19th Century 3D Ballparks - Page 18

dfswans · 02-14-2026, 11:48 PM

Grand Avenue Park

Grand_Avenue_Park

Grand Avenue Park was the home of the St. Louis Brown Stockings during the 1875 season and again in 1876. The club competed in the National Association and later the National League, making the park one of St. Louis’s earliest professional venues. The enclosed wooden grounds featured a modest grandstand and fenced perimeter typical of the era, reflecting baseball’s transition into a structured, ticketed enterprise.

The 1875 Brown Stockings were one of the strongest clubs in the game, drawing significant crowds and elevating the city’s baseball profile. In 1876, controversy and scandal cut short the team’s stay in the National League, and Grand Avenue Park’s time as a top-level venue quickly ended. Despite its short life, it remains historically significant as the first major-league home in St. Louis.

dfswans · 02-14-2026, 11:50 PM

Jefferson Street Grounds (1864–1876)

Jefferson_Street_Grounds_1864-1876

Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia hosted leading amateur and professional clubs during baseball’s formative years, most notably the Philadelphia Athletics, who played there while competing in the National Association. The enclosed park included covered seating and attracted large crowds for important intercity matchups, helping cement Philadelphia as a baseball stronghold.

One notable feature of Jefferson Street Grounds was its shifting diamond configuration over time. Home plate was relocated more than once within the same enclosure, altering field dimensions and sightlines as the club experimented with layout and crowd accommodation. These adjustments reflected the evolving standards of professional baseball and the practical realities of fitting a regulation field into an urban setting.

dfswans · 02-14-2026, 11:51 PM

National Association Grounds (Cleveland)

National_Association_Grounds

The Cleveland National Association Grounds served as the home of the Cleveland Forest Citys during the 1871 season. The club competed in the National Association, marking Cleveland’s first entry into organized professional baseball. The grounds featured a simple wooden enclosure and basic seating, characteristic of early professional parks.

Although the Forest Citys’ tenure at the top professional level lasted just one season, the park hosted some of the city’s earliest major intercity contests. Its brief existence highlights both the ambition and instability of early professional baseball while establishing Cleveland as part of the emerging national game.

dfswans · 02-14-2026, 11:53 PM

Union Park (1891–1894 version)

Union_Park_1891-1894

Union Park in Baltimore opened in 1891 as the home of the Baltimore Orioles, who competed in the National League. The enclosed wooden structure featured expanded grandstands and improved spectator facilities compared to earlier grounds, reflecting baseball’s growing commercial appeal in the 1890s. Crowds in Baltimore were known for their intensity, giving the park a lively urban atmosphere.

In July 1894, a devastating fire destroyed much of the wooden ballpark, temporarily displacing the Orioles before reconstruction efforts followed. During the 1891–1894 period, Union Park became one of the era’s most important venues, setting the stage for Baltimore’s rise as a dominant club in the mid-1890s.

BaseballMan · 02-15-2026, 03:41 PM

Did i mention these ballparks are Amazing?
Not sure if i did or not.
I have collected 250 ballparks from all of the ballpark modders.
I don't know if i am missing any.
Might have to go through them when i have time to see if any were updated.

asrivkin · 02-15-2026, 06:00 PM

Great job, dfswans! Those look like a bunch of beauties!

I'd hoped to get Syracuse's Star Park from 1890 posted today, but it looks like it'll be a couple more days. I think Louisville Base Ball Park from 1876-1877 is the only NL park used for more than one year that's still missing, I can try and tackle that next if nobody else is working on it. I think the Troy Ball Club Grounds from 1882 would then probably be next on my list, then an assessment of what's needed and what of that has any hope of being historical vs. fictional...

asrivkin · Today, 12:14 AM

Hi all! For today's park we go to upstate New York and the penultimate season of the major league American Association. Star Park was the usual name for the home grounds of Syracuse baseball teams, much like the name Oriole Park has served for Baltimore. There were five different Star Parks from 1878-1929, with some parks occasionally having different names as well. This is the second Star Park, and the one that lasted the longest, serving from 1885-1904. The first Star Park served the NL Syracuse Stars of 1879, which is on our collective to-do list but for which information is very scant.

This Star Park, as noted, was home to the Syracuse Stars of the American Association in 1890, their only year in that league. This was not a good team, finishing 7th and then leaving the league. After Syracuse and Rochester departed the AA at the end of 1890, only NYC and Buffalo ever represented the Empire State at the major league level, and Buffalo only did so in 1-2 year stints in off-brand major leagues or unofficially.

However, this park did host football as well during the late 1800s, including some high profile college games involving Cornell.

Google Drive link to Star Park 1890

The most useful available info for the park was an appearance on a Sanborn insurance map (included below). I interpreted the weird notch in left field as a parking area for carriages and had the wall continue straight from center to left field. There's a photograph from outside the park, which didn't seem to help much. The map has a funny structure that I wasn't sure how to interpret--clearly a two-story tower atop a one-story thing. I decided to make it another grandstand with a treehouse-style press box on top. It's not impossible that the photo shows it and it's something more like an entrance gate, but it doesn't seem to be in the right place for it?

For those keeping track at home, the background is actually from Syracuse, but not really the same part of town as the park was.

I'm off on some work travel soon, depending on my as-yet undetermined schedule I might have some free time to do a bit more on this, I might not. In either case I'll post where I think we are and reconfirm my near-term modeling plans. If there's any sort of deadline coming up where it would be useful to get something done to get it packaged with other things, please let me know!

