Bush Stadium

Bush Stadium

Full name	Owen J. Bush Stadium
Former names	Perry Stadium (1931–1942) Victory Field (1942–1967)
Location	1501 West 16th Street Indianapolis, IN 46202
Owner	Indianapolis Indians (1931-1967) City of Indianapolis (1967-2001)
Operator	Indianapolis Indians (1931-1967) Indianapolis Parks Department (1967-2001)
Capacity	15,000 (1931–1937) 13,000 (1938–1946) 13,254 (1947–1979) 12,934 (1980–1996)
Field size	Left Field – 335 ft (102 m) Left Center Field – 350 ft (110 m) Deep Left Center – 405 ft (123 m) Center Field Inner Fence – 395 ft (120 m) Deep Right Center – 405 ft (123 m) Right Center Field – 350 ft (110 m) Right Field – 335 ft (102 m)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	1931
Opened	September 5, 1931
Closed	2001
Construction cost	$500,000 ($7.78 million in 2016 dollars[1])
Architect	Pierre & Wright Osborn Engineering Company
Tenants
Indianapolis Indians (AA/IL/PCL) (1931–1996) Indianapolis Clowns (NAL) (1944–1950) Indianapolis Capitols (CnFL) (1968–1969)
Bush Stadium
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates	39°47′17″N 86°11′19″W / 39.78806°N 86.18861°W / 39.78806; -86.18861Coordinates: 39°47′17″N 86°11′19″W / 39.78806°N 86.18861°W / 39.78806; -86.18861
Built	1931
Architect	Pierre & Wright; Osborn Engineering Company
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP Reference #	95000703 [2]
Added to NRHP	June 26, 1995

Owen J. Bush Stadium is the name of a former baseball stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was home to the Indianapolis Indians from 1931 to 1996. It was also home to a few Negro League teams, as well as a Continental Football League team, the Indianapolis Capitols, who won the league championship in 1969.

The stadium started life as Perry Stadium, named for club owner Norm Perry, who built it in 1931. The Indians played their first game in the ballpark on September 5, 1931.^[3] It was renamed Victory Field in 1942 in reference to World War II. In 1967 the ballpark was sold to the city of Indianapolis, who leased it back to the Indians. Later that same year it was renamed for former major league baseball player and Indianapolis native Donie Bush, who had served as president of the Indians from 1955 to 1969.^[4]

Bush Stadium had ivy growing on its brick walls, as with Wrigley Field and Forbes Field. In 1987 it was dressed up in different ways to be used as the stand-in for both Comiskey Park and Crosley Field during the filming of Eight Men Out, which was about the "Black Sox Scandal", the throwing of the 1919 World Series. It was vacated by the ballclub when they moved to the new downtown ballpark Victory Field in mid-season 1996. The official site states that the older Victory Field was given that name "celebrating the United States’ victory in World War II". Since the name was first used in 1942, it would originally have been intended to encourage victory (as with the famous victory gardens).

Indianapolis hosted the Pan Am Games in 1987 and the baseball events were held at Bush Stadium.

In 1997, Tony George, president of the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leased the property and converted it into a dirt track named the 16th Street Speedway for midget car auto racing. The ivy was removed from the outfield walls around this time. As happened with a similar venture involving Philadelphia's Baker Bowl several decades earlier, the auto racing venture failed (after two years). The property closed and the stadium fell into disrepair, with no apparent future. The Indy Parks Department had control of the land, which was zoned as a park. At the time, it was estimated that renovations, which would include removal of asbestos and lead paint, could cost around $10 million.

Between 2008 and 2011 the Stadium was used as a storage site for cars traded in as part of the Cash for Clunkers program.

In 2011 it was proposed the stadium be turned into an apartment complex, and on March 15, 2012 demolition began on portions of the 81-year-old structure. ^[5] The 138 loft units were completely leased when the complex opened on July 27, 2013. The dirt portion of the infield has now been paved with stamped red concrete, but the lights that lit up the field at night still stand. Much of the exterior facade has been preserved, and many of the historic features, such as the owner's suite and the ticket booth, have been incorporated into the loft apartments. There are studio, one, and two bedroom units in the complex. The cost of the project was $13 million, of which the city funded $5 million. Construction of an additional 144 flats is underway and scheduled to open in August 2014. ^[6]

Dimensions

Original

• Left Field – 350 ft (110 m)
• Center Field Corner – 500 ft (150 m)
• Right Field – 350 ft (110 m)

Later

• Left Field – 335 ft (102 m)
• Left Center Field – 350 ft (110 m)
• Center Field Corner – 470 ft (140 m)
• Right Center Field – 350 ft (110 m)
• Right Field – 335 ft (102 m)

Final

• Left Field – 335 ft (102 m)
• Left Center Field – 350 ft (110 m)
• Deep Left Center – 405 ft (123 m)
• Center Field Inner Fence – 395 ft (120 m)
• Deep Right Center – 405 ft (123 m)
• Right Center Field – 350 ft (110 m)
• Right Field – 335 ft (102 m)

References

Footnotes

Sources

• Ballparks of North America, by Michael Benson.

External links

• Minor league ballparks page
• Recent USGS aerial showing post-baseball layout
• Decaying Diamond by IndyStar
• Official site of the new Victory Field
• Photos of the interior in 2011 from Abandoned Indiana
• Stadium lofts story
• Stadium lofts promo