
Great photo ! You should post it in the Panoramic Picture thread.
lol 'Grist Mill Dog Bread' - Yum yum !
Speaking of closeness between parks, does anyone remember what type of events, or sporting activities were held next to the old wooden Polo Grounds? It's obviously a field with grandstands, but I can't recall what it was used for.
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/pics/Polo_Grounds_schematic.gif
stlfan
05-23-2008, 11:24 AM
Pelt, here is what I found on Wikipedia. So, take it with a grain of salt but it sounds correct.
"The grandstand of the second Polo Grounds (Manhattan Field) had a conventional curve around the infield, but the shape of the property left the center field area actually closer than left center or right center. This was not much of an issue in the "dead ball era" of baseball. After one season alone at that site, the new Players' League team built their "Brotherhood Park"(this is on the site of what became the Polo Grounds we are all familiar with) directly to the north, bordering the second Polo Grounds (Manhattan Field) and otherwise bounded by rail yards and the bluff. As with the first Polo Grounds, if the teams played on the same day, fans in the upper decks could watch each others' games, and home run balls hit in one park might land on the other team's playing field. This amusing situation lasted for just one season, the Players' League being a one-year wonder, and the Giants moved into the more spacious neighboring field, taking the "Polo Grounds" name with them. The original ballpark was then referred to as Manhattan Field, and was converted for other sports such as football and track-and-field. It still existed as a structure for nearly 20 more years. Babe Ruth's first home run as a Yankee, on May 1, 1920, was characterized by the New York Times reporter as a "sockdolager" (i.e. a decisive blow), and was described as traveling "over the right field grand stand into Manhattan Field".[1] Bill Jenkinson's modern research indicates the ball traveled about 500 feet in total, after clearing the Polo Grounds double decked right field stand. Manhattan Field was a playground or vacant lot by then. Some years later, the vacant lot was paved over, to serve as a parking lot for the Polo Grounds."
This clears things up quite a bit.
MattD1972
05-23-2008, 11:27 AM
Speaking of closeness between parks, does anyone remember what type of events, or sporting activities were held next to the old wooden Polo Grounds? It's obviously a field with grandstands, but I can't recall what it was used for.
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/pics/Polo_Grounds_schematic.gif
It was used as a football field. If you research Manhattan Field, you will find lists od football game results.
efin98
05-23-2008, 10:42 PM
I found this one of Huntington Ave. Grounds with South End Grounds in the back ground. I outlined it in yellow. WOW they were close.
I thought it was more off to the left and never noticed that it was right in the middle dominating the background!
wvkeeper
05-24-2008, 11:31 AM
I took this photo outside of yankee stadium looking across the river were the polo grounds was.you can see the apartments that were built in the late 1940s on the right side of the photo. they are the smaller apartments located next to 157th street. the larger apartments is were the polo grounds was.
COPYRIGHTED PHOTO BY DONALD P DETROIT MI
What the heck is on fire?
NineWorldSeries
05-24-2008, 11:47 AM
No it's not. It's across the street on Pete Rose Way.
No again. It is on 2nd St. between Walnut and Vine. Its technical address is "50 Freedom Way."
http://www.downtowncincinnati.com/files/uploaded/Downtown_Cincinnati_Map.pdf
bnbusser
05-24-2008, 12:19 PM
I would like to chime in about old Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. It was at 22nd and Brooklyn. If you go there now, a community gardens stands on the site. (as of a few years ago). There is a marker there. Lincoln prep high school is just to the west of where the park stood. The area is not the best. HOWEVER, if you go there, be sure and stop at the best BBQ in KC. Arthur Bryants.. its at 17th and Brooklyn, just north of where the park was. This stuff is to die for... its a hole in the wall but well worth it.
jrh31584
05-24-2008, 08:39 PM
Speaking of closeness between parks, does anyone remember what type of events, or sporting activities were held next to the old wooden Polo Grounds? It's obviously a field with grandstands, but I can't recall what it was used for.
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/pics/Polo_Grounds_schematic.gif
After the Polo Grounds burned down in 1911, was there ever any thought of taking over the sites of both the Polo Grounds and Manhattan Field and building an entirely new stadium?
