| Ebbets Field | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | 55 Sullivan Place Brooklyn, New York 11225 |
| Opened | April 9, 1913 |
| Demolished | February 23, 1960 |
| Owner | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $750,000 USD |
| Architect | Clarence Randall Van Buskirk |
| Tenants | Brooklyn Dodgers (NL) (1913-1957) Brooklyn Lions (NFL) (1926) Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers (NFL) (1930- 1944) Brooklyn Tigers (AFL) (1936) Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) (1946- 1948) |
| Capacity | 25,000 (1913); 32,000 (1932) |
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball Champions World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over New York Giants (4-1 Awards and honors Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees (4-3 Lew Burdette, MVP The Brooklyn Horsemen was a professional football team that competed in the American Football League during the 1926 season. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943 and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Brooklyn Dodgers was an American Football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1948 Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. A modern stadium (plural stadiums or stadia in English is a place or venue for (mostly outdoor Sports Concerts or other events consisting Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball Two different incarnations of a Brooklyn Dodgers football team also used Ebbets Field as their home stadium, as did the Brooklyn Tigers of the second AFL before they moved to Rochester in November 1936. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York State, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Contents |
History
Ebbets Field was on the block bound by Bedford Avenue, Sullivan Place, McKeever Place, and Montgomery Street. Bedford Avenue is the longest street in Brooklyn, New York City, stretching 10 Club owner Charlie Ebbets acquired the property over several years, starting in 1908, by buying parcels of land until he owned the entire block. See Charles C Ebbets the photographer Charles Hercules Ebbets ( October 29, 1859 &ndash April 18, 1925 Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year
The park opened on April 9, 1913, replacing the old Washington Park. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Baseball World Series - Philadelphia Athletics defeat New York Giants, 4 games to 1 This article is about the baseball stadiums in Brooklyn New York Initially the seating area was a double deck from past third base, around home plate, and all the way down the right side. There was an open, concrete bleacher extending the rest of the way down the left side to the outer wall. There was no seating in left or center. The right field wall was fairly high due to the short foul line (around 300 feet) but no screen or scoreboard at first. The ballpark was built on a sloping piece of ground. The right field wall made up the difference, as the right field corner was above street level. The left field corner was below street level, and there was an incline or "terrace" running along the left field wall. A terrace or terracing in sporting terms refers to the traditional standing area of a sports stadium particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Ebbets Field was the scene of some early successes, as the "Robins" (so-called for long-time manager Wilbert Robinson) won league championships in 1916 and 1920. Wilbert Robinson ( June 29, 1863 – August 8, 1934) nicknamed "Uncle Robbie" was an American Catcher, coach Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar The Ebbets seating area was expanded in the 1920s, a "boom" time for baseball when many ballparks were expanded. The double deck was extended from third base around the left field corner, across left field, and into center field, covering the terrace and allowing right-hand hitters to garner many more home runs (by both home and visiting teams, of course). By the 1940s, the big scoreboard had been installed, as well as a screen atop the high wall, which made right field home runs a little harder to come by. However, additional rows of seating across left field reduced that area by about 15 feet, to the delight of the sluggers.
