Old Cincinnati Ballparks

Mar 23, 2023

It’s hard to believe that Great American Ballpark is almost old enough to drink. Indeed, the Reds current home turned 20 this year. The Reds, and a few other area major league teams, have called many stadiums home since 1869. Here’s a brief rundown.

Lincoln Park Grounds/Union Grounds

Built for the Union Cricket Club in 1856, Lincoln Park, also known as Union Park, was located where Union Terminal stands today. In 1866, baseball was introduced at the park, with the sport’s first professional team using the field starting in 1869.

Avenue Grounds

Located in Camp Washington, about a block south of Valley Park, Avenue Grounds, was also known as Brighton Park and Cincinnati Baseball Park. It was the Red Stockings home from 1876 to 1879. That team ceased operations at the end of the 1879 season.

Bank Street Grounds 1881-1883

A new baseball team was formed for the 1880 season called the Stars, but they played their home games at Bank Street Grounds on the site of the old Lincoln Park/Union Grounds. In 1882, a new Red Stockings team, members of the American Association, played at Bank Street Grounds. That Red Stockings team was forced out when the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds of the new Union Association took over the lease.

Bank Street Grounds

League Park 1884-1901

The Red Stockings moved a few blocks north and into League Park, at the corner of Western and Findlay, the future site of Crosley Field. That iconic field was two stadiums away, though. League Park was renovated in time for the start of the 1894 season.

Pendleton Park/East End Park

This ballpark, located in the East End where the Schmidt Ball Fields are today, was almost home to the Red Stockings. Shortly after the renovated League Park opened in 1894, a fire destroyed part of the grandstand, and the club thought about moving to Pendleton Park, which was used by the American Association’s Kelly’s Killers a few years earlier. However, its remote location was deemed impractical. The team instead quickly repaired League Park and used it until 1901.

Pendleton Park in the East End

Palace of the Fans 1902-1911

Another fire, this one in 1900, caused catastrophic damage to the League Park grandstand, necessitating an extensive rebuild. The new grandstand was so opulent the team’s owners renamed League Park the Palace of the Fans starting with the 1901 season. On the last day of the 1911 season, disaster struck again as, you may have guessed, a fire destroyed most of the main grandstand.

The Palace of the Fans

Redland Field/Crosley Field (1912-1970)

By opening day 1912, the Reds had an entirely new ballpark at Western and Findlay. The new stadium was named Redland Field. It was the third concrete and steel ballpark in the National League and would be the Reds’ home for the next 58 years. It was also home to four Negor league teams, beginning with the Cuban Stars in 1921, followed by the Tigers (1937), the Buckeyes (1942), and the Clowns (1943-45).

In 1934, the stadium’s name was changed to Crosley Field in honor of the team’s new owner, industrial and broadcast magnate Powel Crosley Jr. In 1935, the Reds hosted the first night game in Major League Baseball history.

Riverfront Stadium (1970-2002)

As early as the 1940s, the idea of a ballpark on the river downtown was proposed. The 1948 Master Plan for Cincinnati showed a ballpark just west of the Roebling Suspension bridge. However, the idea didn’t gain traction until the early 1960s when it was rumored the Reds were going to move to New York City.

Parking limitations and other issues had rendered Crosley Field obsolete. A new ballpark was needed, but plans moved slowly. It wasn’t until the opportunity to bring pro football to town emerged that city and state officials took the project seriously. On June 30, 1970, the Reds moved into the sleek, new Riverfront Stadium, a facility they shared with the city’s pro football team, the Bengals.

Riverfront Stadium

Great American Ballpark (2003-present)

The two teams were roomies for two decades before both started grumbling about wanting their own stadiums. The Bengals wanted to remain on the riverfront. It was proposed by some the Reds’ ballpark be built on the land that is now occupied by the Hard Rock Casino. The riverfront won out for both, though. The Bengals moved into their new crib in 2000, while the Reds played their first game in Great American Ballpark on March 31, 2003.

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July 24, 2023 at 10:36 am