Lexington Park was the name of a former minor league baseball park in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

. It was the home of the

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...

from 1897 through 1956, when it was replaced by the first version of

Midway Stadium Midway Stadium was the name of two different minor league baseball parks in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, both now demolished. The name derived from the location of the stadium in St. Paul's Midway area, so named because it is roughly ha ...

. Lexington Park was commissioned by baseball owner

Charlie Comiskey Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was also ...

to serve as home for his

Western League baseball franchise. In late 1899 the league changed its name to the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

in an ultimately successful bid to gain major league status. While the

Saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

were initially a member of that league, Comiskey moved his team to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

prior to

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

1900 (where they still exist today as the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

). As such, the ballpark holds at least the technical distinction of being the original home to a current

franchise—even if, admittedly, the league wasn't major at the time, and not a single major league game was ever played there. Comiskey continued to own the ballpark for another decade or so (leasing it out to a replacement

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

club), until finally selling it to local interests in 1909. It was on the block bounded by Lexington Parkway, University Avenue, Fuller and Dunlap. Home plate was originally in the southwest corner of the block. Following a fire in November, 1915, a steel and concrete grandstand was built with the plate repositioned to the northwest corner. Lights were installed in 1937. The first night game was played on July 15, with the Saints hosting the arch-rival

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

. The teams played again the next night, at

Nicollet Park Nicollet Park was a baseball ground located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The venue was home to the minor league Minneapolis Millers of the Western League and later American Association from 1896 to 1955. The ballpark opened on June ...

's first night game. The six-decades-old ballpark did not quite go out in a wave of euphoria the way its Twin Cities cousin Nicollet Park did, but the Saints did manage to defeat the Minneapolis Millers in the final game. Although demolished in the 1950s, elements of the park remain in existence to this day. A significant segment of the southwestern foundation can still be seen by the knowledgeable observer, and as late as the 1990s a grocery store on the site (since demolished) preserved the location of Lexington's home plate with a distinctively-shaped commemorative floor tile. The area is currently being redeveloped. An

Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...

grocery store is one of the most recent additions to the site. According to Stew Thornley's 2006 book, a plaque that had once been affixed to the grocery store is now reinstated, at the TCF Bank branch building.

References

*''Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History'', Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2006, by

Stew Thornley Stew Thornley (born July 23, 1955 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an author of books on sports history, particularly in his home state. He is an official scorer and online gamecaster for the Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American p ...

. *''Before the Dome'', Nodin Press, 1993, edited by David Anderson. *''On to Nicollet: The Glory and Fame of the Minneapolis Millers'', Nodin Press, 1988, by

. *''Ballparks of North America'', McFarland & Company, 1989, by Michael Benson. *''Green Cathedrals'', SABR, 1986, and Addison-Wesley, 1992, by Phil Lowry.

External links

Lexington Park, original configuration, Sanborn map, 1903
{{Defunct NFL stadiums Defunct baseball venues in the United States Sports venues in Saint Paul, Minnesota Minor league baseball venues Defunct National Football League venues Baseball venues in Minnesota