|
| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Opened | April 11 , 1912 |
| Closed | June 24 , 1970 |
| Demolished | 1972 |
| Capacity |
30,000 |
| Owned By |
Cincinnati Reds |
Architect: |
Harry Hake
|
Dimensions:
Left
Left-Center
Center
Right-Center
Right
|
360 ft. ( 1912 ), 320 ft. (321), 352 ft. ( 1926 ), 339 ft. ( 1927 ), 328 ft. ( 1938 );
380 ft.
420 ft. ( 1912 ), 417 ft. ( 1926 ), 395 ft. ( 1927 ), 393 ft. ( 1930 ), 407 ft. ( 1931 ), 393 ft. ( 1933 ), 407 ft. ( 1936 ), 387 ft. ( 1938 ), 380 ft. ( 1939 ), 387 ft. ( 1940 ), 390 ft. ( 1944 ), 387 ft. ( 1955 )
383 ft.
360 ft. ( 1912 ), 384 ft. ( 1921 ), 400 ft. ( 1926 ), 383 ft. (early 1927 ), 377 ft. (late 1927 ), 366 ft. ( 1938 ), 366 ft. ( 1938 ), 342 ft. ( 1942 ), 366 ft. ( June 30 , 1950 ), 342 ft. ( 1953 ), 366 ft. ( 1958 )
|
was a
Baseball Stadium that stood in
Cincinnati, Ohio from
1912 -
1970 . Crosley was the home of the
National League 's
Cincinnati Reds .
Various ballparks had stood on the site starting in
1884 , though the position of the diamond and the grandstand was shifted several times. Initially they were at the southwest corner, tucked into the angling intersection. In the 1890s, a new grandstand was built in the southwest corner, and the diamond was shifted, but the old grandstand was retained as bleachers. This was a good thing, because when the new stands burned, the diamond was relocated and the old stands became the grandstand again temporarily. A concrete, fireproof structure was then built in the southwest corner, in a style reminiscent of Chicago's
World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, although the old 1884 structure still remained as bleachers. While elegant in appearance, this so-called "" was too small. In
1912 , the entire stadium was rebuilt in steel and concrete at a cost of $225,000.
The stadium was known as from
1912 -
1933 , when team owner
Powel Crosley chose to rename the stadium in his own honor - advertising his Crosley automobiles to boot. Crosley was the site of the first major league night baseball game on
May 24 ,
1935 . It hosted the
Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1938 and 1953.
The field of play was known for the sloping hill or "terrace" that led up to the fence (and to street level) across left field, which remained throughout the entire time the stadium stood, and the short fence in center field. The team claimed that the fence was 390 feet away, but both the home and opposing pitchers were certain it was shorter.
In August 1966, Crosley Field served as the setting for an outdoor rock music concert by
The Beatles during their final American and Canadian tour. The stadium began to decline in the
1960s , and the surrounding neighborhood became rather dangerous, particularly at night. These factors, along with the city's desire to build a single stadium that could house both the Reds and the
Cincinnati Bengals of the
NFL led to the closure of Crosley and the mid-season move of the Reds in
1970 to
Riverfront Stadium . Crosley Field was demolished two years later, and a business park now stands on the site. However, the park has been recreated (in part) in Blue Ash, Ohio as part of a local athletic center, using various items from the original (such as 400 seats).
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