Friday, February 15, 2013

Columbia Park

1905 World Series game at Columbia Park.
"Columbia Park or Columbia Avenue Grounds was a baseball stadium that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first home of the Philadelphia Athletics baseball team from the team's founding in 1901 until their move to Shibe Park in 1909. Columbia Park was on the block bordered by North 29th Street, Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Avenue), North 30th Street, and Oxford Street in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia (beer sales were prohibited in the park). The cost of construction was $35,000. The stadium was very small, and originally had a seating capacity of only 9,500. This was eventually increased to 13,600 by the addition of bleacher seating in the outfield. During some sold out games, unofficial additional seating could be found on top of the adjoining homes. There was only one dressing room, for the home team; visiting teams had to change at their hotels. The opening game in Columbia Park was held on April 26, 1901, after the first two games were rained out. The Athletics played the Washington Nationals (Senators) in front of an overflow crowd of 10,524, with some fans standing on the outfield walls and the roofs of nearby houses. The Athletics lost 5-1, despite three hits by second baseman Nap Lajoie."
Wikipedia

Columbia Park in 1907.
"Columbia Park was located in the Brewerytown area of Philadelphia, PA and was three miles northwest of Independence Hall. The park was built of wood and had a single-decked, covered grandstand that formed a semicircle from first base to third base. Bleachers stretched along the foul lines, and a press box sat atop the grandstand roof. The park did not have dugouts, so players sat on benches on the sides of the field. In 1902, the Athletics won the American League pennant and drew large crowds to Columbia Park. The following year, the Philadelphia Phillies finished their season here after some stands in their stadium, Baker Bowl, collapsed. On October 9, 1905, almost 18,000 fans showed up here for a World Series game, but the Athletics lost the series in five games. After the 1908 season, the Athletics left Columbia Park for new Shibe Park, and the park's sod was transplanted to the team's new home."
Baseball Reference

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