Rickwood Field
Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro leagues. Though the Barons moved their home games to the Hoover Met in the suburbs, and most recently to Regions Field in Birmingham, Rickwood Field has been preserved and is undergoing gradual restoration as a "working museum" where baseball's history can be experienced. The Barons also play one regular season game a year at Rickwood Field. Rickwood Field is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
| Location | 1137 2nd Avenue West, Birmingham, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Owner | City of Birmingham |
| Capacity | 10,800 |
| Field size | Left field: 321 feet (98 m) Left center: 399 feet (122 m) |
Rickwood Field | |
| Coordinates | 33°30′8″N 86°51′21″W |
| Area | 12.7 acres (5.1 ha) |
| Built | 1910 |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001826 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 1, 1993 |
| Designated ARLH | December 19, 1991 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | Spring 1910 |
| Opened | August 18, 1910 |
| Construction cost | $75,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Birmingham Barons (Southern Association) – 1910–1961 Birmingham Barons (Southern League) – 1964–1965, 1981–1987, part-time 1988–present Birmingham A's (Southern League) – 1967–1975 Birmingham Black Barons (Negro Southern League) – 1920–1924, 1926, 1931–1936, 1938–1939 Birmingham Black Barons (Negro National League) – 1925–1926, 1927–1930, 1937, 1940–1948 Birmingham Black Barons (Negro American League) – 1949–1960 Philadelphia Phillies (Major League Baseball Spring Training) - 1911, 1920 Pittsburgh Pirates (Major League Baseball Spring Training) - 1919 | |