Thanks for the info from wiki, stlfan. They had a couple of pics of Manhattan Field along with the Polo Grounds in it.
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/3865/manhattanfieldca1901tw2.jpg
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/1345/pologroundsmanhattanfiewd7.jpg
The one pic that has the Polo Grounds beyond the right field bleachers makes it easy to see how home runs would land in each others park.
stlfan
05-28-2008, 10:25 PM
After the Polo Grounds burned down in 1911, was there ever any thought of taking over the sites of both the Polo Grounds and Manhattan Field and building an entirely new stadium?
I wondered about that too. Makes you wonder what kind of grand design they could have come up with since the size of the site that takes up both locations would have allowed for a good sized park. But if things had ended up that way, then the unique ballpark that was The Polo Grounds would never have been. No "Shot Heard Round the World", no famous Willie Mayes catch.
Gary Dunaier
05-28-2008, 10:50 PM
But you'll also never know what great plays, moments, players might have come as a result of a totally new stadium.
The road not taken...
stlfan
05-28-2008, 11:13 PM
I was bored so I took some sat. images from the web and came up with these. Here is the site today with Yankee Stadium superimposed over it as well as Shea Stadium. Both would have fit just fine on the Manhattan Field/Polo Grounds combined site.
nymdan
06-25-2008, 08:47 AM
Here's a picture from yesterday's NY Times of home plate at Forbes Field, which is now inside a building at the University of Pittsburgh. I believe someone posted a picture of this earlier in this thread, but this is a nice shot.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/24/sports/plate.650.jpg
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/sports/baseball/24yankees.html
SABR Steve
06-25-2008, 01:12 PM
There's a plaque at Horlick Field commemorating the Racine Belles who played there for 8 years. The field is still a field.
beisbolfiebre
10-19-2008, 06:57 PM
Approximate site of the old Eastern Park where the Brooklyn Bridegrooms played is now the Broadway Junction elevated subway stop in East New York:
http://images.nycsubway.org/trackmap/detail-eny.png
http://andy.maskin.net/pix/JFKWalk04/JFKWalk04_BroadwayJunction.jpg
:cap:
brave80
10-21-2008, 08:59 AM
Not sure if its mentioned on one of these many pages, but the site of Metropolitan Stadium in Minnesota is of course the current site of the Mall of America. A home plate marker is right inside the indoor theme park, and a painted chair of where Harmon Killebrew hit the longest homerun there is visible from that home plate on a balcony that is a Hooters Restaurant
Matito
10-21-2008, 09:20 AM
Not sure if its mentioned on one of these many pages, but the site of Metropolitan Stadium in Minnesota is of course the current site of the Mall of America. A home plate marker is right inside the indoor theme park, and a painted chair of where Harmon Killebrew hit the longest homerun there is visible from that home plate on a balcony that is a Hooters Restaurant
I remember the first time I went to the MoA. I saw the seat hanging there and couldnt figure out for the life of me why it was there. It was years later that I found out that there was even a stadium there before the mall.
m8644
10-28-2008, 01:10 AM
FANTASTIC thread.
I just read pretty much this entire thread and learned so much.
I was in philly a few months ago with my girlfriend and I was dying to go to the sites of Shibe park and the Baker Bowl, but as stated here...they are in terrible areas now and she wasn't too comfy visiting them.
NYFan1stYankFan2nd
10-28-2008, 03:59 PM
Old LA Wrigley is now the Gilbert Lindsay Community Center which includes a park, gymnasium, and youth ball fields.
Chavez Ravine is now luxury condominiums. Wait, that has not happened yet, but stay tuned. :p
"Luxury" Condos are so ubiquitous now that they aren't even really luxury anymore! We've got more Avalon properties right here in SW CT that it's suckin the OXYGEN out of the freakin' AIR!
Gary Dunaier
10-28-2008, 04:24 PM
"Luxury" Condos are so ubiquitous now that they aren't even really luxury anymore!
