Recreation Park (Detroit)
Recreation Park was a ballpark located in Detroit. The ballpark was home to the Detroit Wolverines of the National League from 1881 to 1888. The Wolverines won the National League Pennant while playing at Recreation Park during the 1887 season. Recreation Park was also home to minor league teams in Detroit during 1889-1891 before being demolished in 1894. The first major league baseball game in Detroit was played here on May 2nd, 1881.[1][2]
The Park was on a rectangular site some distance north of the downtown. The field was laid out so that the foul lines hit the fences at a 135 degree angle, similar to the Polo Grounds and various other parks of that era. It was bounded on the south by Brady Street, on the east by Beaubien Street, and on the west by Harper Hospital, beyond which lay John R Street. Brush Street made a T-intersection against Brady at the southwest corner of the lot where the main entrance gate was. For that reason, the location is often given as simply "Brady and Brush Streets." A dirt track surrounded the baseball field and wooden stands.
Although the ballpark is long gone, Harper Hospital still exists, housed in a new building, and overlooking the site where the major league Wolverines once roamed. A historical marker commemorating Recreation Park is placed in what was once left field, among the buildings of the present Detroit Medical Center.
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