Athletic Park (Nashville)
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Sulphur Dell, formerly known as Sulphur Spring Park and Athletic Park, was a
baseball park A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, United States. It was located just north of the
Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenne ...
building in the block bounded by modern-day Jackson Street, Fourth Avenue North, Harrison Street, and Fifth Avenue North. The ballpark was home to the city's minor league baseball teams from 1885 to 1963. The facility was demolished in 1969. Amateur teams began playing
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 tea ...
in the area known as Sulphur Spring Bottom as early as 1870 when it was a popular recreation area noted for its natural
sulphur spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...
. A wooden grandstand was built in 1885 to accommodate patrons of the
Nashville Americans The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League from 1885 to 1886. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. ...
, who were charter members of the original Southern League. Several other
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
teams followed the Americans, but the ballpark's longest tenant was the
Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...
's
Nashville Vols The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...
, who played there from 1901 to 1963. Sportswriter
Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...
coined the Sulphur Dell moniker in 1908. The stadium's original alignment, in which
home plate A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...
faced southwest toward the Capitol, meant that batters would often have to compete with the afternoon sunlight shining in their eyes. Prior to the 1927 season, the ballpark was demolished and rebuilt as a concrete-and-steel structure on the southwestern side of the block with home plate facing northeast. The ballpark's best-known features were its short distance to the right field wall (262 ft (80 m)) and its significant terrace or sloping outfield: a steep incline that ran along the entire outfield wall, most dramatically in right and center fields. In its prime, Sulphur Dell was nestled in an area that was home to the city's garbage dump, stockyards, and other various warehouses. The Vols folded after the conclusion of the 1963 season. Amateur baseball teams played there in 1964, and it was converted to a
speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...
for three weeks in 1965. The stadium then served as a tow-in lot for Metro Nashville, before being demolished on April 16, 1969. Until 2014, it was the location of a number of parking lots used by state employees. Since 2015, it has been the location of
First Horizon Park First Horizon Park, formerly known as First Tennessee Park, is a baseball park in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the International League, it opened on April 17, 2015, and can seat u ...
, the home stadium of the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
baseball team.


History


Early history

Archaeologists believe the area was the site of a Native American settlement dating to the early Mississippian period (). It was likely the location of workshop where mineral water from an underground
sulphur spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...
was boiled to collect salt. Early settlers knew the site as French Lick Springs, a bottomland, or
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, which they used for trading and watering. Also known as Sulphur Spring Bottom, this later became a popular area for picnicking and recreation. By the late 1830s, access to the springs had been restricted by entrepreneurs who enclosed the area and charged admission for access. People flocked to the springs for the touted medicinal benefits of bathing in and drinking from the waters. Baseball was first played at the site by amateur teams as early as 1870.


Sulphur Spring Park (1885–1889)

