View Single Post
Old 03-20-2014, 05:59 PM   #5
joefromchicago
Hall Of Famer
 
joefromchicago's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,630
I'd be dubious of some of those numbers. For instance, it's very unlikely that the original Sportsman's Park cost $300,000, even though it was part of what might be termed today an "amusement complex." $300,000 in 1881 would be something like $6 or $7 million today, and that would be for a simple wooden grandstand. More likely, that figure is for the conversion of the park in 1909, when the first steel-and-concrete stand was built.

In general, I'd estimate the cost of a brand-new park in the 19th century at around $75,000. That would cover not only the construction of the stands but also the purchase of the land. Prices went up when teams replaced wooden parks with steel-and-concrete structures, which started in 1909 with Forbes Field and Shibe Park.
joefromchicago is offline   Reply With Quote