Forbes Field facts for kids
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"The House of Thrills"
"The Old Lady of Schenley Park" "The Oakland Orchard" |
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| Location | 230 South Bouquet St. in Oakland, adjacent to Schenley Park |
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| Capacity | 23,000 (1909) 41,000 (1925) 35,000 (1970) |
| Field size | 1909: Left Field—360 feet (110 m) Deepest corner—462 feet (141 m) Center Field—442 feet (135 m) Right Field—376 feet (115 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Hand-operated |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | March 1, 1909 |
| Built | March–June 1909 |
| Opened | June 30, 1909 |
| Closed | June 28, 1970 |
| Demolished | 1971 |
| Construction cost | Estimated US$1–2 million ($32.6 million – $65.1 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | Charles Leavitt, Jr. |
| General contractor | Nicola Building Company |
| Tenants | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) (1909–1970) Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) (1933–1963) Philadelphia–Pittsburgh "Steagles" (NFL) (1943) "Card-Pitt" (NFL) (1944) Pittsburgh Panthers (NCAA) (1909–1924) Homestead Grays (Negro leagues) (1922–1939) Pittsburgh Americans (AFL) (1936–1937) Pittsburgh Phantoms (NPSL) (1967) |
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Pennsylvania Historical Marker
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| Designated: | July 7, 2006 |
| Official name: Forbes Field wall: remnant | |
| Designated: | 1977 |
Forbes Field was a famous baseball park in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was used from 1909 until June 28, 1970. This stadium was the third home for the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team. It was also the first home for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League (NFL) team. The stadium also hosted football games for the University of Pittsburgh's "Pitt" Panthers from 1909 to 1924. The stadium got its name from Forbes Avenue, a nearby street, which was named after British General John Forbes. He fought in the French and Indian War and named the city of Pittsburgh in 1758.
The project cost about US$1 million (which would be like $32.6 million today). It was started by Barney Dreyfuss, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He wanted to replace the team's old home, Exposition Park, with a bigger stadium. Forbes Field was built using concrete and steel. This made it the first stadium of its kind in the National League and the third in all of Major League Baseball, designed to last a long time. The Pirates played their first game at Forbes Field on June 30, 1909, against the Chicago Cubs. They played their very last game there against the Cubs on June 28, 1970. The playing field was very large. The batting cage was even placed in the deepest part of center field during games. The seating was changed many times over the years. Sometimes, fans were allowed to sit on the grass in the outfield when there were huge crowds. The Pirates won three World Series championships while playing at Forbes Field. The Pittsburgh Panthers football team had five undefeated seasons before they moved to a new stadium in 1924. Because of the exciting games played by both the Steelers and the Pirates, Forbes Field was nicknamed "The House of Thrills" in 1959.
Some parts of the old ballpark still stand today, surrounded by the University of Pittsburgh campus. Fans gather there every year on the anniversary of Bill Mazeroski's World Series winning home run. This gathering shows how much people loved the game and the stadium.
Contents
Building Forbes Field: A Look Back
How the Stadium Was Planned
In 1903, Barney Dreyfuss, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, started looking for land to build a bigger stadium. He wanted to replace their old home, Exposition Park. Dreyfuss bought seven acres of land near the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, right next to Schenley Park. His friend, the famous industrialist Andrew Carnegie, helped him. Dreyfuss chose this land because it was cheap, which meant he could spend more money on building the stadium itself. He promised to make the ballpark fit in with the other buildings in the Schenley Park area.
At first, people called the site "Dreyfuss's Folly" because it was a 10-minute trolley ride from downtown Pittsburgh. But as the area around the park grew, these criticisms disappeared. Official records show that Forbes Field cost US$1 million for the land and construction. However, some people think it might have cost twice that much.
Dreyfuss announced that his new stadium would be different from older wooden ballparks like the Polo Grounds. He planned to build a three-level stadium using steel and concrete to make it last longer. This was a new idea for stadiums at the time. Charles Wellford Leavitt, Jr. was hired to design the main seating area. He was a civil engineer who had designed other large structures. Pirates' manager Fred Clarke also helped with the design. He gave advice on the field and even invented a way to cover the infield with a tarp when it rained.
