Poncey | |
![]() Spiller Field in 1924 | |
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Former names | Spiller Field (1924–1933) |
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Address | Atlanta, Georgia United States |
Coordinates | 33°46′29.94″N 84°21′54.87″W / 33.7749833°N 84.3652417°W |
Owner | Georgia Railway and Electric |
Capacity | 6,800 |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1907 |
Opened | May 23, 1907 |
Closed | 1965 |
Demolished | 1966 |
Construction cost | $60,000 |
Ponce de Leon Park (/ˌpɒns də ˈliːən/ PONSS də LEE-ən; also known as Spiller Park or Spiller Field from 1924 to 1932, and "Poncey" to locals, was the primary home field for the minor league baseball team called the Atlanta Crackers for nearly six decades. The Crackers played here in the Southern Association (1907–1959) and the International League (1962–64). It was also home of the Atlanta Black Crackers who captured the second half championship of the Negro American League in 1938.[1]
The ballpark was located at 650 Ponce de Leon Avenue; the street ran along the south side of the park i.e. along its first base side. Behind right and center field, atop the slope bordering the park on the East, were the tracks of the Southern Railway, now part of the BeltLine, a trail and future transit ring around the central neighborhoods of Atlanta. Across the street was the Ponce de Leon Amusement Park until 1926, when the hulking Sears Roebuck Southeastern Headquarters, now known as Ponce City Market, was built.