Connie Mack Field

Last updated
Connie Mack Field
Mack Field
Connie Mack Field
Full nameConnie Mack Field
Former namesMunicipal Athletic Field (1924–1926)
Wright Field (1927–1952)
LocationWest Palm Beach, Florida
Capacity 3,500
SurfaceGrass
Construction
OpenedOctober 1924
DemolishedFebruary 1992
Tenants
St. Louis Browns (AL) (spring training) (1928–1936)
Rochester Red Wings (IL) (spring training) (1940)
Philadelphia / Kansas City Athletics (AL) (spring training) (1946–1962)
West Palm Beach Indians (FECL) (1940–1942); (FIL) (1946–1954); (FSL) (1955)
West Palm Beach Sun Chiefs (FSL) (1956)
West Palm Beach Braves (FSL) (1965–1968)

Connie Mack Field was a ballpark in midtown West Palm Beach, Florida, which was the long-time spring training home of the Philadelphia Athletics/Kansas City Athletics.

The stadium was built in 1924 and initially named Municipal Athletic Field. It hosted its first event, a football game, in October 1924. The first baseball game was played in December 1924. [1]

It was renamed Wright Field in 1927 for West Palm Beach City Manager George C. Wright, then was renamed Connie Mack Field in 1952 in honor of long-time Philadelphia Athletics owner and manager Connie Mack.

The grandstands originally held about 2,000; Black fans were restricted to a small section in the right-field corner to keep them away from the White fans. Total capacity was about 3,500. [2]

Record attendance for baseball was on March 20, 1949, when 6,988 fans saw the A's defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a spring training game, by a 6-0 decision, which featured Jackie Robinson on the field and then-Secretary of State General of the Army George C. Marshall in attendance. [3]

The stadium was replaced in 1962 by West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium although the grandstand remained until 1973. The ball field continued to be regularly used by neighboring Twin Lakes High School.

The field was bulldozed in 1992 for a parking garage for the new Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts where there is a tribute display in the garage by the main elevator. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shibe Park</span> Philadelphia major league stadium from 1909 to 1970; known as Connie Mack Stadium from 1953 to 1970

Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1909, it became baseball's first steel-and-concrete stadium. In different eras it was home to "The $100,000 Infield", "The Whiz Kids", and "The 1964 Phold". The venue's two home teams won both the first and last games at the stadium: the Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 8–1 on opening day 1909, while the Phillies beat the Montreal Expos 2–1 on October 1, 1970, in the park's final contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Field</span> Sports stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Franklin Field is a sports stadium in Philadelphia, United States, at the eastern edge of the University of Pennsylvania's campus. It is the home stadium for the Penn Relays, and the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, track and field and lacrosse. It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation exercises, weather permitting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baker Bowl</span> Former baseball field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (1887-1938)

National League Park, commonly referred to as the Baker Bowl after 1923, was a baseball stadium and home to the Philadelphia Phillies from 1887 until 1938, and first home field of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1933 to 1935. It opened in 1887 with a capacity of 12,500, burned down in 1894, and was rebuilt in 1895 as the first ballpark constructed primarily of steel and brick, and first with a cantilevered upper deck. The ballpark's first base line ran parallel to Huntingdon Street; right field to center field parallel to North Broad Street; center field to left field parallel to Lehigh Avenue; and the third base line parallel to 15th Street. The stadium was demolished in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)</span> Former baseball and football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Municipal Stadium was an American baseball and football stadium in the central United States, located in Kansas City, Missouri. It was located at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and E. 22nd Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Park</span> Baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Columbia Park or Columbia Avenue Grounds was a baseball park in Philadelphia. It was built in 1901 as the first home of the Philadelphia Athletics, who played there for eight seasons, including two games of the 1905 World Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickwood Field</span> Baseball field in Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro leagues. Though the Barons moved their home games to the Hoover Met in the suburbs, and most recently to Regions Field in Birmingham, Rickwood Field has been preserved and is undergoing gradual restoration as a "working museum" where baseball's history can be experienced. The Barons also play one regular season game a year at Rickwood Field. Rickwood Field is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Series (Philadelphia)</span> Former Major League Baseball rivalry