Work on the land began on January 1, 1909, and construction officially started on March 1. The Nicola Building Company built the stadium in just 122 days! Games started less than four months after construction began, on June 30. Even though the scoreboard was operated by hand, the ballpark had many new features. It had ramps and elevators to help fans move around, a special room for the umpires, and a clubhouse for the visiting team that was just as nice as the Pirates'. The outside of the stadium had "buff-colored terra cotta" that spelled out "PAC" for the Pittsburgh Athletic Company. The light green steel parts looked nice against the red roof. Some people in the media wanted Dreyfuss to name the stadium after himself. But he chose Forbes Field, honoring General John Forbes. In 1935, after Dreyfuss passed away, some media wanted to rename it "Dreyfuss Field," but his wife, Florence, said no. A monument to Dreyfuss was placed in center field.
Opening Day Excitement
"Pittsburg can now boast of the world's finest baseball park. It is a marvel of which people in other cities can have no adequate conception until they come here and see it."
On June 29, 1909, the Pittsburgh Pirates won against the Chicago Cubs at Exposition Park. The very next day, these two teams opened Forbes Field. Fans started arriving six and a half hours early for the 3:30 pm game! The weather was clear and about 80 degrees. The Pittsburgh Press newspaper wrote that the opening was seen by the largest crowd ever for such an event. They said Forbes Field was so huge that even experts couldn't guess the crowd size. Records show that 30,338 people attended the first game, filling every seat and standing area.
Many important baseball officials were there, including league presidents. Pittsburgh Mayor William A. Magee threw out the first ceremonial pitch. The Chicago Cubs won the first game, 3–2. Dreyfuss said, "This is indeed the happiest day of my life." Everyone thought the stadium was the best in the league. The flag at Forbes Field was at half-staff on opening day to honor the recently passed presidents of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Doves.
The first batter at Forbes Field was future Hall of Famer Johnny Evers from the Cubs. He was hit by a pitch and later scored the first run. The first hit by a Pirate was by catcher George Gibson.
The Unique Playing Field
Barney Dreyfuss didn't like "cheap home runs." He wanted a large playing field at Forbes Field so that home runs would be truly impressive. The original distances to the outfield fence were:
- Left field: 360 feet (110 m)
- Deepest corner: 462 feet (141 m)
- Center field: 442 feet (135 m)
- Right field: 376 feet (115 m)
In 1925, to add more seats, the right field grandstand was extended. This made the foul line distance shorter, from 376 feet (115 m) to 300 feet (91 m). Dreyfuss wasn't completely happy about this change. In 1930, he put up a 28-foot (8.5 m) high screen in right field to make it harder to hit home runs there.
Even with these long distances, the outfield wall was 12 feet (3.7 m) high around most of the field. After 1925, the right field wall was 9.5 feet (2.9 m) high, with the screen on top. The backstop (the fence behind home plate) was 110 feet (34 m) away, which was much larger than the average of 60 feet (18 m) in most stadiums back then. Later, more seating reduced this distance to 75 feet (23 m), which was still quite far.
Because the outfield was so big, triples and inside-the-park home runs were common. The Pirates once hit a record eight triples in one game on May 30, 1925. It was very hard to hit an over-the-fence home run at Forbes Field. The only exception was the shorter right field line after 1925. Even then, the wall angled sharply out to 375 feet (114 m). The last three home runs of Babe Ruth's career were hit at Forbes Field on May 25, 1935. One of them went over the 89-foot (27 m) right field roof, which was considered the longest home run ever hit there.
Forbes Field was known as a "pitcher-friendly" ballpark, meaning it was good for pitchers. However, no pitcher ever threw a no-hitter in the more than 4,700 games played there. The field itself had natural grass that came from Crestline, Ohio.
"There wasn't much flubdubber. You just got a ballgame. If you didn't like it, you could stay home."
Until 1942, the batting cage was kept on the field behind home plate when not in use. A new, larger cage was introduced that season. For a while, it was kept in foul territory down the right field line. But it kept getting in the way of balls during games. So, by July 1943, it was moved to its permanent spot: in fair territory, just to the left of the 457-foot (139 m) marker in deep left-center field. The open part of the cage faced the wall, and its back acted like a curved fence.
In 1947, after Dreyfuss had passed away, the bullpens (where relief pitchers warm up) were moved from foul territory to the base of the scoreboard in left field. This change shortened the left field area by 30 feet (9.1 m). The distance down the line became 335 feet (102 m) (from 365 feet (111 m)), and left-center field became 376 feet (115 m) (from 406 feet (124 m)). These distances were still normal for major league fields. However, this change was made to help slugger Hank Greenberg hit more home runs, so the area was called "Greenberg Gardens." Greenberg retired after that season, but Ralph Kiner was already a strong hitter for the Pirates, so the bullpen area was renamed "Kiner's Korner." Kiner was traded in 1953, and the field was changed back to its original layout for the 1954 season.
