Westgate Park
Westgate Park was a former baseball stadium located in San Diego, California. The ballpark was home to the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League from 1958 to 1967.
The ballpark was located in the Mission Valley region of San Diego. A 2004 Union-Tribune source gives the location as Friars Road at State Route 163, the northeast corner of what is now the Fashion Valley Mall.
Westgate was built to replace the deteriorating Lane Field. Constructed for $1 million in private funds by Padres owner C. Arnholt Smith, it was a modern stadium with a capacity of 8,268 fans, with an eye to be expanded to major league size (up to 40,000) if necessary.
The first Padres games played in Westgate were on April 28, 1958, a day-night doubleheader versus the Phoenix Giants. The afternoon game attracted 4,619 fans, while the nightcap attracted 7,129 fans.
However, the American Football League's San Diego Chargers were demanding a new stadium to replace Balboa Stadium, a structure dating from about 1915. With major league baseball soon to arrive, the city decided to build a single, multi-purpose stadium for both baseball and football. The new facility was initially called San Diego Stadium. In 1980 it was renamed San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium to honor local sportswriter Jack Murphy, who had recently died. Murphy had been instrumental in building support for the stadium and bringing both the NFL and MLB to San Diego. In 1997 the facility was renamed Qualcomm Stadium after the prominent San Diego-based company purchased the naming rights.
The announcement spelled the end of dreams of expansion for Westgate. The minor league Padres played the 1968 season in the cavernous (by PCL standards) new stadium, also knowing they were a lame duck, with the major league San Diego Padres set to begin play the next year. Plans for Fashion Valley Mall were unveiled in December 1967, and Westgate was razed by 1969.
External links
- Aerial photo of Westgate Park
- Union-Tribune article about San Diego ballparks (2004)
- Union-Tribune article about Westgate Park (2009)
Coordinates: 32°46′9″N 117°9′48″W / 32.76917°N 117.16333°W