Sportsman's Park
circa 1961
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| Former names |
Grand Avenue Ball Grounds (1867–1880)* *Previous ballpark located on this site Busch Stadium (1953–1966) |
|---|---|
| Location | Sullivan Ave. 3623 Dodier St. (Cardinals) & 2911 N Grand Blvd (Browns). St Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°39′29″N 90°13′12″W / 38.658°N 90.220°WCoordinates: 38°39′29″N 90°13′12″W / 38.658°N 90.220°W |
| Owner |
St. Louis Cardinals (1953–1966) St. Louis Browns (1902–1953) |
| Operator | St. Louis Cardinals (1953–1966) St. Louis Browns (1902–1953) |
| Capacity | 30,500 (1953–1966) 34,000 (1948–1952) 31,250 (1947) 34,023 (1926–1946) 24,040 (1910–1925) 17,600 (1909) 8,000 (1902–1908) |
| Field size |
Left Field: 351 ft (107 m) Left-Center: 379 ft (116 m) Deepest corner (just left of dead center): 426 ft (130 m) Deepest corner (just right of dead center): 422 ft (129 m) Right-Center: 354 ft (108 m) Right Field: 310 ft (94 m) Backstop: 68 ft (21 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1880 |
| Opened | April 23, 1902 |
| Renovated | 1909 |
| Expanded | 1909 1922 1926 |
| Closed | May 8, 1966 |
| Demolished | 1966 |
| Construction cost | US$300,000 ($8.3 million in 2017 dollars) $500,000 (1925 refurbishment) |
| Architect | Osborn Engineering Company |
| Tenants | |
| (NA / NL) (1875–1877) St. Louis Brown Stockings (AA) (1882–1893) St. Louis Browns (AL) (1902–1953) St. Louis Cardinals (NL) (1920–1966) St. Louis All Stars (NFL) (1923) St. Louis Gunners (NFL) (1934) St. Louis Soccer League (1935–1936) St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) (1960–1965) |
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Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in the central United States, in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on the north side of the city.
From 1920–1953, Sportsman's Park was the home field of both the St. Louis Browns of the American League, and the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League, after which the Browns departed to become the modern-day Baltimore Orioles. The physical street address was 2911 North Grand Boulevard. This ballpark (by then known as Busch Stadium, but still commonly called Sportsman's Park) was also the home of the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League from 1960 through 1965, after the team's relocation from Chicago and before Busch Memorial Stadium opened its doors in 1966. In 1923, the stadium hosted St. Louis's first NFL team, the St. Louis All-Stars.
Baseball was played on the Sportsman's Park site as early as 1867. The tract was acquired in 1866 by August Solari, who began staging games there the following year. It was the home of the in the National Association and the National League from 1875 to 1877. Originally called the Grand Avenue Ball Grounds. Some sources say the field was renamed Sportsman's Park in 1876, although local papers were not using that name until 1881. The local papers also still used the alternate name "Grand Avenue Park" until at least 1885. The first grandstand—one of three on the site—was built in 1881. At that time, the diamond and the grandstands were on the southeast corner of the block, for the convenience of fans arriving from Grand Avenue. The park was leased by the then-major American Association entry, the St. Louis "Brown Stockings", or "Browns". The Browns were a very strong team in the mid-1880s, but their success waned. When the National League absorbed the strongest of the old Association teams in 1892, the Browns were brought along. Soon they went looking for a new ballpark, finding a site just a few blocks northwest of the old one, and calling it New Sportsman's Park, which was later renamed Robison Field. They also changed team colors from Brown to Cardinal Red, thus acquiring a new nickname, and leaving their previous team colors available, as well as the old ballpark site.
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