The final measurements of the ballpark were:
- Left field line: 365 feet (111 m)
- Left-center field: 406 feet (124 m)
- Deepest left-center: 457 feet (139 m)
- Deep right-center: 436 feet (133 m)
- Right-center field: 375 feet (114 m)
- Right field line: 300 feet (91 m)
The only marker in exact straightaway center field was the Barney Dreyfuss monument, which was on the playing field just in front of the wall. Forbes Field's walls were covered in ivy and had no advertisements, except for a 32-foot (9.8 m) United States Marine Corps billboard in 1943.
The infield surface became very "rock-hard" over the years. During the last game of the 1960 World Series, Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek was hit in the neck by a ball that bounced off the hard dirt. This stopped a possible double play and made Kubek leave the game. Pittsburgh went on to win the game and the championship. Groundskeepers even burned gasoline on the pitcher's mound to dry it!
Seating and Tickets for Fans
Forbes Field originally held 25,000 people, making it the largest stadium in the league at the time. The seating was changed many times, reaching a peak capacity of 41,000 in 1925. When it closed in 1970, it held 35,000 seats. On opening day, tickets cost $1.25 for box seats and $1 for reserved grandstand seats. Temporary bleachers were set up for the opening, costing $0.50. Ticket prices were considered high for that time. Sometimes, steel pillars supporting the roof blocked fans' views of the field.
When the team had winning streaks and many people came to games, fans were allowed to sit on the grass in right field. They just had to agree to let a player catch any ball hit into that area. The lowest number of fans in a season was in 1914, with 139,620 people. The highest was in 1960, when 1,705,828 people watched the Pirates play. On September 23, 1956, the stadium's biggest crowd ever, 44,932 people, came to see the Pirates play the Brooklyn Dodgers. The game was stopped early because of a rain delay and a Sunday curfew. The Dodgers won the game 8–2 the next day. The smallest crowd for a Pirates game was just 200 people on June 10, 1938. On September 30, 1962, 40,916 people watched the Steelers lose to the New York Giants. This was the Steelers' highest-attended game at the stadium.
Closing Down and Remembering Forbes Field
Even though Forbes Field was praised when it opened, it started to show its age after 60 years. It was the second oldest baseball field in the league at the time. The area around the park, which was once undeveloped, became a busy business district. This meant there wasn't enough parking. One sportswriter said that The House of Thrills had become "as joyless as a prison exercise yard."
The University of Pittsburgh bought Forbes Field in 1958 because they wanted to expand their campus. They agreed to let the Pirates use the stadium until a new one could be built. Plans for a new sports stadium in Pittsburgh started in 1948, but they didn't get much attention until the late 1950s. Construction for Three Rivers Stadium began on April 25, 1968.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs played a double-header on June 28, 1970, which was the last day for Forbes Field. Pittsburgh won the first game 3–2. In the second game, Al Oliver hit the last home run in the park, and Matty Alou helped the Pirates win 4–1. The 40,918 fans cheered as Dave Giusti got the final out, which was caught by Bill Mazeroski. Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente played 15 seasons at Forbes Field. He was very emotional during the last game, saying, "I spent half my life there." After the game, home plate was dug up and flown by helicopter to Three Rivers Stadium to be put into its new artificial turf.
A group of people tried to save the stadium from being torn down. They suggested turning it into a stage, apartments, or a farmers market. They even compared it to the Eiffel Tower! However, the abandoned stadium had two fires, on December 24, 1970, and July 17, 1971. Eleven days after the second fire, demolition began, and the site was cleared for the University of Pittsburgh.
Memorials and Remnants Today
In 1955, a statue of baseball legend Honus Wagner was placed in Schenley Plaza, next to Forbes Field. Thousands of fans came to the dedication, including Wagner himself. The 1,800-pound (820 kg) statue was moved to Three Rivers Stadium in 1970. Today, the statue stands at the home plate entrance of PNC Park.
A part of the left field wall, where Bill Mazeroski hit his famous walk-off home run to win the 1960 World Series, is no longer in its original spot. A piece of that wall, including the "406 FT" sign, was moved to the Allegheny Club at Three Rivers Stadium. Before Three Rivers Stadium was torn down, this section of the wall was saved. In 2009, it was fixed up and placed on the Riverwalk outside of PNC Park.
