Washington Park
- David Hegler
- May 27
- 2 min read
Just after Chutes Park was demolished, developers built its replacement. Since it first opened to an exhibition between the Boston Red Sox and the PCL's Vernon Tigers on March 11, 1911, Washington Park was one of the best known ballparks in Los Angeles. Over its lifetime, it hosted the White Sox, college baseball, high school baseball, three USC football games, Occidental football and rugby. Yet, Washington Park was most famous for hosting the PCL's Los Angeles Angels.
When it first opened, Washington Park was a simple single-deck grandstand with a roof boasting of a solid capacity of 8,000. With the extension of the foul line bleachers and the addition of an additional set of bleachers just beyond the fair part of right field, the ballpark's final capacity stretched to 12,000-15,000.
Unlike its predecessor, this was a pitcher-friendly ballpark, with the left-field stretching to a generous 350 feet and center-field echoing all the way to 460 feet while right-field stayed at a modest 335 feet. To make matters even better for pitchers on both sides, a 20 foot fence extended up in the air by left and center-fields.
In short, it was a pitcher's paradise in the Dead Ball Era. As a result, Washington Park was dead last in the PCL for home runs and batting average in 1918 and 1921-1925. In fact, the home runs that managed to be crushed there were less than half the league average.
Meanwhile, the Angels adjusted well in their new surroundings, winning the PCL in 1916 and 1921. With Wrigley Field due to be opened the following spring, Washington Park closed on September 27, 1925. After that, the Angels moved to Wrigley Field and the Tigers moved to San Francisco to become the Mission Reds. Today, the Metropolitan Courthouse of Los Angeles stands where both Chutes Park and Washington Park once brough so much joy to the young baseball fans of Los Angeles.
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