American League Park facts for kids
| American League Park I | |
| Location | Corner of Florida Avenue NE and Trinidad Avenue NE, Washington D.C. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°54′6″N 76°59′12″W / 38.90167°N 76.98667°W |
| Type | Baseball Field |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1901 |
| Closed | 1903 |
| Tenants | |
| 1901–1903:American League's Washington Senators | |
American League Park was an old baseball park in Washington, D.C.. People sometimes call it American League Park I to tell it apart from other parks. It was located in the Trinidad neighborhood. This park was the home field for the Washington Senators baseball team. They played there from 1901 until 1903.
Contents
American League Park: A Baseball Home
Where Was This Park?
American League Park was built on land that used to belong to the Washington Brick Company. It was at the corner of Florida Avenue and Trinidad Avenue NE. The baseball field had specific boundaries. The left-field fence was where Neal Street NE is today. The third-base line ran along Trinidad Avenue. The first-base line was next to Florida Avenue NE. And the right-field fence was along what is now Bladensburg Road.
Getting Permission to Build
On March 20, 1901, the American League got permission to build the park. The "district commissioners" were the local government officials who approved it. They looked at the plans for the grandstands and other buildings. Snowden Ashford, a building inspector, handled the approval.
The area was not very built up back then. The closest buildings were more than 50 feet away from the park. This meant the park was not seen as a big problem for the neighborhood. There were no special rules for building baseball fields in Washington, D.C., at that time. No one living nearby objected, so the permission was granted.
The grandstands, where fans sat, were made of wood. This was common for baseball parks in those days. The left-field line of the park was about 290 feet long.
Moving On to a New Field
The American League Senators had first wanted to use a different field called Boundary Field. However, the National League still had rights to that site. Even though the National League no longer had a team in Washington, they blocked the Senators from using it.
Later, the two leagues made peace. This allowed the Senators to move to Boundary Field for the 1904 season. This new field became known as American League Park II or National Park. The wooden stands from the first American League Park were taken apart and moved to the new location. By 1907, there was no longer a baseball field at the original site.
Images for kids
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This map from 1903 shows a part of American League Park.
