Washington Park (baseball)

Group of baseball parks in the New York City borough of Brooklyn

This article is about the baseball stadiums in Brooklyn, New York. For the stadium in Indianapolis, see Washington Park (Indianapolis). For the stadium in Los Angeles, see Washington Park (Los Angeles).

Washington Park

Entrance to the second incarnation of Washington Park, 1911

Washington Park

Location in New York City

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Washington Park

Location within the State of New York

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Washington Park

Location within the United States

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Address| Brooklyn, New York 11215
Coordinates| 40°40′26.3″N 73°59′08.6″W﻿ / ﻿40.673972°N 73.985722°W﻿ / 40.673972; -73.985722
Construction
Built|

* 1883 (first park)
* 1897–1898 (second park)
* 1914 (third park)

Opened|

* April 12, 1883 (1883-04-12) (first park)
* April 30, 1898 (1898-04-30) (second park)
* April 14, 1914 (1914-04-14) (third park)

Demolished|

* 1891 (first park)
* 1913 (second park)
* 1922 (third park)

Tenants

* (first park)
* Brooklyn Grays/Athletics/Bridegrooms (AA/NL) 1883–1890
* (second park)
* Brooklyn Superbas/Trolley Dodgers (NL) (1898–1912)
* (third park)
* Brooklyn Tip-Tops (FL) 1914–1915

Washington Park was the name given to three Major League Baseball parks on two different sites in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, located at the intersection of Third Street and Fourth Avenue. The two sites were diagonally opposite each other, on the southeast and northwest corners.

Gowanus House

The land on which the ballparks were built was itself known as "Washington Park" and originally consisted largely of an open green space which was flooded in the wintertime as a skating rink. It featured an old building then called the Gowanus House, which stands today, albeit largely reconstructed. Known today as the Old Stone House, it was used in Revolutionary times as an impromptu headquarters by General George Washington during the Battle of Long Island, during a delaying action by 400 Maryland troops against approximately 2000 British and Hessian troops that allowed a good portion of the Continental Army to retreat to fortified positions on Brooklyn Heights. Those events inspired the park's name, as well as that of the three major league ballparks that were to be built there.

Baseball first came to Washington Park in 1861, in the form of a winter baseball game played on skates. The Brooklyn Atlantics professionals took on the Charter Oak Base Ball Club, another Brooklyn-based team, before 15,000 spectators. The New York Times marveled at the skating skills of the players, insisting that the players "seemed to be quite as much at home (on the ice), and played as well on runners (skates) as when on terra firma." The Atlantics took the contest, 36–27.[1]

## First park

[edit]

Washington Park on Decoration Day (Memorial Day), May 30, 1887

The first ballpark was built in 1883, bounded by Third and Fifth Streets to the north and south, and Fourth and Fifth Avenues to the west and east. The Old Stone House was incorporated into the ballpark as a "Ladies' House" and storage. The wooden ballpark was the home of the Brooklyn baseball club during 1883–1891, with a slight interruption by a destructive fire in mid-May of the 1889 season. (Some sources, such as Retrosheet,[2] number the pre- and post-fire ballparks as separate entities.) The team's uniforms and equipment had been stored in the Old Stone House at the time and were spared.[3]

The 1888 Brooklyn Bridegrooms pose in front of the Washington Park grandstand

The team, originally known as the Brooklyn Grays for the color of their uniforms, started in a minor league in 1883. The following season they joined the then-major American Association. With the new league came a new name, the Atlantics in reference to the old Atlantics of Brooklyn, and they were known as the Bridegrooms by the time they switched to the National League in 1890.[4] Streetcar (trolley) tracks ran near the ballpark, inspiring the team nickname that ultimately stuck: Trolley Dodgers.[5]

Woodcut of baseball on ice in Washington Park, published in Harper's Weekly in 1884

The ice baseball fad resurfaced in the mid-1880s, leading writer Henry Chadwick to organize a series of games at Washington Park. Teams of professional ballplayers faced off against amateurs in January of 1884, ten to a side (the tenth player covering the park's short right field).[6][7]

In 1891, the Trolley Dodgers moved into the Players' League one-year-old ballpark, Eastern Park in Brownsville. The first Washington Park was demolished and its wooden grandstand transported to Eastern Park. The move itself proved to be ill-advised, and the Dodgers struggled to draw fans in their new neighborhood. They abandoned Eastern Park after six poorly attended seasons, moving back to Park Slope and building a new ballpark across the street from the site of their first.