The original location of that wall is now marked by bricks that go from the left-center field wall across Roberto Clemente Drive and into the sidewalk. A plaque in the sidewalk shows where Mazeroski's home run went over the wall. The left-center and center field brick wall, with "457 FT" and "436 FT" painted on it, still stands in its original spot. The stadium's flagpole is also still there, next to the University of Pittsburgh's Mervis and Posvar Halls. Even though this isn't the exact section of wall where Mazeroski's home run cleared, people often call it "Mazeroski's Wall." This part of the wall stayed after Forbes Field was torn down. It was fixed up in 2006 for the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. Also, a wooden copy of a stadium entrance, with a ticket window and players' entrance, was built and placed near the remaining wall in 2006.
The home plate used in the stadium's final game is kept in the University of Pittsburgh's Posvar Hall. Its location has been changed, though. Author John McCollister joked that if it were in its exact original spot, it would be in the fifth stall of the ladies' restroom! However, others have recently figured out that the original home plate location is about 81 feet (25 m) away from where it's displayed, inside the GSPIA/Economics Library, not in a restroom.
Every October 13, a ceremony is held at the outfield wall in Oakland. People gather to listen to a recording of the final game of the 1960 World Series. This tradition started in 1985 when Saul Finkelstein sat alone at the flagpole and listened to the radio broadcast. He continued this for eight more years, and then others started joining in 1993. On October 13, 2000, the 40th anniversary, over 600 people came, including Mazeroski himself. For the 50th anniversary on October 13, 2010, a plaque honoring Mazeroski was dedicated, and more than 1,000 people attended, including Mazeroski and other former Pirates players.
Exciting Events at Forbes Field
Baseball Highlights
In 1909, Forbes Field's first season, the Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. This was the only time future Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb played against each other in the World Series.
On October 2, 1920, Forbes Field hosted the last triple-header in MLB history, which means three games were played in one day!
On August 5, 1921, Forbes Field was where the first live radio broadcast of a Major League Baseball game happened in the United States. Harold W. Arlin described the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies on KDKA radio. Regular broadcasts started in 1936 with A. K. ′′Rosey′′ Rowswell. He believed that "It's not just play-by-play that matters. It's what you say in between the pitches that counts." His style influenced Bob Prince, who started broadcasting in 1948. Rowswell broadcast games at Forbes Field until he passed away in 1955.
In 1925, the Pirates made history by being the first team to come back from being down three games to one to win the World Series against the Washington Senators. Pittsburgh's third and final World Series championship at Forbes Field came in 1960. Bill Mazeroski hit the first walk-off home run ever to end a World Series game, and as of 2020, it's still the only one in Game 7 history. These two World Series wins are the only times the Pirates won a championship at home, with Forbes Field hosting both.
Two unassisted triple plays happened at Forbes Field. The first was on May 7, 1925, by Pittsburgh's Glenn Wright. Two seasons later, in 1927, Jimmy Cooney, who had been involved in the first triple play, also got three outs by himself.
On May 25, 1935, at Forbes Field, Babe Ruth hit the last three home runs of his career. His Boston Braves lost to the Pirates, 11-7. His final home run went over the right field stands roof, making him the first player to ever do that.
On October 8, 1946, six months before his major league debut, Jackie Robinson played with his African American all-stars against Honus Wagner's all-stars.
Most of the baseball scenes in the 1951 movie Angels in the Outfield were filmed at Forbes Field.
On May 28, 1956, Dale Long of the Pirates took what some say was the first-ever curtain call in baseball history. He had hit home runs in eight games in a row, and fans cheered for five minutes!
The Homestead Grays of the Negro leagues played all their home games at Forbes Field from 1922 to 1939. Grays owner Cumberland Posey became friends with Dreyfuss, who often watched Grays games. In 1930, Josh Gibson played his first game for the Grays at Forbes Field. Also in 1930, the Grays and the Kansas City Monarchs played the first night baseball game in Pittsburgh on July 18, 1930. Floodlights were installed the day before. Six players from the Grays' 1936 team are now in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Starting in 1937, the Grays won nine straight Negro National League championships.
The University of Pittsburgh's baseball team also often used Forbes Field for their home games.