It seems that all new apartments, everywhere, are "luxury" buildings. Not all of us have the kind of jobs that allow us to afford to live in a "luxury" building. I've got a flunky Civil Service gig and the way things are going I'll be lucky if I can afford to live in a decrepit crumbley old house with gaping holes in the roof!!!!! :rant:
SECOND SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
House! You were lucky to live in a house! We used to live in one room, all twenty-six of us, no furniture, half the floor was missing, and we were all huddled together in one corner for fear of falling.
THIRD SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
Eh, you were lucky to have a room! We used to have to live in a corridor!
FIRST SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
Oh, we used to dream of living in a corridor! Would have been a palace to us. We used to live in an old water tank on a rubbish tip. We got woke up every morning by having a load of rotting fish dumped all over us! House? Huh.
FOURTH SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
Well, when I say 'house' it was only a hole in the ground covered by a sheet of tarpaulin, but it was a house to us.
SECOND SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
We were evicted from our hole in the ground; we had to go and live in a lake.
THIRD SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
You were lucky to have a lake! There were a hundred and fifty of us living in a shoebox in the middle of the road.
FIRST SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
Cardboard box?
THIRD SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
Yes.
FIRST SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
You were lucky. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down at the mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for twenty-five cents a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep with his belt.
SECOND SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, work a twenty hour day at the mill for fifteen cents a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky!
THIRD SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean with our tongues. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for a nickel every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife.
FOURTH SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, pay the mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.
FIRST SEASON TICKET HOLDER:
And you try and tell the young people of today that ..... they won't believe you.
ALL:
They won't!
Okay... so maybe I don't have it that bad... :eek:
(click here (http://www.phespirit.info/montypython/four_yorkshiremen.htm) to read the entire sketch, in its original context)
hbwriter
11-22-2008, 09:04 AM
has this been posted yet?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/popcultureroadtrip/3049740077/
New York Kid
11-22-2008, 03:31 PM
Hoboken's Elyssian Fields:
New York Kid
11-22-2008, 03:36 PM
Knickerbockers & Excelsiors, at Elyssian Fields. Possibly the earliest baseball photos. Below, in detail, on left, is Henry Polhemus, who reportedly used a 52-oz bat, almost as big as Ruth's. [dated September 3, 1859]
jimmyjimjimz
11-22-2008, 04:41 PM
Hoboken's Elyssian Fields:
in the last pic, don't they realize someone's trying to steal 2nd base? Why pitch to the batter when someone's trying to steal 2nd? I think the team in the red jerseys were trying to throw the game.
Knickerbockers & Excelsiors, at Elyssian Fields. Possibly the earliest baseball photos. Below, in detail, on left, is Henry Polhemus, who reportedly used a 52-oz bat, almost as big as Ruth's. [dated September 3, 1859]
Is that guy dressed up as Abe Lincoln really Abe Lincoln or is it one of those people that dress up as the president for things? Like President Clinton was president during Wrestlemania X (That's Wrestlemania 10 for those who didn't take 4 years of Latin, like me, in high school), and they had someone dressed up as him at Wrestlemania X and they interviewed him like he actually was President Clinton. And they had fake secret service guards with him and everything. It was pretty funny.
DGDGBD
11-25-2008, 10:52 AM
Is that guy dressed up as Abe Lincoln really Abe Lincoln or is it one of those people that dress up as the president for things?
If the date is correct, that's before Lincoln was president.
DMR67442
11-27-2008, 07:24 AM
Hoboken's Elyssian Fields:
NYK,
Do you know what the plaque says? Is it a marker for home plate or just the site?
Is there a better picture of it? Nice work on the Babe site!
RICHIECOQUI
11-27-2008, 02:51 PM
I don't know if anyone post this yet but before they were called the yankees they were called the highlander and played at upper manhatten at 168ST at a park called hilltop park! http://www.nyise.org/yankees/images/Hilltop.jpg now it colombia presbyterian hospital http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j245/datkatz/hilltoday.jpg HERE a marker where home plate use to at the hospital http://ephemeralnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/hilltophospital.jpg
Yankees12
11-27-2008, 03:45 PM
If the date is correct, that's before Lincoln was president.
Not only is it before he was President, it is before he had his now famous beard, which he only grew out around the time he became President.
The look now associated with Lincoln (large black beard, black top hat, etc.) wasn't an especially uncommon look for men at the time.
