The Ballpark (Gainesville)

The Ballpark
Map
Location512 SW 2nd Terrace
Gainesville, Florida 32601
Coordinates29°38′47″N 82°19′41″W / 29.646499°N 82.32801°W / 29.646499; -82.32801
OwnerCity of Gainesville
SurfaceGrass
Opened1883
Closed1946
Tenants
Oak Hill Base Ball Club (1883–1910)
Central City Giants Base Ball Club
Philadelphia Athletics (PL) (spring training) (1890)
Philadelphia Phillies (NL) (spring training) (1892)
East Florida Seminary (football) (1902-1904)
Florida Gators football (1906-1910)
Gainesville High School (football) (1906-1907)
Florida Gators baseball (1907-1910)

The Ballpark was a simple multi-purpose athletic field and community space near downtown Gainesville, Florida. It was laid out in the early 1880s and was used by various local amateur and semi-professional teams along with one season of spring training by the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. The Ballpark also served as the initial home field for the University of Florida's football and baseball teams when they were established during the 1906-1907 academic year.

The university built on-campus athletic facilities in the early 1900s and The Ballpark became a show grounds for local fairs and other outdoor events. Demand for land near the center of town increased after World War 2, prompting the city to subdivide and sell off most of the parcel in the late 1940s. A small community center and playground now occupy a corner of the former site.