On October 6, 1884, the
Nashville Americans The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League from 1885 to 1886. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. ...
were established as city's first
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
team. On November 7, club directors signed a five-year contract to lease the baseball grounds at Sulphur Spring Bottom on which they would build a ballpark. The land had hitherto been little more than solely a baseball ''field'' and required significant improvements to make it suitable for a professional team. Construction on Sulphur Spring Park was scheduled to commence in late November 1884. A brick-and-cement dyke was built between Cherry and Summer Streets (Fourth and Fifth Avenue North) to hold back the spring water. The low land was filled in to bring it level with Cherry and Summer. The old bath houses were demolished and replaced with new ones that utilized a steam pump to draw up water. The grounds were graded, leveled, sowed with grass, and enclosed by a fence. In addition to the grandstand, a dancing hall and refreshment booths were also built. During construction, workers unearthed artifacts including bowls, shells, a flint chisel, and human skeletons believed to belong Native American
Mound Builders A number of pre-Columbian cultures are collectively termed "Mound Builders". The term does not refer to a specific people or archaeological culture, but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks erected for an extended period of more than 5 ...
. A wooden grandstand was erected in the northeastern corner of the block bounded by modern-day Jackson Street, Fourth Avenue North, Harrison Street, and Fifth Avenue North. The main Jackson Street entrance led past the ticket booth and into the grandstand's reserved seats behind home plate and a screen backstop. Rooms for players, directors, scorers, and reporters were built under the grandstand. Restrooms and water fountains, which pumped up sulphur water from the springs below, were also built. The distance to the outfield fence was to left and right fields and to center. The total estimated cost of the project was US$7,600. By late March 1885, construction was behind schedule, and additional men were brought in to expedite work in advance of the team's spring exhibition games. In the first such game held at the not-yet-completed ballpark, the Americans were defeated by the
Indianapolis Hoosiers Indianapolis Hoosiers was the name of three major league and at least three minor league baseball clubs based in Indianapolis. * Indianapolis Hoosiers (American Association), which played in 1884 * Indianapolis Hoosiers (National League), which pla ...
of the minor Western League, 8–4, on March 30. Nashville's first home win came on April 1 against the Cleveland Forest Cities of the same league, 15–7. On April 10, nearly 4,000 people were in attendance as the
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
's Chicago White Stockings defeated the locals, 4–2. Work continued throughout the Americans' spring training slate and was not complete until May 24, over a month into the season. As charter members of the Southern League, the Nashville Americans played their regular season home opener on May 4 against the
Columbus Stars The Columbus Stars were a minor professional ice hockey team that was a brief member of the United Hockey League (UHL). The team folded before the midway point of 2003–04 season, in which the Stars had 21 home games drawing an average of only ...
. In the top of the first, Nashville's
Joe Werrick Joseph Abraham Werrick (October 25, 1861 – May 10, 1943) was a professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for four seasons in the 19th century. Werrick made his professional debut in for the Winona Clippers of the ...
hit a two- RBI
triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...
scoring James Hillery and
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, but these were to be their only runs of the game. Tied 2–2 in the fifth, a bad throw allowed Columbus'
Joe Strauss Joseph Strauss (November 16, 1858 – June 24, 1906), was a professional baseball pitcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1886. He played for the Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association), Kansas City Cowboys, Brooklyn Grays, ...
to score the winning run for the visitors. Alex Voss pitched well in the 3–2 Nashville loss, allowing only three runs on five
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and
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four, but opposing pitcher Doc Landis held the Americans to just two runs on five hits. Errors, five by Nashville and four by Columbus, hampered both teams as none of the game's five runs were
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. The Americans won their first league home game three games later against the Birmingham Coal Barons, 12–5, on May 9. Hillery led Nashville's offence that day with a
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, a
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, two triples, and three runs scored. On May 30,
Toad Ramsey Thomas H. "Toad" Ramsey (August 8, 1864 – March 27, 1906) was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched in the majors from to . Ramsey spent his entire career in the American Association, split between two different teams. He ...
of the visiting
Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...
pitched a
no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
against Nashville in a game where only three locals reached base, two via walks and one on an error. The Americans played another season in 1886 and were followed by the Southern League's
Nashville Blues The Nashville Blues were a minor league baseball team that played in the Southern League in 1887. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. Managed by George B ...
in 1887. The ballpark was built with hosting other sporting events in mind. A bicycling and running track measuring 150 yards (137 m) was constructed around the outfield. On Thanksgiving Day in 1885, Nashville's first organized football game was held at Athletic Park. The Nashville Football Club defeated the Nashville Athletic Club, 6–4. Several improvements were made prior to the Americans' 1886 season. The first scoreboard was a
blackboard A blackboard (also known as a chalkboard) is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulphate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Blackboards were originally made of ...
on which scores were displayed by writing figures in chalk. It was replaced with a larger board using painted tin squares which hung on hooks. In September 1885, Summer Street (Fifth Avenue) was raised, which necessitated raising the adjacent fence to prevent onlookers. An additional row of boards was placed atop the Jackson Street fence, and a second fence was erected around the entire park inside the existing fence to further prevent unpaid viewing of games over or through the fence. The first base side of the grandstand was covered with a roof.


