Coogan's Bluff

Coogan’s Bluff - 1908 game between the Cubs and the Giants

"The name of the 115-foot-high craggy ridge or cliff behind the Polo Grounds in New York City , under which the backstop and seats behind home plate were situated. It was located on the fringe of Manhattan Island, bordering on the Harlem River at 157th Street and Eighth Avenue, where goats formerly grazed. Once synonymous with the name of the ballpark, it was sometimes also known 'Coogan's Hollow.' ETYMOLOGY. Named for James Coogan, a prominent merchant and Manhattan's first borough president in 1899."
Paul Dickson, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary

July 1913, the year after his death

"... Millions of fans used the John T. Brush Stairway from 1913 until the Mets, who played their first two seasons at the Polo Grounds, left Manhattan for Queens following the 1963 season. Few people have more vivid memories of the steps than Lucas, or a greater appreciation for their place in New York baseball history. For the past half-century, he's gained the admiration and respect of countless ballplayers as a blind sports journalist. The steps were named for the late Giants owner, who presided over the team from 1890 until his death in 1912. In fact, the third and final version of the Polo Grounds was called Brush Stadium from 1911, when it was reconstructed following a fire, until 1919. It was a name that never stuck. The concrete-and-steel ballpark replaced the earlier wooden version. Home plate was near the base of Coogan's Bluff, with the diamond facing east toward The Bronx, on the opposite side of the Harlem River. The outfield was a massive expanse, 483 feet from home plate to the clubhouse steps in dead center field."
MLB - Stairway to heaven: Polo Grounds steps coming back

New York map from 1897

"... Polo Grounds III was gradually modified to enclose the park entirely with bleachers; in its early days one could simply drive a carriage out to center field and watch the game from behind a rope since there was no fence. The park survived until April of 1911, when the park burned to the ground while the Giants were on the road. John McGraw and company briefly played in Hilltop Park—I’ll cover that in another column someday—while the Giants organization, headed by President John T. Brush (whom we’ll hear more about later), rebuilt the park. The newly rebuilt Polo Grounds (a small bit of the previous park survived the fire) opened in June of 1911, although the seating area continued to be built throughout the season. For a brief period the team attempted to name the park Brush Stadium in honor of the team president, but the name never took and was abandoned when Brush died in 1912."
The Hardball Times

Polo Ground, 1909

"At the southernmost end of Highbridge Park is a part of Washington Heights that has been neglected and disused because of the lack of pride that was once a part of baseball history. Coogan's Bluff played an important role in bringing the residents of Washington Heights and Harlem out on a warm afternoon to watch a baseball game without having to pay for it. The bluffs original boundaries extended from 155th Street to 160th Street and from Edgecombe Avenue to the Harlem River. There is also a deep escarpment that descends 175 feet from Edgecombe Avenue down to the Harlem River which creates a grassy knoll called Coogan's Hollow. Today the section of parkland known as Coogan's Bluff is only .08 acres. Coogan's Bluff was named in honor of James J. Coogan (1845-1915) who was the Manhattan Borough President from 1899 to 1901. Coogan was also an unsuccessful two-time candidate for the New York City mayoral race. Coogan, a real estate merchant, owned much of the property in the area that included the site of the Polo Grounds ballfield."
Coogans Bluff and the Polo Grounds

"Coogan's Bluff is the name of a promontory rising abruptly from the Harlem River in upper Manhattan in New York City. Starting at 155th Street, it is regarded as the boundary between the neighborhoods of Harlem and Washington Heights. The rise is named for James J. Coogan (1845-1915), a real estate owner and one-term Manhattan Borough President. Known as 'Coogan's Bluff" as early as 1893, the property passed on to his wife upon his passing."
Wikipedia