List of jewel box baseball parks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jewel Box is a term sometimes used in reference to the group of Major League Baseball parks built (or re-built) after the wooden ballpark era and before the modern multipurpose stadium era, during about 1908-1923. The "retro" ballparks constructed in the 1990s were an attempt to capture, to some degree, the perceived intimacy and baseball-focus of these parks.
Here is a list of them, and some indication of remnants, if known:
Boston
- Braves Field - Right field pavilion and concourse, as well as ticket office, survive as part of Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University.
- Fenway Park - Still standing as of 2008.
Brooklyn
- Ebbets Field - Plaque marking its location. Apartment building on site.
Chicago
- Comiskey Park - Outline of batters boxes with replica of home plate.
- Wrigley Field - Still standing as of 2008.
Cincinnati
- Crosley Field - Plaque and some old grandstand chair seats. Office park on site.
Cleveland
- League Park - Ticket office, part of grandstand wall, and ballfield. (Remnant of first-base grandstand was razed ca. 2005).
Detroit
- Tiger Stadium - Abandoned for MLB but still standing as of 2007. Plans call for demolition sometime in 2008.
New York
- Polo Grounds - Plaque marking its location, along with parts of old stairway down from Speedway. Apartment building on site.
- Yankee Stadium - Still standing as of 2007, though much altered in the early 1970s. Due for demolition after the 2008 baseball season, once the new stadium is completed.
Philadelphia
- Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium - Plaque marking its location. Church on site.
Pittsburgh
- Forbes Field - Parts of outfield walls, and home plate preserved under lucite. University of Pittsburgh academic building called Posvar Hall on site.
St. Louis
- Sportsman's Park - Ballfield as part of Herbert Hoover Boys' Club on site.
Washington
- Griffith Stadium - Plaque. Howard University hospital on site.
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.
| Park | year lights were installed |
|---|---|
| Crosley Field | 1935 |
| Ebbets Field | 1938 |
| Connie Mack Stadium | 1939 |
| Comiskey Park | 1939 |
| Polo Grounds | 1940 |
| Sportsman's Park | 1940 |
| Forbes Field | 1940 |
| Griffith Stadium | 1941 |
| Braves Field | 1946 |
| Yankee Stadium | 1946 |
| Fenway Park | 1946 |
| Tiger Stadium | 1948 |
| Wrigley Field | 1988 |
| League Park | never |
The Cleveland Indians also played home games at Cleveland Stadium starting in 1932. They played their first night game at Cleveland Stadium in 1939.
[edit] 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
