Palace of the Fans
| League Park III | |
 |
|
| Former names | League Park (1884–1901) |
|---|---|
| Location | Findlay St. & McLean Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 39°7′1″N 84°32′12″W / 39.11694°N 84.53667°WCoordinates: 39°7′1″N 84°32′12″W / 39.11694°N 84.53667°W |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Field size |
Left Field - 360 ft (109.7 m) Left-Center - 418 ft (127.4 m) Center Field - 400 ft (121.9 m) Right-Center - 375 ft (114.3 m) Right Field - 450 ft (137.2 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1901 |
| Opened | April 17, 1902 |
| Closed | October 6, 1911 |
| Demolished | 1911 |
| Tenants | |
| Cincinnati Reds (MLB) (1902–1911) | |
Palace of the Fans was a Major League baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home of the Cincinnati Reds from 1902 through 1911. The ballpark was on an asymmetrical block bounded by Findlay Street (south), Western Avenue (northeast, angling), York Street (north) and McLean Avenue (west).
The "Findlay and Western" intersection was the home field of the Reds from 1884 through June 24, 1970, when the team moved to Riverfront Stadium. The location of the diamond and consequently the main grandstand seating area was shifted several times during the 86½ seasons that the Reds played there. The Palace of the Fans was actually the second of three parks that stood on the site:
In 1900, the southwest grandstand of League Park, the home of the Reds since their days in the American Association, burned to the ground. The Reds were forced to spend most of May and June on the road while League Park was reconfigured to move the grandstand to its old location in the southeast corner. However, Reds owner John Brush decided to build a new grandstand for the 1901 season.
The Palace of the Fans, so audaciously named, also presented a striking appearance. Designed in a neo-classic style reminiscent of Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Palace featured an extravagant facade, with 22 hand-carved Corinthian columns with elaborate details at the top, and opera-style private boxes in front of the covered grandstand. The grandstand actually sat atop carriage stalls so that the wealthy could simply drive directly to the game, an early precursor of "luxury suites". It was built mostly of concrete, and was the second park (after Baker Bowl in Philadelphia) to use concrete for the bulk of its construction.
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