SteveJRogers
11-27-2008, 07:21 PM
Is that guy dressed up as Abe Lincoln really Abe Lincoln or is it one of those people that dress up as the president for things? Like President Clinton was president during Wrestlemania X (That's Wrestlemania 10 for those who didn't take 4 years of Latin, like me, in high school), and they had someone dressed up as him at Wrestlemania X and they interviewed him like he actually was President Clinton. And they had fake secret service guards with him and everything. It was pretty funny.
Well, considering that Lincoln isn't the President until 1861, I'm going to say it was a fellow with an uncanny resemblance to the the future President.
Well, considering that Lincoln isn't the President until 1861, I'm going to say it was a fellow with an uncanny resemblance to the the future President.
that type of look wasn't at all uncommon in that era
szaretsky
11-28-2008, 05:09 AM
There are nine people on either side of him. Perhaps, he's the umpire?
soupcan
11-28-2008, 07:27 AM
http://ephemeralnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/hilltophospital.jpg
Do you happen to know the exact location of this on the grounds of the hospital? I'd love to go see it.
Thanks.
RICHIECOQUI
11-28-2008, 08:05 AM
Do you happen to know the exact location of this on the grounds of the hospital? I'd love to go see it.
Thanks. when you get to 165 st broadway walk down the block to fort washington ave make a right till you see a little open area outside the hospital just ask around they will tell you alot of yankees fans go there now.
Anubis2051
06-14-2009, 12:24 PM
I don't know if anyone post this yet but before they were called the yankees they were called the highlander and played at upper manhatten at 168ST at a park called hilltop park! http://www.nyise.org/yankees/images/Hilltop.jpg now it colombia presbyterian hospital http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j245/datkatz/hilltoday.jpg HERE a marker where home plate use to at the hospital http://ephemeralnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/hilltophospital.jpg
Did anyone happen to catch the story on ESPN the other day with Bret Gardner and the girl that gave him a bracelet, telling him if he wore it he would hit a home run? Gardner did hit the homerun, and she got the heart transplant that she needed, and it all happened less than 100 yards from homeplate at hilltop park. Crazy stuff.
bandit12
06-14-2009, 08:06 PM
Jarry Park in Montréal is now a tennis stadium, host of the Candian open every year. I believe part of the structure of the old stadium was incorporated into the tennis facility.
Here is a view of the old stadium incorporated into the new.
schnu
06-14-2009, 08:21 PM
NYK,
Do you know what the plaque says? Is it a marker for home plate or just the site?
Is there a better picture of it? Nice work on the Babe site!
The plaque is really that beat up.
http://www.ettc.net/njarts/details.cfm?ID=834
I lived about 8 blocks south of there when I lived in Hoboken in the early 90s and the plaque sits right off of Washington St (the main road that runs N-S in Hoboken) in a landscaped median.
Anubis2051
06-14-2009, 09:01 PM
Here is a view of the old stadium incorporated into the new.
Where would home plate have been?
David Atkatz
06-14-2009, 10:06 PM
Ihttp://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j245/datkatz/hilltoday.jpg
Hey, Ritchie. It's customary to give credit when you use someone else's photo.
I took the photo above in August 2003. It shows the same spot (Broadway and 168th Street), from the same angle, as this photo of Hilltop Park's main gate (taken in 1904):
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j245/datkatz/hilltop.jpg
cgcoyne2
06-14-2009, 11:22 PM
Here's a modern photo of the Jarry Park area with the proverbial work by Andrew Clem. Notice the pool still ever present.
bandaide300
06-15-2009, 09:24 AM
Has anyone heard or know anything about a propsed rejuvenation plan for the old League Park site in Cleveland? I've searched up and down on the net and can't seem to find anything. I think it would be amazing to have an actual functioning ballpark on that spot - as one of the earlier posts mentions the greats that roamed that field - Ruth hit his 500th over the 40 ft. tall, 290 down the line right field wall into the street... fascinating... If anyone knows anything I'd love to hear.
I heard that a company in Cleveland is trying to rebuild League Park for local high school and recreational baseball games. Don't know how successful they will be. I heard it during a rain delay on WTAM-1100(Cleveland Indians)