South End Grounds III

Ten Weeks

The South End Grounds burned on May 15, 1894, during a game against Baltimore. The fire spread from the ballpark to the surrounding tenement homes and kept going — more than a hundred buildings destroyed, 1,900 people left homeless. 10 weeks later, on July 20, a new ballpark reopened on the same site.

It was smaller than the one it replaced. The previous structure had not been sufficiently insured, and there was not enough money to rebuild to the original plans. What went up was a diminished version of what had stood before, assembled fast enough to reopen before the summer was out.

The rebuilding rearranged the streets around the site. Berlin Street disappeared entirely. Columbus Avenue was constructed running just outside the right field area. The park stood on the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Walpole Street — now Saint Cyprian's Place, just southwest of Carter Playground. Boston's National League club called it home from 1894 to 1914. The sign over the entrance gate read Boston National League Base Ball Park, though the place went on being called the South End Grounds.

Two Pitchers

On September 12, 1911, 44-year-old Cy Young pitched the final home game of his career in a Boston uniform at the grounds, facing the New York Giants and fellow future Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. The matchup of two legendary pitchers in the aging park marked the end of an era for Boston baseball.

What Was Left Behind

In the fall of 1913, owner James Gaffney acquired a parcel at Columbus Avenue and Walpole Street and began ambitious plans to demolish the existing grandstand, enlarge the playing field, and erect a new modern concrete grandstand. He installed a new scoreboard in deep center field at the start of the 1914 season as part of the ongoing improvements. The Braves moved out after their game on August 11, 1914, to accommodate larger crowds at Fenway Park during the pennant race stretch drive.

Reporting: New England Historical Society, RetroSeasons, SABR, Wikipedia. Park data: MLB StatsAPI and Retrosheet, via the Fever engine.