Edward A. LeLacheur Park

Last updated
Edward A. LeLacheur Park
Lelacheur.gif
LeLacheur Park
Edward A. LeLacheur Park
Location450 Aiken Street
Lowell, Massachusetts 01854
Coordinates 42°39′12″N71°19′05″W / 42.65327°N 71.318114°W / 42.65327; -71.318114
Owner University of Massachusetts Lowell
OperatorUMass Lowell River Hawks baseball
Capacity 4,797 seated (5,030 with standing room) [1]
Field sizeLeft Field: 337 feet (103 m)
Left-Center Field: 368 feet (112 m)
Center Field: 400 feet (120 m)
Right-Center Field: 368 feet (112 m)
Right Field: 301 feet (92 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground1996
OpenedJune 22, 1998
Construction cost$11.2 million
($20.1 million in 2022 dollars [2] )
Architect Populous
General contractorPeabody Construction Co., Inc. [3]
Tenants
Lowell Spinners (NYPL) (1998–2020)
UMass Lowell River Hawks (NCAA Division I America East) (1998–present)

Edward A. LeLacheur Park is a baseball park located on the banks of the Merrimack River in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is home to the UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball team, which competes in the America East Conference at the NCAA Division I level. It was home to the Lowell Spinners, previously the New York–Penn League Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

Contents

History

The park was built between a partnership with the city of Lowell and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The park was named for State Representative Edward A. LeLacheur, who led the initial redevelopment of Lowell, and opened in 1998. [4] [5] The park was built adjacent to the residential section of UML. Populous (formerly HOK Sport) designed the park. It offers views of the Aiken Street Bridge, Lawrence Mills, Fox Hall, and University Suites. The seating bowl is raised above the field. A concourse surrounds the top of the park where the refreshment, merchandise stands, and bathrooms are located. The design enables an open view while waiting in line.

Two seating expansions have been considered since the park opened. One plan would have added 600-1,000 seats on the third base side. The expansion would match how the first base side is angled towards the infield. The other proposal was to add a smaller version of the Green Monster with seating for approximately 200 people. This also would have shortened the field and raised the wall to 20 ft (6.1 m). Due to lack of funds, neither have been built. [6]

The stadium also features the Giant Hood Milk Jug from Fenway Park and all Red Sox retired numbers.

The ballpark held its first concert on July 10, 2008, when Boston-based Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys played there with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. [7]

The Lowell City Council voted on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 to sell Lelacheur Park to UMass Lowell for $1 million. [8]

Attendance

The Spinners have had several consecutive sold-out seasons at LeLacheur Park. [9] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Spinners</span> Defunct minor league baseball team in Massachusetts

The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, Lowell was not selected to continue in affiliated baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excite Ballpark</span>

Excite Ballpark, previously known as San Jose Municipal Stadium or Muni Stadium, is a baseball park in San Jose, California. It is the home of the Minor League Baseball San Jose Giants, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The team plays in the North Division of the California League. The stadium is also home to the San Jose State University Spartans college baseball team. Local high school baseball divisions also use the ballpark as their championship field. The stadium also hosts concerts, weddings, car shows, and many other community events. It has been the home field for the San Jose Owls, San Jose Red Sox, San Jose Jo Sox, San Jose Pirates, San Jose Missions, San Jose Bees, and the San Jose Expos minor league teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCoy Stadium</span>

McCoy Stadium is a former baseball stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1970 through 2020, it served as home field of the Pawtucket Red Sox (PawSox), a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Completed in 1942, the stadium first hosted an affiliated minor league team in 1946, the Pawtucket Slaters, a Boston Braves farm team. In 1981, the stadium hosted the longest professional baseball game in history, as the PawSox defeated the Rochester Red Wings in 33 innings by a score of 3–2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadlock Field</span>

Hadlock Field is a minor league baseball stadium in Portland, Maine. It is primarily home to the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League but also the Portland High School Bulldogs and Deering High School Rams baseball teams. The stadium is named for Edson B. Hadlock Jr., a long-time Portland High School baseball coach and physics teacher and member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastwood Field</span>

Eastwood Field is a minor league baseball stadium located in Niles, Ohio, United States. It is currently the home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. Since 2000 it has also served as the home field for the Youngstown State Penguins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Britain Stadium</span>

New Britain Stadium is a baseball venue in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. It is the home of the New Britain Bees of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. Opened in 1996, the stadium seats 6,146 spectators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammond Stadium</span>

Hammond Stadium is a baseball field located in the CenturyLink Sports Complex in South Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The stadium was built in 1991, and underwent major renovations in 2014 and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joker Marchant Stadium</span>

