Seals Stadium was the home of the San Francisco Seals and Missions of the Pacific Coast League and was the original home of the San Francisco Giants. The venue replaced Recreation Park which was the city's original baseball park. Built of steel and concrete in 1931, though it was small it was considered state of the art because sports venues had only recently ventured away from the much more flammable wood. It was a smaller venue originally holding 16,000 but by the time of its demolition in 1959 it could hold 22,900 with centerfield being just 400 feet deep.
When the park was built, it’s tenants were the Seals and the Missions. The Missions moved and became the Hollywood Stars in 1938 leaving the Seals as the sole tenants of Seals Stadium. It remained that way until 1958 when the Giants moved to San Francisco.
The Seals enjoyed some glorious years in their beloved ballpark. They won the league pennant in 1931, 1935, 1946 and 1957 while winning the Governor's Cup from 1943-1946.
There was a minor controversy in 1950 when the Seals announced that they would no longer sell peanuts. This was due to an apparent cost differential between selling and cleaning up the peanuts. The fans protested by bringing their own peanuts and leaving the shells. The team gave in to their demands and gave 18,000 bags of peanuts as a peace offering. The stadium maintenance crew demanded a raise shortly after the peanut debacle and Seals management worked out a deal.
The Seals ceased operations when the Giants moved into Seals Stadium. The Giants played two years in the Seals old home before moving to Candlestick Park at the beginning of the 1960 season. Seals Stadium was demolished in November of 1959 and a shopping plaza now sits on the site of the historic ballpark.
