The Palace of the Fans
- David Hegler
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
Cincinnati Reds owner John T. Brush was in a bind. After a second League Park had succumbed to a fire in 1900, he needed a new ballpark for his ballclub. With parts of League Park still standing, he wanted to stay on the corner of Findlay Street and Western Avenue while constructing a ballpark unheard of at the time.
Architect John Thurtle was likeminded and he had an idea he was eager to spring on the major leagues. He had become enamored by Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition, how its ornate neoclassical design lit up the landscape, making it seem grander than its actual scale.
Ground was broken in 1901 and soon, a covered grandstand that could hold 6,000 spectators emerged from the rubble. Aside from the triangular top that spelled out "Cincinnati" in big, bold letters, the new ballpark featured 22 hand-carved white Corinthian columns. With each design more intricate the higher it got, each column brought a sense of grandeur to the national pastime.
The Reds tried in vain to get the public to call it the "Palace of the Fans", but it never caught on. From Opening Day 1902 through the final game in October 1911, the fans more often than not simply called the new ballpark with the beautiful columns "League Park".
The Reds opened the Palace of the Fans on April 17, 1902 with a 6-1 loss to the Chicago Colts (Cubs) in front of 10,000 fans. While the loss was disappointing, many of the wealthiest fans enjoyed a new ballpark feature: the luxury box. Inspired by the opera "fashion boxes", John Thurtle placed 19 of those three rows deep in front of the grandstand. With each being able to hold 15 and carriage stalls installed underneath the grandstand, Cincinnati's wealthiest patrons felt like royalty.
The stadium could squeeze in as many as 12,000, with "Rooters Row" serving as standing room along both foul lines as the remains of the old League Park was used as the right field bleachers. In a sign of the times, fans were close enough to listen in on the player's conversations as they talked strategy on the bench and even participated on occasion.
The new ballpark was a wonder for the players too. After enduring years of batting into the blinding light, Reds players loved the fact that their new spot for homeplate looked away from the Sun.
Still, despite the ornate design, the Palace of the Fans had its flaws. The designers neglected to include dugouts or clubhouses, forcing players to sit on benches under the fashion boxes and much closer to the fans than they would have liked. Within a few years, the new ballpark was already starting to erode as the girders cracked and the support beams decayed.
By 1911, owner Gary Herrmann had had enough and decided to build a new ballpark on the site of the three previous old ones. The Reds beat the Cubs 4-3 in the last game ever played at the Palace of the Fans on October 12, 1911. After it was demolished, Crosley Field was built in its place.
While the Reds never finished better than third in the standings in any of their ten years residing in the beautifully designed ballpark, the Palace of the Fans had done its purpose. Since then, luxury boxes have become all the rage for new stadiums as owners constantly crave for the almighty dollar.
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