&sq=&lang=&file=File:Recreation_Park_1894.png) Newspaper sketch of Recreation Park, 1894 | |
 | |
| Former names | Union Park 3A Park[b] Coliseum |
|---|---|
| Location | Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (pre-1907) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[a] (post-1907) |
| Coordinates | 40°27′17″N 80°01′07″W / 40.4547°N 80.0186°W |
| Capacity | 17,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1865 (as skating rink) 1867 (as ballpark) |
| Tenants | |
| Baseball Pittsburgh Enterprises, Xanthas and Olympics (circa. 1876–circa. 1887) Pittsburgh Allegheny (IA) (1877–1878) Pittsburgh Alleghenys (AA) (1884–1886) Pittsburgh Alleghenys (NL) (1887–1890) Football Western University of Pennsylvania (1898–1904) Pittsburgh Stars (NFL) (1902) | |
| Official name | First Professional Football Game |
| Designated | November 3, 1992[1] |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Recreation_Park_1893.jpg)
Recreation Park (known at various times as Union Park, 3A Park, and the Coliseum) was a sporting grounds and stadium that stood from 1865 to 1905 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, which was annexed in 1907 and became the North Side region of Pittsburgh. The park was bounded by Allegheny Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Grant (now Galveston) Avenue, and Boquet (now Behan) Street.
The field was the first National League home for the Pittsburgh Pirates (at the time referred to as the Alleghenys)[2] of Major League Baseball. It also hosted many football games of the Western University of Pennsylvania (today's University of Pittsburgh). In November 1892, the park hosted the first known American football game that included a professional player.
Only one known photograph, taken from a very distant vantage point, shows the grounds in its longtime baseball configuration. It was discovered in 2015 in a time capsule left by scientific instrument maker John Brashear.[3] A much-altered facility appears in later photos, including several newspaper shots of football games.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Pennsylvania Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Liebwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Britcher, Craig (Spring 2016). "At Long Last, a Recreation Park Photo Comes to Light". Up Front. Western Pennsylvania History. 99 (1): 6–7.