After the early successes, though, the team had slid into some hard times, which would continue for a couple of decades, until new ownership brought in first promotional wizard Larry MacPhail (in 1938), then, after MacPhail's wartime resignation, player development genius Branch Rickey (in 1943). Leland Stanford "Larry" MacPhail Sr ( February 3 1890 - October 1 1975) was an American executive and innovator in Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Chicago Cubs (4-0 All-Star Game Wesley Branch Rickey ( December 15 1881 &ndash December 9 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive best known Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over St In addition to his well-known breaking of the color line by signing Jackie Robinson, Rickey's savvy with farm systems (as with his prior work for the St. Louis Cardinals) produced results that made the Brooklyn Dodgers "Bums" a perennial contender, which they would continue to be for decades to come. Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In sports a farm team, feeder team or nursery club, generally refers to a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players with an The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St
The Dodgers won pennants in 1941 (under MacPhail), 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955 and 1956. Headline events of the year Joe Dimaggio hits in 56 consecutive games Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-1 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-2 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-3 Johnny Podres, MVP Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 Don Larsen, MVP They won the 1955 World Series (the first and only world title in Brooklyn Dodger history), and were within two games and a playoff heartbreak of winning five NL pennants in a row (1949-53) and matching the cross-town Yankees' achievement during that stretch. The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in 7 games to capture their first championship Ebbets also hosted the 1949 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League
Demise
But the Dodgers were soon victims of their own success, because only a limited number of eager fans could cram into minuscule Ebbets Field, and it had almost no automobile parking for Dodger fans who had moved east to suburban Long Island, NY, though it was near a subway station. Parking is the act of stopping a Vehicle and leaving it unoccupied for more than a brief time Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches Prospect Park is a station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway, located at Empire Boulevard and Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush Club owner Walter O'Malley announced plans for a privately-owned domed stadium for his Dodgers at the Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, where a large market was being torn down, but New York City Building Commissioner Robert Moses wanted the city to build a stadium located in Flushing Meadows, NY, located in the borough of Queens, NY (the site of the current Shea Stadium). Walter Francis O'Malley (October 9 1903 &ndash August 9 1979 was an American The Brooklyn Dodgers proposed domed stadium was to replace Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers to allow them to stay in New York City. The Atlantic Yards is a mixed-use commercial and residential development project of 16 high-rise buildings currently proposed in the neighborhoods of Prospect Heights and Robert Moses ( December 18 1888 – July 29 1981) was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City, Long Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, often referred to as Flushing Meadow Park or Flushing Meadows Park, is located in northern Queens, New York City William A Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea (ʃeɪ̪ is a Stadium located in the New York City borough O'Malley refused to consider Moses' position, and Moses refused O'Malley's. As a result, O'Malley began to flirt publicly with Los Angeles, California, using a relocation threat as political leverage to win favor with his desired Brooklyn stadium. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Ultimately, O'Malley and Moses could never come to agreement on a new location for the Dodgers, and the club moved west to Los Angeles. During the last two years in Brooklyn, the Dodgers played several games each year in Jersey City, New Jersey's Roosevelt Stadium, as part of O'Malley's additional tactics to force a new stadium to be built. Jersey City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Roosevelt Stadium is the name of a former Baseball park on Route 440 and Danforth Avenue in Jersey City New Jersey.
The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, California, after the 1957 season, while their long-time crosstown rivals the New York Giants moved to San Francisco, based upon O'Malley's urging to Giants owner Horace Stoneham. Athletics Marathon August 17 &mdash Enschede Marathon, Netherlands Men's Winner The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Horace C Stoneham ( April 27 1903 — January 7 1990) was the principal owner of Major League Baseball 's New York/San Francisco That meant lights out for Ebbets Field, which was demolished, beginning on February 23, 1960. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Athletics Marathon December 4 &mdash Fukuoka Marathon, Japan Men's Winner Barry O'Malley's removal of the franchise from its historic home has been referred to as "one of the most infamous abandonments in the history of sport" by the New York Courts.
Legacy
Ebbets Field was but one of several historic major league ballparks demolished in the 1960s, but more mythology and nostalgia surrounds the stadium and its demise than possibly any other defunct ballpark.