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is a baseball field in Lakeland, Florida. The 8,500-seat stadium was opened in 1966 and has had multiple renovations, most recently in 2017. It was named after local resident and former Lakeland Parks and Recreation Director Marcus "Joker" Marchant. It is the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers and the regular-season home of the minor league affiliates Lakeland Flying Tigers and Gulf Coast Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Dean Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in Jupiter, Florida

Roger Dean Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Abacoa community of the town of Jupiter, Florida. The stadium was built in 1998, holds 6,871 people, and features luxury sky-box seating, two levels of permanent seating, parking and concessions. The Roger Dean Stadium Complex is the only stadium in the country to host four minor league teams: the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League, and the Florida Complex League Marlins and Florida Complex League Cardinals of the Rookie-level Florida Complex League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCHealth Park</span>

UCHealth Park is a professional baseball stadium on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Since 2019, it has hosted the Rocky Mountain Vibes, an independent Minor League Baseball team of the Pioneer League. From 1988 to 2018, the stadium was the home of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, a Triple-A team of the Pacific Coast League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">121 Financial Ballpark</span> Baseball park in Jacksonville, Florida

121 Financial Ballpark is a baseball park in Jacksonville, Florida. It is the home stadium of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Minor League Baseball team, who play in the International League. The facility opened in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoples Natural Gas Field</span> Baseball park in Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA

Peoples Natural Gas Field is a 7,210-seat baseball-only stadium in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that opened in 1999. It is the home ballpark of the Eastern League's Altoona Curve Minor League Baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Momentum Bank Ballpark</span>

Momentum Bank Ballpark is a ballpark in Midland, Texas. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Double-A Midland RockHounds minor league baseball team of the Texas League. Opened in 2002, the stadium holds 6,669 people with 4,709 fixed seats and the rest in berm seating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Manuel Stadium</span>

San Manuel Stadium is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Bernardino, California, United States. It opened in 1996, replacing Fiscalini Field as the home park of Minor League Baseball's Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino. Before then, the 66ers shared Fiscalini Field with CSUSB Coyotes and SBVC Wolverines. San Manuel Stadium is named after the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which is based in San Bernardino and paid for the naming rights. The stadium seats 8,000 people, with additional capacity provided by lawn seating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of the James Stadium</span>

Bank of the James Stadium, formerly Lynchburg City Stadium, is a ballpark located in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, and the current home of the minor league Lynchburg Hillcats team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L. P. Frans Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in Hickory, North Carolina

L.P. Frans Stadium is a stadium in Hickory, North Carolina. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Hickory Crawdads Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League. It was built in 1993 and has a fixed seating capacity of roughly 4,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluor Field at the West End</span>

Fluor Field at the West End is a 6,700-seat baseball-only stadium in Greenville, South Carolina, that opened on April 6, 2006. Designed by architectural firm DLR Group, it was built as a new home of the Greenville Drive baseball team, the High-A East affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayson Stadium</span> Sports stadium in Savannah, Georgia, United States

William L. Grayson Stadium is a stadium in Savannah, Georgia. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Savannah Bananas of the Coastal Plain League collegiate summer baseball league. It was the part-time home of the Savannah State University college baseball team from 2009 to 2011. It was also used from 1927 until 1959 for the annual Thanksgiving Day game between Savannah High School and Benedictine Military School. Known as "Historic Grayson Stadium", it was built in 1926. It holds 4,000 people. It also served as the home of the Savannah Cardinals from 1984 to 1995 and the Savannah Sand Gnats from 1996 to 2015.

The UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball team represents University of Massachusetts Lowell, which is located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The River Hawks are an NCAA Division I college baseball program that competes in the America East Conference. They began competing in Division I in 2014 and joined the America East Conference the same season.

The 2017 America East Conference baseball tournament was held from May 24 to 27, 2017. All six eligible participants out of the league's seven teams met in the double-elimination tournament held at Edward A. LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts, the home park of UMass Lowell and the minor league Lowell Spinners. UMBC won the tournament and received the conference's automatic bid into the 2017 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

References

  1. ↑ "Franchise History". Milb.com. Accessed September 9, 2016.
  2. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Mike McLaughlin Experience". LinkedIn. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  4. ↑ Collins, John (August 11, 2010). "'There will never be another Ed LeLacheur'". Lowell Sun. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  5. ↑ Girard, Christopher J. (August 8, 2010). "Edward A. LeLacheur, 85, longtime state legislator who quietly served others". Boston.com. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  6. ↑ Myers, Jennifer (August 21, 2009). "Lowell Spinners Pitching a Monster of an Idea for LeLacheur". Lowell Sun . Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  7. ↑ Briere, Rachel R. (July 11, 2008). "A Rockin' Grand Slam at Lowell's LeLacheur Park". Lowell Sun . Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Lowell to sell LeLacheur Park to UMass Lowell for $1 million". 27 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Spinners Record Book". Minor League Baseball. September 9, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Franchise History". Minor League Baseball. December 23, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.