Polo Grounds [IV] / Brush Stadium (1911-1963)

[Lpeters199]

If the left field wall had been constructed the same distance from the plate as the right field wall, there would have been little or no overhang, and seating capacity would have been increased. Land constraints wouldn't apply to the inside dimensions. Why was the left field wall deeper and higher than right field? We may never know.

It also seems strange that there were no dimensions marked at the foul poles or in front of the bleachers, yet the unreachable 483 to the clubhouse was marked.

[Matt The Hammer]

2. Notice too that the lower structure on the 1B side bumps out pretty good, while the 3B side is chopped off. Like Stan said, problably the railroad. But without TV, owners needed seats irregardless of where they were placed. Like Paul said.

+1 with "Just the most unique and interesting park ever.... Love it. " Especially since it was gone before my time.

[Zoltan]

Its crazy, but although i have looks at tons of pages of photos in this thread, i just now noticed the huge railyard next to the PG. I guess i was too entranced by the beauty of this old wonder of a ballpark.

[StanTheMan]

Its crazy, but although i have looks at tons of pages of photos in this thread, i just now noticed the huge railyard next to the PG. I guess i was too entranced by the beauty of this old wonder of a ballpark.

It's entirely plausible to ignore the area that becomes the PG Towers!

[Lpeters199]

Father of the stairway:

[chinese home run]

In response, as the great sportswriter Jimmy Cannon's column said, "Nobody Asked me, but..."

1) Parking was always a chancy thing around the PG, and Stoneham and Company didn't buy the lot south of the PG until 1948 or so. If you look and check the parking lots across the street on the east side of Eighth Avenue, they are jam-packed. The Giants lost a lot of that parking facility when the city acquired the property to build the Rucker playground in 1955. Even so, when the south lot was available for parking, anything more than 1400-1500 cars was a stretch. There were a few parking garages on 155th Street west of the PG- I think one still stands today- and people may have used those.
2) The overhang just became a part of the park when the left field and right field stands were extended in the 1923 renovation. It does seem odd that it's in left field and not in right, but...
5) Oddly enough, limo drivers use the west side of the Harlem River Driveway as a gathering point- there were about fifteen of them when I was there about six or seven years ago. Someone actually had a picnic bench set up as an improvised lunch spot. I haven't been there since 2008, so I don't know if it's still there now.
9) The picture would be before 1948- Chesterfield became the Giants' radio and TV sponsor that year. The ads along the walls disappeared at that time, although there were a few other placement ads for Chesterfield throughout the park. Knickerbocker became the Giants' radio and TV sponsor in late 1955, so the "Have a Knick" sign with Father Knickerbocker was there in '56 and '57- and for a year or two after the Giants left.

Just my two cents...

[Lpeters199]

From eBay:

[Lpeters199]

1963 Mets:

[mandrake]

In response, as the great sportswriter Jimmy Cannon's column said, "Nobody Asked me, but..."

1) Parking was always a chancy thing around the PG, and Stoneham and Company didn't buy the lot south of the PG until 1948 or so. If you look and check the parking lots across the street on the east side of Eighth Avenue, they are jam-packed. The Giants lost a lot of that parking facility when the city acquired the property to build the Rucker playground in 1955. Even so, when the south lot was available for parking, anything more than 1400-1500 cars was a stretch. There were a few parking garages on 155th Street west of the PG- I think one still stands today- and people may have used those.
2) The overhang just became a part of the park when the left field and right field stands were extended in the 1923 renovation. It does seem odd that it's in left field and not in right, but...
5) Oddly enough, limo drivers use the west side of the Harlem River Driveway as a gathering point- there were about fifteen of them when I was there about six or seven years ago. Someone actually had a picnic bench set up as an improvised lunch spot. I haven't been there since 2008, so I don't know if it's still there now.
9) The picture would be before 1948- Chesterfield became the Giants' radio and TV sponsor that year. The ads along the walls disappeared at that time, although there were a few other placement ads for Chesterfield throughout the park. Knickerbocker became the Giants' radio and TV sponsor in late 1955, so the "Have a Knick" sign with Father Knickerbocker was there in '56 and '57- and for a year or two after the Giants left.

