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Old 03-22-2014, 11:17 AM   #8
joefromchicago
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange View Post
A couple of points to remember about the wooden parks of the 19th century: (1) their seating capacities were fairly low; and (2) they burned down with alarming regularity. It was this fire issue which led to the (mostly) fire-proof steel and concrete parks of the early 20th century (which also allowed higher seating capacities).
Another thing to remember is just how fast some of these ballparks were built. Work on Weeghman Field (later Wrigley Field) started at the beginning of March, 1914, and the park was ready for the home opener on April 23, less than two months later. Granted, that was just a grandstand down the foul lines - no upper deck and no bleachers. Still, that was fairly typical for the times. After a fire in 1911, the Polo Grounds was rebuilt with a double-decked steel-and-concrete grandstand in about two months.
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