Haight Street Grounds was one of San Francisco's earliest baseball parks; it was also used for college football. It opened in 1887 and was demolished in 1895.

Haight Street Grounds
Map
Locationnear Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
Coordinates37°46′3.17″N 122°27′5.46″W / 37.7675472°N 122.4515167°W / 37.7675472; -122.4515167
Record attendance22,000 (Nov. 25, 1889)[1]
SurfaceNatural grass
Construction
OpenedMarch/April 1887
ClosedMarch 1895
Demolished1895 (129 years ago)
Tenants
California League (professional baseball)
Big Game (college football)

History

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Haight Street Grounds was built for use by the California League and was located on the east side of Golden Gate Park, bounded by Stanyan, Waller, Shrader, and Frederick streets,[2] across Stanyan from the eventual Kezar Stadium complex. The opening game on April 3, 1887,[a] between the Haverlys and the Pioneers, was attended by 10,000 fans.[3] In 1893, the California League folded, and, in March 1895, plans were announced to use the ballpark land for residential development.[1][4] The final baseball game at the grounds was played on March 10, 1895.[5]

While built for baseball, Haight Street Grounds is noteworthy for being the birthplace of the Big Game, a now annual college football game between Stanford and California. It was the site of the first four Big Games, which were played on March 19, 1892; December 17, 1892; November 28, 1893; and November 29, 1894.[6]

Notes

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  1. ^ A newspaper article in 1895 stated an opening date of March 24, 1887.[1]
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References

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  1. ^ a b c "It Is To Be Destroyed: Haight-Street Ball Grounds Will Be Sold For Building Lots". The San Francisco Call. March 1, 1895. p. 11. Retrieved August 23, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ 1889 Sanborn map showing the "Cal'a league base ball grounds". San Francisco, 1886-1893, vol. 3, 1889, sheet 88f_a. Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970.
  3. ^ Lange, Fred W. History of Baseball in California and Pacific Coast Leagues 1847-1938: Memories and Musings of an Old Time Baseball Player. Oakland, CA, 1938.
  4. ^ "Bay Gleanings (column)". The Sacramento Bee. March 1, 1895. p. 2. Retrieved August 23, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Only a Memory Now: The Last Game of Baseball Played at the Haight-Street Grounds". San Francisco Examiner. March 11, 1895. p. 5. Retrieved August 23, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Sheehan, Jack F. and Louis Honig. The Games of California and Stanford: Nine Years of Intercollegiate Athletic Contests. San Francisco: Commercial Publishing Company, 1900.

Further reading

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