Just my two cents...

Nobody asked me either, but here are my two cents. The train yards for the elevated lines are still there. This was the end of the line for both the 6th Avenue EL which stopped running in Dec 1938, and the 9th Ave EL which stopped running in June 1940. The Shuttle 'spur' which ran over to Yankee Stadium and connected with the current IRT 4 line ran from 1918 to August 1958. In the picture it appears that the 155th Street Station still has all 3 tracks in use so it has to be around the year 1940...it can't be earlier because the lights on the Polo Grounds were constructed for the 1940 season. The Giants' first night game at the stadium was played on May 24, 1940.

The amount of people driving to sporting events circa 1940 was probably very small. (If it was later than that, WWII gas rationing and the lack of tires reduced recreational driving even further).

Manhattan Field was the lot next to the Polo Grounds. It was dug up to construct the IND subway station at 155th Street. The IND station opened in 1933. The NY Giants did not use this lot for parking until after WWII. It was eventually paved over. After WWII, the Giants, the Yankees, and the football Giants used any available lots at either stadium for sporting events, and people walked over the Putnam Bridge, or the 155th Street Bridge and Viaduct.

Some great pictures and some history here :http://warofyesterday.blogspot.com/2...-155th-st.html

An article about the history of Manhattan Field : http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/8a2a9a1f

[Robbyb26]

Looks like the set of a Shakespeare play

I believe the stadium is set up for a religious service.
Notice the clubhouse is overbuilt like a church.

[Lpeters199]

From WorthPoint:

[Lpeters199]

http://www.shippinganywhere.net/serv...Chicago/Detail

[SultanOfWhat]

A shot of a night game between the Giants and Dodgers in 1954. Overall view of miscellaneous action at Polo Grounds, stadium during New York Giants vs Brooklyn Dodgers game. New York, NY 9/3/1954--9/5/1954

[Lpeters199]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Sli...#ht_936wt_1081

[Anubis2051]

pg1.jpg

That picket fence might be my favorite thing ever...

[SultanOfWhat]

That picket fence might be my favorite thing ever...

It's such an unexpected feature in a ballpark, especially for one that had such an ornately decorated grandstand. The picket fence is another bit of charm that was lost during the 1922-23 renovations.

I posted other pics focusing on the picket fence in this post:

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth...44#post1956044

[SultanOfWhat]

Found those two images above (picket fence, photo of pitch being delivered to plate in 1954) at this link (total of 27 images):

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mul...ml?eref=sircrc

[Lpeters199]

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedi...dley-139437343

[Lpeters199]

http://www.both-teams-played-hard.co...rchives_2.html

[Lpeters199]

http://www.grandstandsports.com/pages/11715.htm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-PRE...ht_5693wt_1277

http://www.thedeadballera.com/TeamPh...936Giants.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-ptxUREjdA

[Lpeters199]

This picture was discussed a while back, but no one knew what the setup was for. This might answer that question. I can't find any photographic proof, but it seems to fit this article's description.

http://archive.jta.org/article/1933/...h-pageant-here

[Lpeters199]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Baseball-Gam...b#ht_500wt_717

[majorleads]

A shot of a night game between the Giants and Dodgers in 1954. Overall view of miscellaneous action at Polo Grounds, stadium during New York Giants vs Brooklyn Dodgers game. New York, NY 9/3/1954--9/5/1954

This is my new favorite picture on BF. I'd love to have a video shot from this angle of a HR ball launched into the upper deck in LF. Also really interesting how the bullpen is in the field of play in LCF.

[alpineinc]

Well, maybe because he is retiring too.

Probably here before, if so, here it is again.

$(KGrHqQOKpEE5ZME29CDBOh2E3H+!Q~~60_10.JPG

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stan-Musial-...d#ht_500wt_854

[Lpeters199]

This is my new favorite picture on BF. I'd love to have a video shot from this angle of a HR ball launched into the upper deck in LF. Also really interesting how the bullpen is in the field of play in LCF.

At 1:40 of this clip, Joe Adcock belts one off the left field roof from a similar angle. On full screen, you can follow the ball all the way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4CK3hld-yg