Athletic Park (1890–1907)

In 1890, the grounds became known as Athletic Park. The Southern League's
Nashville Tigers The Nashville Tigers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B (baseball), Class B Southern League (1885–1899), Southern League from 1893 to 1894. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Athle ...
played at the facility from 1893 to 1894. The grounds, though still utilized for amateur athletics, had not been used for professional sports since the Blues played there in 1887. In preparation for the Tigers' 1893 season, additional seating was added to the west (first base) side of the grandstand, and the fences were repaired. In early May, 200 chairs were placed in right field. A new press stand was erected later in the month. Extensive renovations were made prior to the 1894 season, including the construction of a new fence and grandstand just west of the original. The existing grandstand was refurbished and given a coat of whitewash, and a screen was placed to block the setting sun. This brought the total seating capacity to around 1,000, which consisted of about 500 opera chairs, some in private boxes near the front, and third base bleachers along Fourth Avenue. Additionally, the diamond was leveled, and a new scoreboard was added in right field. On July 6, 1894, the Tigers and the
New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...
played the first
night game A night game, also called a nighter, is a sporting event that takes place, completely or partially, after the local sunset. Depending on the sport, this can be done either with floodlights or with the usual low-light conditions. The term "night g ...
in Nashville. This was long before ballparks were equipped with electric lights, and night games were seen only as gimmicks. To put time into perspective, the first major league night game was not played until over 40 years later in 1935. Originally planned for an
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
doubleheader, the game was postponed by rain. An attempt to play on July 5 was also rained out, but the spectacle was finally rescheduled for July 6 as a
tripleheader Triple header or ''variant'' thereof, may refer to: *Baseball tripleheader, three baseball games on the same day between the same two teams, see Doubleheader (baseball)#Tripleheaders *Television tripleheader, three telecast games in the same spor ...
. The first two games would be played during the afternoon, with the special night game to be played that evening at 8:30 as an exhibition. The special program commenced with a fireworks display and was followed by a balancing act and slack-wire walking demonstration. Members of both teams competed in long-distance throwing and sliding competitions and a dash. Fifty-four large electric lights were placed around Athletic Park to illuminate the field, and the
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 tea ...
was covered with
phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...
to aid visibility. Adding to the novelty of a night game, players marched onto the field wearing burlesque costumes that included ballet outfits, loud suits, dresses, wigs, and bonnets. The estimated 4,000 fans in attendance were entertained by antics such as base runners leading fielders on a chase through dark regions of the outfield and climbing up a light pole to avoid being tagged out. Nashville won, 3–2. The city's Southern League entry in 1895 was called the
Nashville Seraphs The Nashville Seraphs, often known as the Nashvilles, were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League in 1895. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Athletic Park, later known ...
. They won the league pennant in their only season, becoming the city's first minor league baseball team to win a league championship. By early 1897, Athletic Park had fallen into a state of dilapidation. Billy Work,
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
of the
Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...
's
Nashville Centennials The Nashville Centennials were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class C (baseball), Class C Central League (1897), Central League in 1897. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and were named in reference to the celebration o ...
, was desirous of building a new ballpark for the team, but eventually settled on making repairs to the existing facility. The old bleachers were replaced with seats, additional seating was added, and the fences were repaired. Poor attendance forced the Centennials to relocate to
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, on June 3. In 1901, the newly formed
Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...
's Nashville Baseball Club, later named the
Nashville Vols The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...
, began playing their home games at the ballpark. The seating capacity was expanded to 2,500, with 1,000 seats in the grandstand, before the Vols' first season. The semi-pro
Negro league The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...
Nashville Elite Giants, a forerunner to the Nashville Standard/Elite Giants, started playing games at Athletic Park as early as 1907. The team remained at the park through 1928 when Tom Wilson Park was built for the team by their owner.


