365 Days of Facts

Brooklyn Robins baseball owner Charles Ebbets announced the purchase of 4.5 acres of land that would become Ebbets Field during the following season.

The land was in the pigtown section of Brooklyn and the stadium was set to be ready for the following season.

Charles Ebbets acquired the needed land in pieces since 1908 and had finally reached a parcel large enough to support a stadium. The new field would replace Washington Park and was made of concrete and steel. The park was built and by April 1913 was ready for play.

On 5 April 1913, the Dodgers took on the New York Yankees in an exhibition game, but the stadium was formally opened on April 9 against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The stadium lacked a press box, which wouldn’t be built until 1929, and had no seating in left or center field. Ebbets Field was built like its northern neighbor in Boston, Fenway Park, to be small and intimate.

At the time, the franchise wasn’t formally known as the Dodgers and the first success at the stadium came at a time when some referred to the team as the Brooklyn Robins; however, the Ebbets Field program did announce the team as the Dodgers.

The team would made the World Series in 1916 and 1920 but lost both times. In the 1920s, the stadium’s capacity was increased from 18,000 to about 30,000. A scoreboard was added in the 1940s and capacity continued to fluctuate, remaining in the 30,000 range.

Ebbets Field – More Than Baseball

Baseball wasn’t the only game played at Ebbets Field. The stadium hosted football also. The New York Brickley Giants, Brooklyn Lions, Brooklyn Dodgers and Brooklyn Tigers all spent time at Ebbets Field in their respective years.

The baseball Dodgers remained at Ebbets until their move to Los Angeles in 1957 and the stadium was demolished in 1960.