Football Action
The University of Pittsburgh's football team moved from Exposition Park to Forbes Field when it opened in 1909. They played there until 1924, when they moved to the larger Pitt Stadium nearby. In their first game at Forbes Field on October 16, 1909, the Panthers beat Bucknell University 18–6. In 1910, their second year at Forbes Field, the Panthers had an undefeated season and didn't let opponents score a single point! The Panthers had many successful seasons at Forbes Field, including five undefeated seasons where they were named national champions in 1910, 1915, 1916, 1917, and 1918. During their time at Forbes Field, Pitt's teams were led by Hall of Fame coaches like Joe Thompson, Glenn "Pop" Warner, and Jock Sutherland. Forbes Field was also the site of another broadcasting first: on October 8, 1921, Harold W. Arlin broadcasted the Pitt-West Virginia football game live on KDKA radio. This was the first live radio broadcast of a college football game in the United States. Duquesne University also played many of their home games there in the 1930s and 1940s.
Pittsburgh native Art Rooney started his NFL team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, on July 8, 1933. The team's first game, against the New York Giants, was on September 20, 1933, at Forbes Field. The Giants won 23–2 in front of 25,000 people. Rooney wrote, "The Giants won. Our team looks terrible. The fans didn't get their money's worth." The Pirates got their first win a week later at Forbes Field, against the Chicago Cardinals. The NFL's Pirates were renamed the Steelers in 1940. They struggled for much of their time at Forbes Field. The team had its first winning record in 1942, which was their tenth season. On November 30, 1952, the Steelers played the New York Giants at Forbes Field on a snowy afternoon. Pittsburgh was 3–6, but they set team records, scoring nine touchdowns to win 63–7. The 15,140 excited fans ran onto the field and started tearing down the field goal posts! When the University of Pittsburgh bought Forbes Field in 1958, the Steelers started playing some of their home games at the much larger Pitt Stadium. The Steelers played their last game at Forbes Field on December 1, 1963. The team moved to Pitt Stadium full-time the next season.
Other Events at the Stadium
Boxing matches were held at Forbes Field from the 1910s to the 1950s, drawing crowds of over 15,000 people. On June 23, 1919, Harry "The Pittsburgh Windmill" Greb defeated Mike Gibbons in a ten-round fight at Forbes Field. On July 18, 1951, the heavyweight boxing championship was held at the stadium. Ezzard Charles was knocked out by Jersey Joe Walcott in seven rounds. Another fight on September 25, 1939, had 17,000 people, including Art Rooney and Pie Traynor. Pittsburgh native Billy Conn defended his light heavyweight title against Melio Bettina and won after 15 rounds. Two years later, on June 18, 1941, Conn fought Joe Louis in New York City. The Pirates and the New York Giants, who were playing at Forbes Field, were called into their dugouts while 24,738 fans listened to the radio broadcast of the hour-long fight. Conn was winning until the final round, but he went for a knockout and was knocked out himself.
On Sunday, October 17, 1909, a special church service was held at Forbes Field. It was part of a big celebration marking 100 years since the ""Declaration and Address" was signed by Thomas Campbell. People from churches all over the world were there.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration held a mine rescue and safety demonstration at Forbes Field on October 30, 1911. The event included first-aid and rescue demonstrations. About 15,000 people attended, including President William H. Taft. Forbes Field also hosted circuses and concerts.
How Many Fans Could Forbes Field Hold?
The number of seats for baseball games changed over the years:
| Years | Capacity |
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| 1909–1914 |
23,000
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| 1915–1924 |
25,000
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| 1925–1937 |
41,000
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| 1938 |
40,000
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| 1939–1941 |
33,537
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| 1942–1946 |
33,467
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| 1947–1952 |
33,730
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| 1953–1959 |
34,249
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| 1960–1970 |
35,000
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Gallery: Old Photos of Forbes Field
These pictures show Forbes Field in the early 1910s, from the Library of Congress. They were meant to form a panorama.
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| Events and Tenants | ||
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| Preceded by Exposition Park |
Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates 1909–1970 |
Succeeded by Three Rivers Stadium |
| Preceded by Exposition Park |
Home of the Pittsburgh Panthers 1909–1924 |
Succeeded by Pitt Stadium |
| Preceded by first stadium |
Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers 1933–1963 |
Succeeded by Pitt Stadium |
| Preceded by Shibe Park Memorial Stadium |
Host of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game 1944 1959 (Game 1) |
Succeeded by Fenway Park Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
Images for kids
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Forbes outfield shortly before the ballpark's 1909 opening
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Seating diagram for 1909 World Series attendees
