The Giants Move In
Andrew Freedman, owner of the New York Giants
The New York Giants were the only one of New York City's professional teams to play in essentially the same stadium throughout their entire existence in New York City. The Giants stadium was the Polo Grounds. The Polo Grounds was actually four different stadiums. The first was located at 110th street and 5th avenue, and the next three were located beneath Coogan's Bluff, in upper Harlem. The first Polo Grounds hosted its first baseball game in September of 1880, a game involving the independent New York Metropolitans. It was in 1883 when the Giants (then called the Gothams) joined the National League. The Giants played at the original Polo Grounds until 1889, when the city forced them to move, in order to put a new street through the Polo Grounds. The city had wanted to move the stadium years before, but Tammany Hall helped protect it until 1889. After they were forced to move, the Giants considered moving out of New York City, but the New York Times helped to convince city officials that they should help the Giants find a new site, writing that baseball was a wholesome form of entertainment which instilled civic pride. The Giants decided to stay, and moved to a new stadium at 155th street and Eighth Avenue, the second Polo Grounds. A year later, they merged with the Players League, and moved into the Players League's larger stadium at 157th and Eighth Avenue, which became the third Polo Grounds. This new ballpark was the largest wooden ballpark ever, seating 30,000 by 1908.(1)
The Polo Grounds III
The Giants used the third Polo Grounds until April 14, 1911, when the stadium burned down. Both the Dodgers and Highlanders offered to let the Giants use their stadiums after the fire. The Giants accepted the Highlander's offer, and played at Hilltop Park until a new stadium could be built. The city's Board of Coroners issued a statement reading "We issue a warning to the owners of the grounds and also to the officials of the New York Baseball Club that in case the stands are rebuilt of anything but fireproof material and there is the loss of life, we are going to hold these owners and the New York baseball officials without bail. We, the Coroners, say the public must be protected." John T. Brush decided to rebuild this new, fireproof stadium in the same location, primarily because it was easily accessible by public transportation. The Giants negotiated a 35 year, $70,000 lease with the Coogan Estate to use the land. It took 800 workers, 3 shifts around the clock only a few months to complete the fourth and final Polo Grounds. It held 31,316 seats in two horseshoe shaped decks. One of the great advantages of the Polo Grounds was it's accessibility. It was easily accessible from the Eight Avenue surface lines. It had an entrance along the Harlem River Speedway, with ramps leading to the upper and lower decks. Scenes on the Polo Grounds, a booklet issued by the Giants, instructed fans that "The most convenient automobile or carriage entrance is on the Speedway, opposite 157th Street. When taking the Subway, stop at 157th Street Station, passing north to 158th Street, and then east down the Brush Stairway, built by the New York Base Ball Club, to the new speedway entrance." Writers heaped praise upon the new stadium. Allan Sangree, a writer for Baseball Magazine, called it "the mightiest temple ever erected to the goddess of the sport and the crowning achievement among notable structures devoted to baseball." Indeed, the Polo Grounds was the largest and grandest stadium built since the ancient Coliseum of Rome, only to be surpassed a decade later by Yankee Stadium.(2)
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1 Reiss, pp. 104-5.
2 Ibid, pp. 122-3.