A great deal of history happened at Ebbets Field during its relatively short 45-year lifespan with the Dodgers. Of the many teams that uprooted in the 1950s and 60s, the Dodgers have probably had the largest number of public laments over their fans' heartbreak over losing their team. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 A couple of decades later, Roger Kahn's book The Boys of Summer and Frank Sinatra's song "There Used to Be a Ballpark" mourned the loss of places like Ebbets Field, and of the attendant youthful innocence of fans and players alike. Roger Kahn (born October 31, 1927 in Brooklyn New York) is one of America 's leading Writers about Sport - especially The Boys of Summer is a book by Roger Kahn, recounting the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers Baseball team up to their victory in the 1955 Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor There Used to Be a Ballpark is a song written by Joe Raposo and recorded by Frank Sinatra for Sinatra's 1973 album Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back. The story of Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers' move to Los Angeles were also chronicled by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, figured into the plot of the film Field of Dreams, and were featured in an entire episode of Ken Burns' public-television documentary Baseball, as well as a 2007 HBO documentary called Brooklyn Dodgers: Ghosts of Flatbush. Doris Kearns Goodwin (born January 4, 1943 in Brooklyn New York) is an award-winning American Author and Historian. Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy / Drama film, directed and adapted by Phil Alden Robinson from the novel Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29 1953) is an American director and producer of Documentary films known for his style of making use of archival Public broadcasting refers to radio television and other electronic media outlets that receive some or all of their funding from the public Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Baseball A Film by Ken Burns is an Emmy Award -winning 1994 documentary series by Ken Burns about the game of Baseball. Brooklyn Dodgers Ghosts of Flatbush was a 2007 documentary produced by HBO sports that chronicled the last ten years of the Brooklyn Dodgers tenure in the borough
Ebbets Field is arguably a more popular venue now than when it actually stood. Some fans who did attend games at the stadium remember it as cramped and decrepit towards the end of its life. Baseball historians occasionally point out that although the stadium was no doubt a pleasant place to watch a ballgame, architecturally speaking it was not any more remarkable than several other "lost parks. " As a side note, as of 2007 the Dodgers have played in Dodger Stadium for more years (46) than they played in Ebbets Field (45). Champions Major League Baseball Regular Season Champions Other champions Minor League Baseball Dodger Stadium is a large outdoor ballpark in Los Angeles California at Chávez Ravine.
However, Ebbets Field has managed to transcend the realm of mere fact to become a kind of icon for what many see as the golden era of the national pastime, and its destruction symbolic of the "lost innocence" of a bygone era. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Its influence can be seen in the designs for the new ballpark of the New York Mets, Citi Field, which features replicas of Ebbets' exterior façade and entry rotunda, which is named in honor of Jackie Robinson. "Mets" redirects here For the medical term see Metastasis. Citi Field is the new Baseball park for the New York Mets that is being built in Willets Point in the New York City borough of Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Subsequent use of Ebbets Field site
Apartments were built upon the former Ebbets Field site, and were named the Ebbets Field Apartments; they were later renamed the Jackie Robinson Apartments in 1972, the same year Robinson died. MS 320, a school across McKeever Place has been renamed Jackie Robinson Intermediate School.