02-14-2026, 11:48 PM	#341
dfswans Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jul 2023 Posts: 36	Grand Avenue Park Grand_Avenue_Park Grand Avenue Park was the home of the St. Louis Brown Stockings during the 1875 season and again in 1876. The club competed in the National Association and later the National League, making the park one of St. Louis’s earliest professional venues. The enclosed wooden grounds featured a modest grandstand and fenced perimeter typical of the era, reflecting baseball’s transition into a structured, ticketed enterprise. The 1875 Brown Stockings were one of the strongest clubs in the game, drawing significant crowds and elevating the city’s baseball profile. In 1876, controversy and scandal cut short the team’s stay in the National League, and Grand Avenue Park’s time as a top-level venue quickly ended. Despite its short life, it remains historically significant as the first major-league home in St. Louis. Attached Images

02-14-2026, 11:50 PM	#342
dfswans Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jul 2023 Posts: 36	Jefferson Street Grounds (1864–1876) Jefferson_Street_Grounds_1864-1876 Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia hosted leading amateur and professional clubs during baseball’s formative years, most notably the Philadelphia Athletics, who played there while competing in the National Association. The enclosed park included covered seating and attracted large crowds for important intercity matchups, helping cement Philadelphia as a baseball stronghold. One notable feature of Jefferson Street Grounds was its shifting diamond configuration over time. Home plate was relocated more than once within the same enclosure, altering field dimensions and sightlines as the club experimented with layout and crowd accommodation. These adjustments reflected the evolving standards of professional baseball and the practical realities of fitting a regulation field into an urban setting. Attached Images

02-14-2026, 11:51 PM	#343
dfswans Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jul 2023 Posts: 36	National Association Grounds (Cleveland) National_Association_Grounds The Cleveland National Association Grounds served as the home of the Cleveland Forest Citys during the 1871 season. The club competed in the National Association, marking Cleveland’s first entry into organized professional baseball. The grounds featured a simple wooden enclosure and basic seating, characteristic of early professional parks. Although the Forest Citys’ tenure at the top professional level lasted just one season, the park hosted some of the city’s earliest major intercity contests. Its brief existence highlights both the ambition and instability of early professional baseball while establishing Cleveland as part of the emerging national game. Attached Images

02-14-2026, 11:53 PM	#344
dfswans Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jul 2023 Posts: 36	Union Park (1891–1894 version) Union_Park_1891-1894 Union Park in Baltimore opened in 1891 as the home of the Baltimore Orioles, who competed in the National League. The enclosed wooden structure featured expanded grandstands and improved spectator facilities compared to earlier grounds, reflecting baseball’s growing commercial appeal in the 1890s. Crowds in Baltimore were known for their intensity, giving the park a lively urban atmosphere. In July 1894, a devastating fire destroyed much of the wooden ballpark, temporarily displacing the Orioles before reconstruction efforts followed. During the 1891–1894 period, Union Park became one of the era’s most important venues, setting the stage for Baltimore’s rise as a dominant club in the mid-1890s. Attached Images

Today, 12:14 AM	#347
asrivkin Major Leagues Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Maryland Posts: 357	Syracuse Star Park 1890 Hi all! For today's park we go to upstate New York and the penultimate season of the major league American Association. Star Park was the usual name for the home grounds of Syracuse baseball teams, much like the name Oriole Park has served for Baltimore. There were five different Star Parks from 1878-1929, with some parks occasionally having different names as well. This is the second Star Park, and the one that lasted the longest, serving from 1885-1904. The first Star Park served the NL Syracuse Stars of 1879, which is on our collective to-do list but for which information is very scant. This Star Park, as noted, was home to the Syracuse Stars of the American Association in 1890, their only year in that league. This was not a good team, finishing 7th and then leaving the league. After Syracuse and Rochester departed the AA at the end of 1890, only NYC and Buffalo ever represented the Empire State at the major league level, and Buffalo only did so in 1-2 year stints in off-brand major leagues or unofficially. However, this park did host football as well during the late 1800s, including some high profile college games involving Cornell. Google Drive link to Star Park 1890 The most useful available info for the park was an appearance on a Sanborn insurance map (included below). I interpreted the weird notch in left field as a parking area for carriages and had the wall continue straight from center to left field. There's a photograph from outside the park, which didn't seem to help much. The map has a funny structure that I wasn't sure how to interpret--clearly a two-story tower atop a one-story thing. I decided to make it another grandstand with a treehouse-style press box on top. It's not impossible that the photo shows it and it's something more like an entrance gate, but it doesn't seem to be in the right place for it? For those keeping track at home, the background is actually from Syracuse, but not really the same part of town as the park was. I'm off on some work travel soon, depending on my as-yet undetermined schedule I might have some free time to do a bit more on this, I might not. In either case I'll post where I think we are and reconfirm my near-term modeling plans. If there's any sort of deadline coming up where it would be useful to get something done to get it packaged with other things, please let me know! Attached Images

02-15-2026, 03:41 PM	#345
BaseballMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,584	Did i mention these ballparks are Amazing? Not sure if i did or not. I have collected 250 ballparks from all of the ballpark modders. I don't know if i am missing any. Might have to go through them when i have time to see if any were updated.

02-15-2026, 06:00 PM	#346
asrivkin Major Leagues Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Maryland Posts: 357	Great job, dfswans! Those look like a bunch of beauties! I'd hoped to get Syracuse's Star Park from 1890 posted today, but it looks like it'll be a couple more days. I think Louisville Base Ball Park from 1876-1877 is the only NL park used for more than one year that's still missing, I can try and tackle that next if nobody else is working on it. I think the Troy Ball Club Grounds from 1882 would then probably be next on my list, then an assessment of what's needed and what of that has any hope of being historical vs. fictional...