Sulphur Dell I (1908–1926)

''
Nashville Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...
'' sportswriter
Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...
started referring to the ballpark as Sulphur Spring Dell in 1908. A new grandstand was built that same year. He later shortened this name to Sulphur Dell, and the name stuck with the ballpark through its 1969 demolition and beyond. The last game of the 1908 season between the Vols and
New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...
to decide the Southern Association championship was played at Sulphur Dell and dubbed by Rice "The Greatest Game Ever Played in Dixie". In 1920, the grandstands were expanded further west on Jackson Street and further south on Fourth Avenue North.


Sulphur Dell II (1927–1963)

The original grandstand at Sulphur Dell was situated with home plate facing the southwest toward the
Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenne ...
building. Consequently, batters would often have to compete with the afternoon sunlight shining in their eyes. After the 1926 season, the entire ballpark was demolished and rebuilt as a concrete-and-steel structure with home plate facing northeast along Fourth Avenue North. Sulphur Dell's infamous outfield was born out of this realignment. The new distances to the park's outfield walls were 334 feet (102 m) to left field, 421 feet (128 m) to center, and 262 ft (80 m) to right. Even with such a short distance to right field, the ballpark had a significant "terrace" or sloping outfield: a steep incline that ran along the entire outfield wall, most dramatically in right and center fields. The top of the right field terrace was  feet (7 m) above the infield. Right fielders were often called "mountain goats" because they had to go up and down the hills in right-center and right. They usually played on the 10-foot-wide (3 m) "shelf" one-third of the way up the incline. Occasionally, the shelf was used for overflow seating, cutting the already-short right field distance to . The wooden outfield fence was 16 feet (5 m) high. The 186 foot (57 m) fence ran from the right field foul pole toward center field, where the fence was topped with a 30-foot (9 m) screen that decreased to  feet (7 m) high where it terminated in center field. A manually operated scoreboard was installed in left-center field that jutted out onto the field creating two unusually angled corners in which outfielders had to field balls. The seating capacity of the turned-around stadium was 7,000. Seats were painted green, except for reserved seats, which were painted orange. The first game at the reconfigured ballpark was an exhibition contest against the
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's
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 ...
, a 5–3 loss for the Vols. The ballpark was nicknamed "Suffer Hell" by fielders who had to navigate the treacherous outfield, as well as by pitchers who frequently watched home runs disappear over the short fences. The park was also nicknamed "the Dump" because of the odor that drifted in from the nearby city dump.
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
, who came to the Dell for an exhibition game with the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
against the Vols, reportedly refused to play right field and was moved to left field for the game. Located roughly a quarter mile from the
Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...
, it was prone to flooding early in the season. The Vols frequently had to cancel or reschedule games or move them to Vanderbilt's McGugin Field. Even when the field was playable after heavy rain, the conditions led players to liken the field to "a drained-out washtub". The stands were very close to the field. First base was only 42 feet (12 m) from the stands, leading
Casey Stengel Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New York ...
to joke that he could bunt a home run down the first base line. Third base was even closer, at 26 feet (8 m). Lights were added to the ballpark in 1931, and on May 18, the Vols played their first night game against the Mobile Marines. Nashville lost the contest, 8–1. In 1938, the seating capacity was expanded to 8,500. In addition to the Vols playing their home games at Sulphur Dell, the minor Negro league
Nashville Stars The Nashville Stars were a professional basketball team that played in the World Basketball League (WBL) in 1991. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Prior to arriving in Na ...
played there in 1942, as well as the Nashville Black Vols/Cubs from 1945 to 1951. In 1951, the ballpark was updated with a remodeled facade, new turnstiles, brick walls, wider exits, and other improvements. The new front entrance had a marque which read, "Sulphur Dell, Baseball's Most Historic Park Since 1870". Ownership of the Nashville Vols was transferred to a public corporation, Vols, Inc., led by Herschel Lynn Greer in 1959. Prior to the start of that season, an organist's booth was built next to the press box, seats were repaired and repainted, and other general repairs were made. The last Nashville Vols games, the last professional baseball games to be played at Sulphur Dell, were played on September 8, 1963. The Vols had joined the Double-A
South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
after the Southern Association folded after the 1961 season and the team was inactive in 1962. In the doubleheader, the Vols defeated the
Lynchburg White Sox Lynchburg is a toponym that may refer to: *Lynchburg, California *Lynchburg, Mississippi *Lynchburg, Missouri *Lynchburg, North Dakota *Lynchburg, Ohio (in Clinton and Highland counties) *Lynchburg, Columbiana County, Ohio *Lynchburg, South Carolina ...
in both games, 6–3 and 2–1. The Vols disbanded for good after the 1963 season.