## Second park

[edit]

Washington Park c. 1909

The second Washington Park[8] was bounded by First and Third Streets, and Third and Fourth Avenues. It was located at 40°40′30″N 73°59′10″W﻿ / ﻿40.67500°N 73.98611°W﻿ / 40.67500; -73.98611. The park seated 18,800. It consisted of a covered grandstand behind the infield and uncovered stand down the right field line. The Brooklyn National Leaguers, by then often called the "Superbas" as well as the "Dodgers", moved into this new ballpark in 1898, where they would play for the next 15 seasons. On April 30, 1898, the Dodgers played their first game at new Washington Park and 15,000 fans attended. One of the more unusual features of the Park was the aroma from nearby factories and Gowanus Canal, which was a block away and curled around two sides of the ballpark.[9]

Meanwhile, owner Charlie Ebbets slowly invested in the individual lots on a larger piece of property in Flatbush, which would become the site of Ebbets Field once he had the entire block. So in 1913, the Dodgers abandoned Washington Park. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle waxed nostalgic about the old ballpark, and speculated on what might happen to the property. It would turn out to have a brief reincarnation as the home of the Federal League club in 1914 and 1915.

Washington Park #2 demolition

## Third park

[edit]

Flag raising at Washington Park on April 10, 1915. Washington Park's scoreboard stood on "legs", visible in this photo. The legs were in play, so center fielders had to run under the scoreboard to retrieve baseballs.[10] Much of the wall visible in this photo still stands at 3rd Avenue and 1st Street. The remaining wall of Washington Park in 2011

The Brooklyn Tip-Tops or "BrookFeds" of the Federal League, the only major league team ever named for a loaf of bread, acquired the ballpark property in 1914, then rebuilt the second Washington Park in steel and concrete. The old park took on a modern appearance; in fact, it was nearly a duplicate of the initial version of another Federal League park in Chicago that would become Wrigley Field. However, with the Dodgers in a new and somewhat more spacious steel-and-concrete home already, Ebbets Field, there was no long-term need for Washington Park, so it was abandoned for the final time after the Federal League ended its two-year run.

Part of the left center field wall of this final Washington Park still stands on the east side of 3rd Avenue, south of 1st Street, as part of a Con Edison yard.[11][12]

## Dimensions

[edit]

(The Second Washington Park between 1st Street and 3rd Street)

* Left field – 335 ft (1898), 375.95 ft (1908), 300 ft (1914)
* Left center field – 500 ft (1898), 443.5 ft (1908)
* Center field – 445 ft (1898), 424.7 ft (1908), 400 ft (1914)
* Right center field – 300 ft (1898)
* Right field – 215 ft (1898), 295 ft (1899), 301.84 ft (1908), 275 ft (1914)
* Backstop – 90 ft (1898), 15 ft (1908)

## Fences

[edit]

* Left field to center field – 12 ft.
* Right field – 42 ft (13 ft. brick fence topped by 29 ft. of canvas)

Relative locations of the two ballpark sites

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "A Game of Base Ball Played on Skates". The. 5 February 1861. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
2. ^ "The 1889 Brooklyn Bridegrooms". Retrosheet. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
3. ^ "BrooklynBallparks".
4. ^ "BrooklynBallparks".
5. ^ "History Hilights: 1890s". Los Angeles Dodgers. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
6. ^ Landers, Chris (3 December 2017). "The 19th century's cure for the offseason blues? They used to play baseball on ice". Cut4. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
7. ^ "BASE-BALL ON SKATES" (PDF). The New York Times. 13 January 1884. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
8. ^ Washington Park II at ballparks.com
9. ^ Snyder, John (2010). 365 Oddball Days in Dodgers History. United States: Clerisy Press. p. 384\. ISBN 978-1578604524..
10. ^ Lowry, Philip (2006). Green Cathedrals. Walker & Company. p. 37\. ISBN 978-0-8027-1608-8.
11. ^ Martin, Douglas (November 2, 1997). "Last Vestige of the Dodgers in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
12. ^ "Used to Be a Ballpark Right Here (And Still Is)". Forgotten New York. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved 2010-04-18 - via Wayback Machine.

* Green Cathedrals, by Phil Lowry. Society for American Baseball Research (June 1986). ISBN 0-910137-21-8

## External links

[edit]

* Brooklyn Ballparks page on Washington Park
* First Washington Park, from Sanborn map, 1888
* Second Washington Park, from Sanborn map, 1906

Links to related articles

| Preceded by

first ballpark
Eastern Park

|  Home of the Brooklyn Dodgers
1884–1890
1898–1912  | Succeeded by

* Eastern Park
* Ebbets Field

|
|

* v
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Los Angeles Dodgers

* Established in 1884
* Formerly the Brooklyn Robins and the Brooklyn Dodgers
* Based in Los Angeles, California

