List of jewel box baseball parks

Jewel box is a term sometimes used in reference to the group of Major League Baseball ballparks built (or re-built) primarily between 1909 and 1915, after the wooden ballpark era and before the modern multipurpose stadium era. These parks featured two-tier grandstand design to take advantage of the steel structural supports and often squeezed inside a city block bringing fans right on top of the action. The "retro" ballparks constructed in the 1990s were an attempt to capture, to some degree, the perceived intimacy and baseball-focus of these parks.

Jewel box ballparks by city

Here is a list of the Jewel Box ballparks, their dates of use as a Major League Baseball facility^ (see note below), and some indication of their remnants, if known:

Boston

Brooklyn

  • Ebbets Field (1913–1957) – Plaque marking its location. Apartment building on site.

Chicago

Cincinnati

Cleveland

  • League Park (1910–1946) – Ticket office, part of grandstand wall, and ballfield. (Remnant of first-base grandstand was razed ca. 2005).

Detroit

  • Navin Field/Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium (1912–1999) – Abandoned for MLB but stood for nearly nine years. Demolition began summer 2008. After plans for saving the field and the dugout-to-dugout portion of the stands fell through in June 2009, demolition continued, and was completed at the end of the year. The ballfield and outfield flagpole remain in place. They are unofficially maintained by a group of volunteers known as the Navin Field Grounds Crew. The field is available for anyone who would like to play a pick up game of baseball or just a game of catch.

New York

  • Polo Grounds (mid 1911–1957, 1962–1963) – Plaque marking its location, along with parts of old stairway down from Speedway. Apartment building on site.
  • Yankee Stadium (1923–1973, 1976–2008; significantly altered 1974–1975) – Demolition completed in 2010 for public parkland.

Philadelphia

  • Baker Bowl (1895–mid 1938) – A Pennsylvania Historical marker stands on Broad Street just north of West Huntingdon Street, Philadelphia. The marker is titled, "Baker Bowl National League Park".
  • Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium (1909–1970) – Plaque marking location. Church on site.

Pittsburgh

  • Forbes Field (mid 1909–mid 1970) – Parts of outfield walls and the flagpole exist at the original site; another part of the outfield wall now stands at the Pirates' current home of PNC Park; and home plate is preserved under lucite in Posvar Hall, a University of Pittsburgh academic building standing on most of the stadium site. (According to a story that circulated in later years, the original location of home plate was in a women's restroom at Posvar Hall, and the preserved home plate was moved so that all visitors could view it. Later research has debunked this story, but did confirm that the preserved home plate had been moved from its original location.)

St. Louis

  • Sportsman's Park (1909–early 1966) – Ballfield as part of Herbert Hoover Boys' Club on site.

Washington

^Unless otherwise noted, first and last years listed include entire baseball season in that year.

Night baseball – lights added

Jewel Box Parks were used during the era that saw the Major Leagues begin playing games at night. Below is a list of when each park had lights installed.

ParkYear lights were installed
Crosley Field1935
Ebbets Field1938
Connie Mack Stadium1939
Comiskey Park1939
Polo Grounds1940
Sportsman's Park1940
Forbes Field1940
Griffith Stadium1941
Braves Field1946
Yankee Stadium1946
Fenway Park1947
Tiger Stadium1948
Wrigley Field1988
Baker BowlNever
League ParkNever

The Cleveland Indians also played home games at Cleveland Stadium starting in 1932. They played their first night game at Cleveland Stadium in 1939.

Sources

  • Green Cathedrals, by Phil Lowry
  • Ballparks of North America, by Michael Benson
  • Lost Ballparks, by Lawrence Ritter
  • There are also various internet sites that contain photos of the remnants
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