Final years (1964–1969)

Amateur baseball teams played at Sulphur Dell in 1964. The park was converted to a
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for three weeks in 1965. The stadium then served as a tow-in lot for Metro Nashville, before being demolished on April 16, 1969. The remains of the recently demolished Andrew Jackson Hotel were used to fill in the site. It then became the location of a number of parking lots north of the Tennessee State Capitol until 2014. The site was also bisected by a stretch of the Music City Bikeway cycle path.


Baseball returns (2015)

In August 2013, the city of Nashville was announced to be in negotiations with the State of Tennessee, owner the Sulphur Dell property, to build a ballpark at the location which would serve as the new home of the
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
, a Minor League Baseball team of the Triple-A
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
. A deal was reached on November 8, and final approval from city and state officials was received on December 10. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on January 27, 2014. The stadium,
First Tennessee Park First Horizon Park, formerly known as First Tennessee Park, is a baseball park in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the International League, it opened on April 17, 2015, and can sea ...
, replaced
Herschel Greer Stadium Herschel Greer Stadium was a Minor League Baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, on the grounds of Fort Negley, an American Civil War fortification, approximately south of the city's downtown district. The facility closed at the end of the 20 ...
, the Sounds' home ballpark from 1978 to 2014. The facility seats up to 10,000 people, with 8,500 of that in fixed seating and the rest in open areas, such as a grass berm. The cost of the entire development, including commercial and retail space, a greenway, and a parking garage, was approximately $150 million; the stadium itself cost $47 million. First Tennessee Park opened on April 17, 2015. In the ballpark's inaugural game, the Sounds defeated the visiting
Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...
, 3–2, in 10 innings. The new ballpark's design incorporates elements relating to Sulphur Dell. Light stanchions on the grandstand and outfield concourse resemble Sulphur Dell's lights. The back of the
batter's eye The batter's eye or batter's eye screen is a solid-colored, usually dark area beyond the center field wall of a baseball stadium, that is the visual backdrop directly in the line of sight of a baseball batter, while facing the pitcher and await ...
has a tin sign marking the former location of Sulphur Dell's marquee declaring, "Site of Sulphur Dell, Baseball's Most Historic Park, 1870–1963". A plaque on the right field concourse marks the final location of Sulphur Dell's home plate. Displays about Sulphur Dell and the Vols are present throughout the park.


All-Star Games

Sulphur Dell hosted the Southern Association All-Star Game on six occasions. Not only were the games held at Nashville's ballpark, but the Vols also served as the All-Star team's competition.


See also

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List of baseball parks in Nashville Nashville, Tennessee, has hosted professional baseball teams since the late 19th century at five ballparks around the city. The first was Sulphur Spring Park, later renamed Athletic Park but best known as Sulphur Dell, which was the home of the c ...


References

;Specific ;General * *


External links


Project Ballpark profile

The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture entry

Sulphur Dell partial outline in 1888 Sanborn map

Sulphur Dell outline in 1957 Sanborn map
{{Professional baseball in Nashville, Tennessee Defunct baseball venues in the United States Defunct college football venues Nashville Vols Jewel Box parks Tennessee State Tigers football Sports venues in Nashville, Tennessee History of Nashville, Tennessee American football venues in Tennessee Baseball venues in Tennessee Defunct sports venues in Tennessee Sports venues demolished in 1969 1870 establishments in Tennessee 1963 disestablishments in Tennessee Sports venues completed in 1870