Franchise|

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Ballparks|

* Washington Park
* Eastern Park
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* Washington Park
* Ebbets Field
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* Dodger Stadium
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* Latta Park Baseball Field
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Culture|

* Dodger Dog
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| Notable figures|

* Nancy Bea Hefley
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|

Lore|

* Chronicle-Telegraph Cup
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Rivalries|

* Arizona Diamondbacks
* Los Angeles Angels
* New York Yankees
* Subway Series (historically)
* San Diego Padres
* San Francisco Giants
* St. Louis Cardinals

Key personnel|

* Owner: Guggenheim Baseball Management
* President: Stan Kasten
* President of Baseball Operations: Andrew Friedman
* General Manager: Brandon Gomes
* Manager: Dave Roberts

World Series
Championships (8)|

* 1955
* 1959
* 1963
* 1965
* 1981
* 1988
* 2020
* 2024

League pennants
(26)|

* American Association: 1889
* National League: 1890
* 1899
* 1900
* 1916
* 1920
* 1941
* 1947
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* 1952
* 1953
* 1955
* 1956
* 1959
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Division titles (22)|

* 1974
* 1977
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* 1981 (first half)
* 1983
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* 1988
* 1995
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* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Wild card berths (3)|

* 1996
* 2006
* 2021

Minor league affiliates|

* Triple-A: Oklahoma City Comets
* Double-A: Tulsa Drillers
* High-A: Great Lakes Loons
* Single-A: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
* Rookie: Arizona Complex League Dodgers
* Dominican Summer League Dodgers
* Minor League Rosters

Seasons (142)

1880s|

* 1880 · 1881 · 1882 ·  1883
* 1884
* 1885
* 1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889

1890s|

* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899

1900s|

* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909

1910s|

* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919

1920s|

* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
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* 1926
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* 1928
* 1929

1930s|

* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939

1940s|

* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949

1950s|

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959

1960s|

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

1970s|

* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

1980s|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
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* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

1990s|

* 1990
* 1991
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2000s|

* 2000
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2010s|

* 2010
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2020s|

* 2020
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* 2025

* v
* t
* e

Federal League

Teams|

* Baltimore Terrapins
* Brooklyn Tip-Tops
* Buffalo Blues
* Chicago Whales
* Cleveland Green Sox
* Covington Blue Sox
* Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Peppers
* Kansas City Packers
* Pittsburgh Stogies/Rebels
* St. Louis Terriers

Stadiums|

* Exposition Park
* Federal League Park
* Gordon and Koppel Field
* Handlan's Park
* Harrison Park
* International Fair Association Grounds
* Luna Park
* Terrapin Park
* Washington Park
* Weeghman Park

Related|

* Federal Baseball Club v. National League
* James A. Gilmore

* v
* t
* e

Sports venues in the New York metropolitan area

Active|

| The Bronx|

* Coffey Field
* Draddy Gymnasium
* Gaelic Park
* Ohio Field
* Reinhart Field
* Rose Hill Gymnasium
* Van Cortlandt Park
* Yankee Stadium

|

Brooklyn|

* Aviator Sports and Events Center
* Barclays Center
* Brooklyn Street Circuit
* Maimonides Park
* Generoso Pope Athletic Complex
* Steinberg Wellness Center

Manhattan|

* Chelsea Piers
* Commisso Soccer Stadium
* Icahn Stadium
* John McEnroe Tennis Academy
* Levien Gymnasium
* Madison Square Garden
* Wien Stadium
* Rucker Park
* Sportime Stadium
* Fort Washington Avenue Armory

Queens|

* Aqueduct Racetrack
* Belson Stadium
* Carnesecca Arena
* Citi Field
* Flushing Meadows Natatorium
* Jack Kaiser Stadium
* Metropolitan Oval
* USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
* Arthur Ashe Stadium
* Louis Armstrong Stadium
* West Side Tennis Club

Staten Island|

* SIUH Community Park
* Spiro Sports Center
* Staten Island Cricket Club
* Wagner College Stadium

Nassau|

* Belmont Park
* Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium
* Eisenhower Park
* Hofstra Arena
* Island Garden
* James M. Shuart Stadium
* Mitchel Athletic Complex
* Nassau County Aquatic Center
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
* UBS Arena

Suffolk|

* Baseball Heaven
* Fairfield Properties Ballpark
* Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium
* Island Federal Credit Union Arena
* Joe Nathan Field
* Pritchard Gymnasium
* Riverhead Raceway

