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Washington Park was a baseball park in 
In the 1910-1911 off-season, the old ballpark and some of the rides were demolished, and a new ballpark was built within the same large block. Sanborn maps show that the new infield and covered stands were positioned south and east of their predecessor, overlaying the centerfield area of the old park and much of the former waterslide area. Hill Street was eventually cut through the western portion of the large block. The new ballpark bordered Hill Street on its first base side, and was set back from Washington (third base), Main (left field) and 21st (right field). Some local newspapers dubbed it "Washington-Street Park", but "Washington Park" was the prevailing reference.
The remaining amusement park structures were sold in late December 1912 and soon demolished. After having played in somewhat cramped quarters for two seasons, Washington Park's seating areas and the outfield itself were expanded for the 1913 season. The now-vacant areas along Main and Washington were eventually allocated for parking. Contemporary city directories give the ballpark's address as 218 West Washington.
A number of aerial photos of Washington Park exist. Some of them show an H-shaped building on the northwest corner of Main and Washington. That building provides a good landmark to orient the photos with the current street maps.
In 1913 and 1914, the Venice Tigers of the PCL also played home games at Washington Park, except for Sunday morning and special holiday games.
A football game between USC and California on November 25, 1915 drew 8,000 spectators, the largest crowd to have seen a football game in Southern California at that time.
The sources say that William Wrigley, Jr., owner of the Angels was rebuffed in his request to build an underground parking garage beneath the ballpark. He then decided to build a new ballpark, which was named Wrigley Field and opened late in the 1925 season, at 42nd Street and Avalon Boulevard.
Washington Park was demolished soon after the final game in 1925. As of February 2022, the site is occupied by commercial buildings, parking lots, and a McDonald's.
Chutes Park shown on Sanborn map, 1907Washington Park shown on Sanborn map, 1922
{{- Defunct baseball venues in the United States Defunct minor league baseball venues Demolished sports venues in California Demolished buildings and structures in Los Angeles Baseball venues in Los Angeles Los Angeles Angels (PCL) stadiums American football venues in Los Angeles USC Trojans football venues South Los Angeles 1911 establishments in California Sports venues completed in 1911 1925 disestablishments in California Sports venues demolished in 1925
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It was primarily used for baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
and was the home of the Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from its opening on March 28, 1911, until they moved to Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...
late in the 1925 season. The final game at Washington Park was held on September 27, 1925.
Through the 1910 season, the Angels had played at the ballfield contained within Chutes Park, a city amusement park bounded by Washington (north), Main (east), 21st (south) and Grand (west).
In the 1910-1911 off-season, the old ballpark and some of the rides were demolished, and a new ballpark was built within the same large block. Sanborn maps show that the new infield and covered stands were positioned south and east of their predecessor, overlaying the centerfield area of the old park and much of the former waterslide area. Hill Street was eventually cut through the western portion of the large block. The new ballpark bordered Hill Street on its first base side, and was set back from Washington (third base), Main (left field) and 21st (right field). Some local newspapers dubbed it "Washington-Street Park", but "Washington Park" was the prevailing reference.
The remaining amusement park structures were sold in late December 1912 and soon demolished. After having played in somewhat cramped quarters for two seasons, Washington Park's seating areas and the outfield itself were expanded for the 1913 season. The now-vacant areas along Main and Washington were eventually allocated for parking. Contemporary city directories give the ballpark's address as 218 West Washington.
A number of aerial photos of Washington Park exist. Some of them show an H-shaped building on the northwest corner of Main and Washington. That building provides a good landmark to orient the photos with the current street maps.
In 1913 and 1914, the Venice Tigers of the PCL also played home games at Washington Park, except for Sunday morning and special holiday games.
A football game between USC and California on November 25, 1915 drew 8,000 spectators, the largest crowd to have seen a football game in Southern California at that time.
The sources say that William Wrigley, Jr., owner of the Angels was rebuffed in his request to build an underground parking garage beneath the ballpark. He then decided to build a new ballpark, which was named Wrigley Field and opened late in the 1925 season, at 42nd Street and Avalon Boulevard.
Washington Park was demolished soon after the final game in 1925. As of February 2022, the site is occupied by commercial buildings, parking lots, and a McDonald's. Los Angeles Trade–Technical College
Los Angeles Trade–Technical College (L.A. Trade–Tech, LATTC) is a public community college in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and ...
(LATTC) is a block to the west, as is the Grand/LATTC station of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The International Mart (formerly the Mode O'Day building), a 14-story edifice that houses a grocery store and warehouse, is a block to the east. The nearest freeway is the 110, a few blocks west of the Metro stop.
References
Sources
*''Take Me Out to the Ball Park'', Lowell Reidenbaugh,The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
, 1983 & 1987, p. 138-142
*''Ballparks of North America'', Michael Benson, McFarland, 1989, p. 209
External links
Chutes Park shown on Sanborn map, 1907
{{- Defunct baseball venues in the United States Defunct minor league baseball venues Demolished sports venues in California Demolished buildings and structures in Los Angeles Baseball venues in Los Angeles Los Angeles Angels (PCL) stadiums American football venues in Los Angeles USC Trojans football venues South Los Angeles 1911 establishments in California Sports venues completed in 1911 1925 disestablishments in California Sports venues demolished in 1925