The City Series was the name of a series of intracity baseball games played between Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Athletics of the American League and its predecessors, and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League that ran from 1883 through 1954. While the games were officially exhibitions, they were a matter of prestige in Philadelphia and a long rivalry existed between the players, management, and fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Johnson (industrialist)</span>

Arnold M. Johnson was an American industrialist, businessman and sportsman, who purchased the Philadelphia Athletics baseball club and moved it to Kansas City, Missouri in the autumn of 1954. He had a son, Jeffery and a daughter, Wendy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blair Field</span> Stadium in Long Beach, California

Blair Field is a stadium in Long Beach, California. It originally opened in 1956 and is primarily used for baseball. It holds 3,238 people. It is named for Frank Blair, the sports editor for the Long Beach Press-Telegram newspaper for 32 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kravis Center for the Performing Arts</span>

The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit, professional performing arts center in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Park Ballfield</span> Historic site in Fort Myers, Florida, USA

The Terry Park Ballfield is a historic site in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The park is named after the family who donated the land in the 1920s. For years the stadium hosted Major League Baseball spring training, as well as a dozen years of Florida State League baseball. The stadium hosted the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Kansas City Royals spring training through the years. Terry Park was also home to some early minor league baseball, most notably the Fort Myers Palms and Fort Myers Royals, both belonging to the Florida State League. Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Roberto Clemente, Jimmy Foxx, Bob Feller, Tris Speaker, and George Brett are some of the notable players who have played at Terry Park Field.

The 1929 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 16 to October 14, 1929. The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Athletics were the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Athletics then defeated the Cubs in the World Series, four games to one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. P. Small Memorial Stadium</span> Baseball park in Jacksonville, Florida, US

J. P. Small Memorial Stadium is a baseball park in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located in the Durkeeville community in northwest Jacksonville. Constructed in 1912 and rebuilt in 1936, it was the city's first municipal recreation field, and served as its primary baseball park before the construction of Wolfson Park in 1954. Throughout the years the stadium has been known at various times as Barrs Field, Durkee Field, and the Myrtle Avenue Ball Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater Athletic Field</span> Stadium in Clearwater, Florida

Clearwater Athletic Field was a stadium in Clearwater, Florida. It was first used by professional baseball teams for spring training in 1923 and was the Phillies' first spring training ballpark in Clearwater. The grandstand sat approximately 2,000 and bleachers increased capacity to close to 3,000. Home plate was located on Pennsylvania Avenue, which ran south to north along the third base line, near Seminole Street. Left field ran parallel to Palmetto Street, and right field ran parallel to Greenwood Ave. The grandstand was destroyed by fire in April 1956.

Bader Field was a baseball stadium in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. It was located at the Bader Field airport and was referred to by the same name as the airfield. It was named after the former mayor of Atlantic City Edward L. Bader, who purchased the land for the airfield.

West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium, referred to as "Municipal Stadium," was a baseball park in the southeastern United States, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Located at 755 Hank Aaron Drive, it was the long-time spring training home for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. The Braves played spring training games at the stadium from 1963 to 1997, while the Expos played there from 1969 to 1972 and from 1981 to 1997.

The West Palm Beach Indians were a minor league baseball team based in West Palm Beach, Florida. The team played its home games at Connie Mack Field.

The Major League Baseball relocations of the 1950s–1960s brought several Major League Baseball franchises to the Western and Southern United States, expanding the league's geographical reach. This was in stark contrast to the early years of modern baseball, when the American League placed teams in National League cities. Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and St. Louis had two teams; New York City had three. With no teams west of St. Louis or south of Washington, D.C., baseball was effectively confined to the Northeast and Midwest.

The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakland Athletics, their current identity and location.

References

  1. Eliot Kleinberg (2009-06-18). "Honor To Field's Namesake Was Posthumous". Archived from the original on 2010-02-16. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  2. Eliot Kleinberg (2007-12-26). "Mack Field Hosted Baseball Greats". Archived from the original on 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  3. McGowen, Roscoe (1949-03-21). "Mackmen triumph over Brooklyn, 6-0". New York Times. p. 27. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  4. Kleinberg, Eliot (2006). Palm Beach Past: The Best of "Post Time". Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. p. 51. ISBN   1-59629-115-X.

Coordinates: 26°42′26.35″N80°3′40.43″W / 26.7073194°N 80.0612306°W / 26.7073194; -80.0612306