New Jersey|

* Arm & Hammer Park
* Asbury Park Convention Hall
* Bogota Savings Bank Center
* CURE Insurance Arena
* Freehold Raceway
* Hinchliffe Stadium
* Jadwin Gymnasium
* Jersey City Armory
* Jersey Mike's Arena
* Mennen Arena
* Meadowlands Sports Complex
* Meadowlands Racetrack
* MetLife Stadium
* Monmouth Park Racetrack
* MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
* Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
* Princeton Stadium
* Prudential Center
* Red Bull Arena
* Richard J. Codey Arena
* Roberts Stadium
* SHI Stadium
* ShoreTown Ballpark
* TD Bank Ballpark
* Wall Township Speedway
* Wellness and Events Center
* Yanitelli Center
* Yogi Berra Stadium
* Yurcak Field

Hudson Valley|

* Clover Stadium
* Fleming Field
* Joseph F. Fosina Stadium
* Rockland Lake State Park
* Westchester County Center
* Yonkers Raceway

Defunct|

| The Bronx|

* Bronx Coliseum
* Fleetwood Park Racetrack
* Jerome Park Racetrack
* Morris Park Racecourse
* New York Velodrome
* Yankee Stadium (1923)

|

Brooklyn|

* Brighton Beach Race Course
* Capitoline Grounds
* Commercial Field
* Coney Island Velodrome
* Eastern Park
* Ebbets Field
* Gravesend Race Track
* Sheepshead Bay Race Track
* Union Grounds
* Washington Park

Manhattan|

* 69th Regiment Armory
* 181st Street Ice Palace
* Downing Stadium
* Coles Sports and Recreation Center
* Governors Island Golf Course
* Hilltop Park
* Lewisohn Stadium
* Madison Square Garden (1879)
* Madison Square Garden (1890)
* Madison Square Garden (1925)
* Metropolitan Park
* Polo Grounds
* St. Nicholas Rink

Queens|

* Dexter Park
* Jamaica Racetrack
* Louis Armstrong Stadium (1978–2016)
* Madison Square Garden Bowl
* Ridgewood Park
* Shea Stadium
* Singer Bowl
* Sunnyside Garden Arena
* Union Course

Staten Island|

* Bloomingdale Park
* St. George Cricket Grounds
* Thompson Stadium

Long Island|

* Freeport Municipal Stadium
* Island Garden (Original)
* Islip Speedway
* Long Island Arena
* Roosevelt Raceway
* Suffolk Meadows

New Jersey|

* Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium
* Boyle's Thirty Acres
* Elysian Fields
* Giants Stadium
* Harrison Park
* Meadowlands Arena
* Newark Schools Stadium
* Newark Velodrome
* Palmer Stadium
* Roosevelt Stadium
* Ruppert Stadium
* Rutgers Stadium (1938)

Proposed|

* New York City FC stadium

Never built|

* Bergen Ballpark
* Proposed domed Brooklyn Dodgers stadium
* Kingsbridge National Ice Center
* The Lighthouse Project
* New York Cosmos Stadium
* Port Imperial Street Circuit
* West Side Stadium

* v
* t
* e

Wooden ballparks

Major League Baseball
(modern)|

| American
League|

* American League Park (Senators; Washington, D.C.)
* Bennett Park (Tigers; Detroit)
* Columbia Park (Athletics; Philadelphia)
* Hilltop Park (Highlanders; Manhattan)
* Huntington Avenue Grounds (Americans; Boston)
* Kennard Street Park (Blues; Cleveland)
* League Park (Indians; Cleveland)
* Lloyd Street Grounds (Brewers; Milwaukee)
* Oriole Park IV (Orioles; Baltimore)
* South Side Park (White Sox; Chicago)

|

National
League|

* Eastern Park (Grooms; Brooklyn)
* Exposition Park (Pirates; Pittsburgh)
* National League Park (Phillies; Philadelphia)
* Palace of the Fans (Reds; Cincinnati)
* Polo Grounds (Gothams and Giants; Manhattan)
* Robison Field (Cardinals; St. Louis)
* South End Grounds (Beaneaters; Boston)
* South Side Park (Colts; Chicago)
* Washington Park (Grays and Superbas; Brooklyn)
* West Side Park (White Stockings and Cubs; Chicago)

American Association
(19th century)|

* League Park (Spiders; Cleveland)
* National League Park (Spiders; Cleveland)
* Oriole Park (Orioles; Baltimore)
* Polo Grounds I (Metropolitans; Manhattan)
* Recreation Park (Pittsburgh Alleghenys; Allegheny, Pennsylvania)

National League
(19th century)|

* National League Park (Blues; Cleveland)
* Recreation Park (Wolverines; Detroit)
* Recreation Park (Pittsburgh Alleghenys/Innocents; Allegheny, Pennsylvania)

Minor league parks|

* Russwood Park (Memphis Chicks)

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