Soccer at Ebbets Field
Though known as a cathedral for baseball, other sports were played at Ebbets Field as well. On April 11, 1926, Ebbets Field hosted the US National Challenge Cup soccer tournament (now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup). Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is an American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation (USSF affiliated teams from amateur adult club teams all the Bethlehem Steel F.C. from Pennsylvania of the American Soccer League won its sixth and final National Challenge Cup title, scoring a convincing 7-2 victory over Ben Miller F. Bethlehem Steel FC (1911-1930 was one of the most successful early American soccer clubs The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional Soccer leagues in the United States. C. of St. Louis in the final before more than 18, 000 fans. On June 7, 1931, over 10,000 fans came out to Ebbets Field to watch Celtic of Scotland crush local side Brooklyn Wanderers 5 - 0. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the east end of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Brooklyn Wanderers was a US Soccer team which was a founding member of the National Association Football League in the late nineteenth century On June 17, 1947, the first known televised soccer game in the US took place at Ebbets Field when Hapoel Tel Aviv lost to the American League Stars 2 - 0. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hapoel Tel Aviv (הפועל תל-אביב is an Israeli football based in Tel Aviv. On June 18, 1948, Liverpool of England beat Djurgården of Sweden 3 - 2 in front of 20,000 fans at Ebbets Field. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Djurgårdens IF Fotboll, commonly just Djurgården ( pron. 'jʉ(rgɔɳ or) is a Swedish football Club based at Stadion "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. On October 17 of that year, the U.S. national team beat the Israel national team team in front of 25,000 at Ebbets Field. The United States men's national soccer team is the national Soccer team of the United States for men and is controlled by the United States Soccer The Israeli National Football Team (נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל is the national football team of Israel and is controlled by the Israel Football Association On May 8, 1955, Sunderland of England beat the American league Stars 7 - 2. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional Association football team based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, which plays in On May 17, Sunderland tied FC Nürnberg of Germany also at Ebbets. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. On May 23, 1958, Manchester City of England lost to Hearts of Scotland 5 - 2 in front of 20,000 patrons at Ebbets Field. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. TalkManchester City FC before changing verbs to singular --> Manchester City Football Club is an English professional football club Heart of Midlothian FC (most commonly referred to as Hearts) is a football club from Edinburgh, Scotland who play in the Scottish Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. On June 28, 1959, Napoli of Italy lost to Rapid Vienna of Austria 1 - 0 in front of 18,512. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as simply Napoli or the abbreviation SSC Napoli, is an Italian professional football club based Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Sportklub Rapid Wien (Rapid Vienna is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich At the rematch, also at Ebbets Field in front of 13,000 people on July 1, Napoli tied Rapid Vienna 1 - 1.
Dimensions
Original (estimates)
- Left field pole - 419 ft
- Center field deep - 477 ft
- Right field pole - 301 ft
1932-1947
- Left field pole - 348 ft (unposted)
- Left field corner - 357 ft
- Left-center field - 365 ft
- Deep left-center - 407 ft
- Deep right-center bleacher corner - 389 ft (unposted)
- Deep right-center notch - 395 ft
- Right-center, scoreboard edges - 344 ft and 318 ft
- Right field pole - 297 ft
1948-1957
- Left field pole - 348 ft
- Left-center field - 351 ft
- Deep left-center - 393 ft
- Deep right-center bleacher corner - 376 ft
- Deep right-center notch - 395 ft
- Right-center, scoreboard edges - 344 ft and 318 ft
- Right field pole - 297 ft
- Backstop - 71 ft
References in literature
In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Ebbets Field is mentioned by Willy's wife, Linda, as the place of Biff's game (89 in Penguin Plays ed. Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play by American playwright Arthur Miller and is considered a classic of American theater , 1949). This is immediately mocked by their neighbour, Charley, thereby serving as a symbol of the family's downfall at the hands of modernity and self-delusion. The field is also mentioned in The Zodiacs by Jay Neugeboren, a story about a team in Brooklyn.
The only time I ever saw him excited—-outside of what happened with him and our team—-was when our fathers would take the two of us to games at Ebbets Field.
In The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon, the novel's two protagonists attend a Brooklyn Dodgers football game at Ebbets Field. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a 2000 Novel by American author Michael Chabon that won the Pulitzer Prize Michael Chabon (pron SHAY-bon (born May 24 1963 is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation" according to the The Virginia The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943 and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers.
Some sources
- Green Cathedrals, by Phil Lowry.
- Ballparks of North America, by Michael Benson.
- Old Ballparks, by Lawrence Ritter.
- The Zodiacs, by Jay Neugeboren.
External links
- Ebbets Field Information
- Ebbets Field Website
- Personal papers of Walter O'Malley, former Dodger owner
- American Soccer History Archives
| Preceded by Washington Park |
Home of the Brooklyn Dodgers 1913 – 1957 |
Succeeded by Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Preceded by Sportsman's Park |
Host of the All-Star Game 1949 |
Succeeded by Comiskey Park |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic