Braves Field

David Hegler
55 minutes ago
3 min read

Under the guise of the Braves' miraculous World Series triumph the year before, Braves owner James E. Gaffney sought to move his club out of the meager surroundings of the South End Grounds. After ground broke on the former sight of the Allston Golf Club on March 20, 1915, Braves Field opened to the public on August 18, 1915 with a hometown 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Osborn Engineering had done a remarkable job with Braves Field, making it the first ballpark to fit more than 40,000 spectators. The creators of Cleveland's League Park had also built it into a true pitcher's paradise with a 550 foot center field and both left and right field going 402 feet. Due to an increased public desire for home runs, the Braves added 6,000 seats in left and center fields while shortening the dimensions to 353 feet for left field and 387 feet for center field.

But despite their best efforts, the Braves never won or drew much over the course of their time at Braves Field. In their first full year at their new home, the Braves drew just 313,495 in 1916. Two years later, in the face of World War I, the Braves bottomed out with just 84,938 spectators. They only surpassed 500,000 fans in 1931 and didn't reach one-million until 1947.

Although the Braves were bottom dwellers for much of their first 31 years in Braves Field, their owners were still able to scrounge up opportunities for the ballpark. Over the years, Braves Field hosted numerous events such as rodeos, circuses, jazz concerts and political rallies. But few events compared to the massive ballpark's biggest draw, college football. On December 2, 1922, Boston College briefly escaped the original Alumni Field's 25,000 capacity when they beat Holy Cross 17-13 in front of 54,000.

Braves Field was quite popular in boxing as well, especially in the thick of the Great Depression. Luminaries of the sweet science such as Rocky Marciano, Willie Pepe, Jack Britton and James Braddock all fought there. The Braves Field's biggest claim to fame was hosting the World Series in 1915 and 1916 when the Red Sox temporarily moved in to accommodate the larger crowds and when it hosted the 1936 All-Star Game, a 4-3 NL triumph.

That same year, the Braves were renamed the Bees and Braves Field was renamed National League Park. While the Bees nickname would last through 1941, the ballpark would remain known as National League Park until the Braves left for Milwaukee in 1953.

Through it all, keepers of the ballpark continued to make improvements. By the mid-1940's, fir trees were planted behind the center field fence to hid the smoke coming from a nearby rail yard. The seats were painted just a little too close to the 1946 opener so thousand of attendees went home with green paint on their clothes. Lights were installed in 1946 and a new 68 foot scoreboard was added in 1948.

By then, the Braves had begun to find their stride. While they were beginning a three year streak of drawing more than one-million fans in 1947, the Braves had finished that year third in the National League and in 1948 they made it all the way to the World Series. Their dreams of ultimate glory vanished at home in Game 6 against Bob Lemon's impressive 1.65 ERA as the Braves fell to the Cleveland Indians 4-3.

By the early 1950s, Braves owner Lou Perini had grown weary of competing with the Red Sox for attendance and felt that moving to a location that wasn't one mile west of Fenway Park was his club's best option. The Braves lost their last game at old Braves Field on September 21, 1952 in front of just 8,822. While the Dodgers lineup of Carl Furrillo, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Joe Black each recorded two hits apiece, the Braves managed just three hits as a team in the 8-2 decision.

When Boston University was notified that their Nickerson Field was going to be demolished to make room for the Massachusetts Turnpike, Perini sold National League Park to Boston University for just $585,000, reportedly a fraction of its actual value.

Coach Aldo "Buff" Donelli led the team as it removed the outfield fences, mowed the grass, refurbished the seats and prepared the massive ballpark for college football. It was the first step in the ballpark's slow demise. In 1955, both the grandstand and jury box were demolished. The current stadium was formed into when Boston University teamed up with the newly formed Boston Patriots of the AFL. Nickerson Field still stands today.

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