St. Louis Ballparks
This article was written by Bob Tiemann
This article was published in St. Louis’s Favorite Sport (SABR 22, 1992)
MAJOR LEAGUE PARKS
Sportsman’s Park
Location: The block bounded by Grand Avenue. Sullivan Avenue, Spring Avenue, and Dodier Street
Used by:
- St. Louis Brown Stockings NA 1875
- St. Louis Brown Stockings NL 1876-1877
- St. Louis Browns AA 1882-1891
- St. Louis Whites WL 1888
- St. Louis Browns NL 1892
- St. Louis Browns AL 1902-1953
- St. Louis Cardinals July 1, 1920-May 8, 1966
Names:
- Grand Avenue Park. 1866-1880
- Union Base Ball Park. 1868-1870
- St. Louis Park, 1868-1874
- Sportsman’s Park (I), 1881-1892
- Athletic Park, 1898-1901
- Sportsman’s Park (III), 1902-1952
- Busch Stadium (I), 1953-1966
Field orientations:
- 1866-1901: home plate in southeast corner first base line paralleled Grand Ave., right field fence paralleled Sullivan Ave., left field fence paralleled Spring Ave., third base line paralleled Dodier St.
- 1902-1908: home plate in northwest corner, first base line paralleled Spring, third base line paralleled Sullivan, left field fence para1leled Grand, right field fence paralleled Dodier
- 1909- 1966: home plate in southwest corner, first base line paralleled Dodier, third base line paralleled Spring, left field fence paralleled Sullivan, right field fence paralleled Grand
Structure:
A small stand was built by August Solari along south end of lot in 1866 and gradually expanded. By 1875 this stand was about 125 feet long. These stands were torn down after the 1877 season and replaced with a smaller bleacher which served the semi-pro Browns and other clubs through 1880. In 1881 a new corporation, called the Sportsman’s Park and Club, took over control of the lot and expanded the stands to about 150 feet wrapped around the southeast corner of the lot. This stand was initially double-decked only along the south side, but later expanded along the cast and double-decked them as well. In addition, bleachers were built down the foul lines and around the outfield in 1886.
This original Sportsman’s Park was abandoned in 1893 in favor of a new Sportsman’s Park a few blocks away. The stands at the Grand Avenue site were torn down. In 1898 a bicycle track was built at the Grand Avenue site and named Athletic Park. This oval had its main stand along the south side of the lot. It was used for one baseball game on May 5, 1901, when the Cardinals were forced to move a game because of a fire at their new park.
In 1902, the American League moved a team into St. Louis, called it the Browns, and took over the site of the old Sportsman’s Park. They built a new single-decked grandstand in the northwest corner(Spring & Sullivan), with wooden bleachers running down the third base line and around along the left field wall (i.e., along Grand). A pavilion was also built down the first base line. The pavilion and grandstand were expanded slightly in 1907.
In 1909, the club expanded the park by acquiring an additional 60-foot strip along the south border of the plot, tearing out the old pavilion, and erecting a big double-decked grandstand in the southwest corner of the land. The diamond was moved down to that corner, the 1902-vintage grandstand became the new pavilion in the left field corner, the third base bleachers became the left field bleachers, and the old left field bleachers (now in right field) were expanded south to the end of the new lot. In 1911 the pavilion in left field was torn out and a larger pavilion took its place, while a similar pavilion was put up down the right field line.
In 1926 these pavilions were torn out and the double-deck grandstand was expanded to both foul lines. The outfield bleachers were replaced with new higher bleachers, and the new right field bleachers were roofed to create a new pavilion in right field. This basic structure was retained until the whole park was torn down in 1966.
Notes:
- There was a beer garden and handball court in play in right field from 1881 through 1885.
- The 1902-08 bleachers in left had a 15-foot screen in front.
- The corner of the 1911 pavilion in right field cut the foul line by about 20 feet, but this corner did not extend more than 15 feet into fair territory.
