 Griffith Stadium in 1960 | |
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  Griffith Stadium Location within the District of Columbia  Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium (the United States) | |
| Former names | National Park (1911–1922) |
|---|---|
| Location | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°55′3″N 77°1′13″W / 38.91750°N 77.02028°W |
| Elevation | 100 feet (30 m) |
| Owner | Washington Senators |
| Operator | Washington Senators |
| Capacity | 27,000 (1911–1932) 32,000 (1933–1947) 28,085 (1948) 29,731 (1949–1953) 29,023 (1954–1957) 28,669 (1958–1960) 27,550 (1961) |
| Field size | (Final) Left Field – 388 ft (118 m) L. Center – 360 ft (110 m) Center F. – 421 ft (128 m) R. Center – 373 ft (114 m) Right Field – 320 ft (98 m) Backstop – 61 ft (19 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | July 24, 1911 |
| Closed | September 21, 1961 |
| Demolished | January 26, 1965 |
| Construction cost | $100,000 |
| Architect | Osborn Engineering |
| Tenants | |
| Washington Senators (I) (MLB) (1911–1960) Washington Potomacs (ECL) (1924) Washington Pilots (EWL) (1932) Washington Elite Giants (NNL) (1936–1937) Homestead Grays (1940–1948) Washington Black Senators (NNL) (1938) Washington Senators (II) (MLB) (1961) Washington Redskins (NFL) (1937–1960) Georgetown Hoyas (NCAA) (1925–1950) George Washington Colonials (NCAA) (1930–1960) Maryland Terrapins (NCAA) (1948) | |
Griffith Stadium stood in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street (left field), and between W Street and Florida Avenue NW.
The site was once home to a wooden baseball park. Built in 1891, it was called Boundary Field, or National Park after the team that played there: the Washington Senators/Nationals. It was destroyed by a fire in 1911.
It was replaced by a steel and concrete structure, at first called National Park and then American League Park; it was renamed Clark Griffith Stadium for Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith in 1923.[1] The stadium was home to the American League Senators from 1911 through 1960, and to an expansion team of the same name for their first season in 1961.
The venue hosted the All-Star Game in 1937 and 1956 and World Series games in 1924, 1925, and 1933. It served as home for the Negro league Homestead Grays during the 1940s, when it hosted the Negro World Series in 1943 and 1944. Griffith was also home to the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons, from the time they transferred from Boston in 1937 through the 1960 season.
The ballpark was demolished in 1965; the site is now occupied by Howard University Hospital.
- ^ Leavengood, Ted (2011). Clark Griffith: The Old Fox of Washington Baseball. McFarland. pp. 139–142. ISBN 978-0-7864-6386-2.