Walpole Street Grounds Grand Pavilion Boston Base-Ball Grounds | |
 South End grounds in 1893 | |
 | |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°20′15″N 71°5′13″W / 42.33750°N 71.08694°W |
| Owner | Boston Braves |
| Capacity | 6,800 (1888) |
| Field size | Left Field – 250 feet (76 m) Left-Center – 445 feet (136 m) Deep Left-Center – 450 feet (140 m) Center Field – 440 feet (130 m) Right-Center – 440 feet (130 m) Right Field – 255 feet (78 m) * Dimensions for South End Grounds III |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1871 |
| Opened | May 16, 1871 |
| Closed | August 11, 1914 |
| Demolished | 1914 |
| Tenants | |
| Boston Braves (MLB) (1871–1914) | |
South End Grounds refers to any one of three baseball parks on one site in Boston, Massachusetts. They were home to the franchise that eventually became known as the Boston Braves, first in the National Association and later in the National League, from 1871 through part of the 1914 season. That stretch of 43 1/2 seasons is still the longest tenure of the Braves club at any of their various ballparks and cities since 1914.
At least in its third edition, the formal name of the park—as indicated by the sign over its entrance gate—was Boston National League Base Ball Park. It was located on the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Walpole Street (now Saint Cyprian's Place), just southwest of Carter Playground. Accordingly, it was also known over the years as Walpole Street Grounds; two other names were Union Base-ball Grounds and Boston Baseball Grounds.
The ballpark was across the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad tracks, to the south, from the eventual site of the Huntington Avenue Grounds, home field of Boston's American League team prior to the building of Fenway Park.
The Boston club was initially known as the "Red Stockings," because four of its key players had come from the famous 1869–1870 barnstorming team known as the Cincinnati Red Stockings and took the nickname with them to Boston. Over time the team acquired other informal nicknames, such as "Beaneaters," "Red Caps," "Rustlers" and "Doves." This team eventually adopted the official nickname "Braves," just a few years before abandoning South End Grounds.
With its tight foul lines and expansive center field, like a scaled-down version of the Polo Grounds, it was sometimes said that the South End had no right or left field, only a center field.
South End Grounds was rebuilt twice during its lifetime, the first time by choice and the second time by necessity.