- A screen was erected in front of the right field pavilion in mid-season 1929 running from the foul pole out about halfway to center. This screen was taken down for the 1955 season but re-erected in 1956.
Largest Crowds:
- (1875-1877)–9,000, July 5. 1876, vs. Chicago
- (1882-1892)–17,439, June 6, 1891, vs. Boston
- (1902-1908)–26,652, September 6, 1908, vs. Detroit
- (1909-1925)–28,159, September 18, 1922, vs. Yankees
- (1936-1966)–45,770, July 17, 1931, vs. Cubs
Red Stocking Park
Location: The block bounded by Market Street. Compton Avenue, the Missouri Pacific Railroad, and Theresa Avenue.
Used by: St. Louis Red Stockings NA 1875
Names: Compton Avenue Park
Field Orientation:
- home plate in southeast corner
- first base line paralleled Compton
- third base line paralleled the railroad tracks
- left field fence paralleled Theresa
- right field fence paralleled Market
Structure: A small grandstand curved behind home plate running about 100 feet to the north and eighty feet to the west. Seating capacity was under 1,000.
Notes:
- Opened by Thomas McNeary, owner of the Red Stockings, on April 30, 1874.
- Site of St. Louis first regular season professional league game, May 4, 1875. The St. Louis
Brown Stockings beat the Red Stockings, 15-9. - Used by amateur and semi-pro clubs until torn down in 1898.
Union Park
Location: The block bounded by Jefferson Avenue, Mullanphy Street. 25th Street, and Cass Avenue.
Used by:
- St. Louis Unions UA 1884
- St. Louis Maroons NL 1885-1886
Names: Union Grounds
Field Orientation:
- home plate in northwest corner
- first base line paralleled Jefferson
- third base line paralleled Mullanphy
- left field fence paralleled 25th Street
- right field fence paralleled Cass
Structure: The grandstand was in the northwest corner and ran about halfway to Cass and to 25th. There were a couple of rows of prime seats on the roof. There was a three-story clubhouse in the right field corner.
Notes:
- This was said to be one of the prettiest parks of its era, called the Palace park of America by one gushing St. Louis sportswriter. However comfortable the grandstand may have been, the playing field was extremely small, with a left field line less than 250 feet long and a right field line less than 300 feet. The short fence in left field had a screen atop it to cut down on cheap home runs.
- A fire started by Fourth of July fireworks in 1885, did serious damage to the clubhouse but did not cause any games to be postponed.
- Torn down in 1888.
Robison Field
Location: The block bounded by Vandeventer Avenue, Natural Bridge Avenue, Prairie Avenue, and Lexington Avenue
Used by:
- St. Louis Cardinals NL, 1893-June 6, 1920 (team called the Browns 1893 thru 1898)
Names:
- Sportsman’s Park (II). 1893-1898
- League Park 1899-1911
- Robison Field 1912-1916
- Cardinal Field 1917-1920
Field orientation:
- home plate in northwest corner
- first base line paralleled Vandeventer
- third base line paralleled Natural Bridge
- left field fence paralleled Prairie
- right field line paralleled Lexington
Structure: The park featured a curved grandstand in the northwest corner, a slightly smaller, curved stand down the first base line, bleachers down the third base line, and more bleachers along left field. Two disastrous fires, one on April 12, 1898, and the other on May 5, 1901, destroyed the main grandstand, but each time basic layout was preserved when the park was reconstructed. In 1902 a narrow bleachers was built along the right field fence.
Notes:
- Largest crowd: 28,000 on August 29,1914, vs. Braves
- The field was one of the largest in baseball with vast amounts of foul territory and a left field line about 470 feet long.
- Only one fly-ball home run was ever hit into the left field bleachers, that by Rogers Hornsby on September 19, 1919.
- In contrast, the right field line was short, and the bleachers there had a screen in front.
- A short picket fence was put across left field in 1896 and 1897.
Busch Stadium
Location: The block bounded by Seventh Street, Walnut Street, Broadway, and Spruce Street.
Used by: St. Louis Cardinals NL, May 1966-present
Names:
- Busch Memorial Stadium (1966-1981)
- Busch Stadium (II)
Field orientation:
- home plate in the western end of the park
- third base line approximately parallels Walnut
- first base line approximately parallels Seventh
- the outfield fence runs along the Broadway side
Structure: The park consists of an upper deck circling the entire field, a middle deck with sealing around the field except for the outfield between the power alleys, bleachers in the central portion of the outfield, and field level box seats occupying foul territory.
Notes:
- Largest crowds: 55,347 on October 20, 21, 22, 1987 vs. Minnesota
- An inner fence was built from power alley to power alley in 1973 to reduce the home run distance by 10 feet. It was taken down in 1977.
- Another inner fence was built in 1992 from foul line to foul line, reducing the home run distance in center field by 12 feet.
FEDERAL LEAGUE PARKS
University Field
Location: On Oakland Avenue just west of Lawn Avenue, University Field was used by the Federal League St. Louis Terriers in 1913. Field orientation and structure are unknown.
Federal League Park
Location: On the block bounded by Grand Avenue, Laclede Avenue, Theresa Avenue, and Clark Avenue.
Used by: St. Louis Terriers FL 1914-1915
Field orientation:
- grandstand in northwest corner
- first base line paralleled Grand
- third base line paralleled Laclede
- left field fence paralleled Theresa
- right field fence paralleled Clark
Structure: There was a single-decked grandstand running from just past third base around behind the plate and out to the right field corner. The only bleachers were along the left field fence. Down the left field line there were no stands because the house lots on Laclede ran nearly to the foul line.
Notes:
- Largest crowd: 18,000 on September 12, 1915 vs. Newark
- The park was an amusement park called Handlan’s Park both before and after the ballpark existed.
- The right field line was less than 300 feet long because of the existence of houses along Clark and a public alley behind them.
NEGRO LEAGUE PARKS
Giants Park
Location: The block bounded by North Broadway, Clarence Street, Prescott Avenue, and Holly Avenue
Names: Tigers Park, 1923
Used by:
- St. Louis Giants NNL 1920-1921
- St. Louis Stars NNL May 30 to June 21, 1922
Field orientation:
- Home plate in northwest corner
- First base line paralleled Broadway
- Third base line paralleled Clarence
- Left field fence paralleled Prescott
- Right field fence paralleled Holly
Notes:
- Opened May 3, 1919
- Largest crowd: about 7,000 for an exhibition game versus the Cardinals, October 10, 1920
- Hosted a post-season series between the white National League Cardinals and the Negro National League Giants in 1920. These two teams played another post-season series in Sportsman’s Park in 1921.
- Taken over by the St. Louis Tigers of the Negro Southern League in 1922, but also used by the NNL Stars in 1922 until the Stars new park was opened in mid-season.
Stars Park
Location: The block bounded by Market Street, Compton Avenue, Laclede Avenue, and Effingham Avenue. The Park occupied only one corner of this block, with Vashon High School occupying the eastern half, and a street car barn occupying the northern half of the western part of the block.
Used by: St. Louis Stars NNL July 9, 1922-1931
Field Orientation:
- home plate in southwest corner
- first base line paralleled Market
- third base line paralleled Compton
- left field fence paralleled Laclede
Notes:
- Largest crowd: 14,218 for game vs. Chicago American Giants, August 23, 1925.
- The streetcar barn in left was less than 250 feet from the plate, making this an easy home run.
- Had the first permanent lights for night baseball in St. Louis, beginning on September 2, 1930.
Metropolitan Park
Location: The same block as Giants Park
Used by: St. Louis Stars NNL 1937
Field Orientation: same as Giants Park
Southside Park
Location: The block bounded on the west by Kingshighway Blyd., and on the north by Kemper Avenue.
Used by: St. Louis Stars NAL 1939
Names: National Nite Baseball Park
Notes
- The 1939 Stars played their last game in St. Louis on July 27, and then moved their home games to Mound, Illinois (near Cairo).
- Home plate was in the northwest corner.