Recreation Park (San Francisco)
Encyclopedia
Recreation Park was the name applied to several former baseball parks in San Francisco, California
in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.
Recreation Grounds, dating from November 26, 1868 to May 1884, was San Francisco's first professional enclosed ballpark, in San Francisco's heavily Irish Mission District, located near present day Garfield Square. The ballpark was bordered by the streets Harrison, Twenty-Sixth, Folsom and Twenty-Fifth..37°45′1.78"N 122°24′47.78"W Photo.
Haight-Street Recreation Grounds 1886-1895. Another recreation grounds existed in the Haight, with ownership transferred to J.B. Gilbert of the Central league on September 8, 1893. and was also referred to as Haight-Street Recreation Park located between Stanyan, Waller, Cole and Frederic Streets was closed in 1895.
Recreation Park, also known as Central Park, seating capacity of 15,000, opened on Thanksgiving Day of 1884 and operated until 1906.. Located at 8th and Market Streets, was used by several clubs including the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League
from 1903. Destroyed by the earthquake and fire
on April 18, 1906. The Seals temporarily moved to Oakland while the city of San Francisco was being rebuilt.Photo.
Recreation Park, located in the Mission District
37°46′1.87"N 122°25′23.93"W , was the best known and longest-lived of these ballparks. It was the home of the Seals during 1907-13 and then 1915-30 after a one-year experiment playing in Oaks Park
in Oakland. The Oaks
, in turn, had essentially moved into Recreation Park in 1907 and played most of their games there (except Thursdays and Sunday mornings) until their new Oaks Park was opened in 1913, although they continued to play some games in San Francisco until sometime in the 1920s. This congenial arrangement was made easier by the fact that J. Cal Ewing, founding father of the PCL, owned both clubs for their first couple of decades. The ballpark sat 15,000. It also become the home of the Mission Reds
(a.k.a. "Missions") upon their arrival in 1926.
The Chicago White Sox
held spring training at Recreation Park in 1909 and 1910.
This final incarnation of Recreation Park was on a block bounded by 14th Street (north, right field); Valencia Street (east, first base); 15th Street (south, third base); and Guerrero Street (west, left field) 37°46′2.7"N 122°25′23.32"W. The stands were an unusual design, with a small lower deck topped directly above (thus protected from the weather) by a large upper deck, much of which was unroofed and open to the sunshine and the elements. The stands were also made of wood. A new, concrete ballpark, Seals Stadium
, a mile east of Recreation Park, opened in 1931 as the new home of both the Seals and the Missions. Recreation Park was demolished and the site was converted into a housing project.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.
Recreation Grounds, dating from November 26, 1868 to May 1884, was San Francisco's first professional enclosed ballpark, in San Francisco's heavily Irish Mission District, located near present day Garfield Square. The ballpark was bordered by the streets Harrison, Twenty-Sixth, Folsom and Twenty-Fifth..37°45′1.78"N 122°24′47.78"W Photo.
Haight-Street Recreation Grounds 1886-1895. Another recreation grounds existed in the Haight, with ownership transferred to J.B. Gilbert of the Central league on September 8, 1893. and was also referred to as Haight-Street Recreation Park located between Stanyan, Waller, Cole and Frederic Streets was closed in 1895.
Recreation Park, also known as Central Park, seating capacity of 15,000, opened on Thanksgiving Day of 1884 and operated until 1906.. Located at 8th and Market Streets, was used by several clubs including the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
from 1903. Destroyed by the earthquake and fire
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
on April 18, 1906. The Seals temporarily moved to Oakland while the city of San Francisco was being rebuilt.Photo.
Recreation Park, located in the Mission District
Mission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
37°46′1.87"N 122°25′23.93"W , was the best known and longest-lived of these ballparks. It was the home of the Seals during 1907-13 and then 1915-30 after a one-year experiment playing in Oaks Park
Oaks Park (stadium)
Oaks Park, formally known as the Oakland Baseball Park, and at times nicknamed Emeryville Park, was a baseball stadium in Emeryville, California. It was primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the Oakland Oaks Pacific Coast League baseball team. It opened in 1913 and held 7,000...
in Oakland. The Oaks
Oakland Oaks (PCL)
The Oakland Oaks were a minor league baseball team in Oakland, California that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 through 1955, after which the club transferred to Vancouver, British Columbia...
, in turn, had essentially moved into Recreation Park in 1907 and played most of their games there (except Thursdays and Sunday mornings) until their new Oaks Park was opened in 1913, although they continued to play some games in San Francisco until sometime in the 1920s. This congenial arrangement was made easier by the fact that J. Cal Ewing, founding father of the PCL, owned both clubs for their first couple of decades. The ballpark sat 15,000. It also become the home of the Mission Reds
Mission Reds
The Mission Reds were a minor league baseball team located in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1926 through 1937.-Original Missions:...
(a.k.a. "Missions") upon their arrival in 1926.
The Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
held spring training at Recreation Park in 1909 and 1910.
This final incarnation of Recreation Park was on a block bounded by 14th Street (north, right field); Valencia Street (east, first base); 15th Street (south, third base); and Guerrero Street (west, left field) 37°46′2.7"N 122°25′23.32"W. The stands were an unusual design, with a small lower deck topped directly above (thus protected from the weather) by a large upper deck, much of which was unroofed and open to the sunshine and the elements. The stands were also made of wood. A new, concrete ballpark, Seals Stadium
Seals Stadium
Seals Stadium was a minor league baseball stadium that stood in San Francisco from 1931 through 1959.Built during the depression, Seals Stadium opened on April 7, 1931, It cost $600,000 to construct, and Seals President "Doc" Strub described how laborers would leap onto the running boards of his...
, a mile east of Recreation Park, opened in 1931 as the new home of both the Seals and the Missions. Recreation Park was demolished and the site was converted into a housing project.
See also
Further reading
- Ballparks of North America, Michael Benson, McFarland, 1989, p. 362-363
- Take Me Out to the Ball Park, Lowell Reidenbaugh, The Sporting News, 1983 & 1987 p. 256
- Lost Ballparks, Lawrence S. Ritter, Viking Studio Books, 1992, p. 169-170
External links
- early years before upper deck was extended
- 1927 game-action photo
- 1931 Aerial View showing Recreation Park (toward upper left) and then-new Seals StadiumSeals StadiumSeals Stadium was a minor league baseball stadium that stood in San Francisco from 1931 through 1959.Built during the depression, Seals Stadium opened on April 7, 1931, It cost $600,000 to construct, and Seals President "Doc" Strub described how laborers would leap onto the running boards of his...
(toward lower right)] - 1887 photo of the Haight and Stanyan baseball park.
- undated photo of Recreation Grounds baseball
