Edward A. LeLacheur Park is a baseball park located on the banks of the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

. It is home to the

UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball The UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball team represents University of Massachusetts Lowell, which is located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The River Hawks are an NCAA Division I college baseball program that competes in the America East Conference. The ...

team, which competes in the America East Conference at the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

level. It was home to the

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

, previously the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

Class A Short Season affiliate of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

History

The park was built between a partnership with the city of Lowell and the

University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public ...

. The park was named for State Representative Edward A. LeLacheur, who led the initial redevelopment of Lowell, and opened in 1998. The park was built adjacent to the residential section of UML. Populous (formerly HOK Sport) designed the park. It offers views of the Aiken Street Bridge, Lawrence Mills, Fox Hall, and University Suites. The seating bowl is raised above the field. A concourse surrounds the top of the park where the refreshment, merchandise stands, and bathrooms are located. The design enables an open view while waiting in line. Two seating expansions have been considered since the park opened. One plan would have added 600-1,000 seats on the third base side. The expansion would match how the first base side is angled towards the infield. The other proposal was to add a smaller version of the

Green Monster The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. The wall is from home plate and is a popular target for right-handed hitters. Overview The wall was part ...

with seating for approximately 200 people. This also would have shortened the field and raised the wall to . Due to lack of funds, neither have been built. The stadium also features the Giant Hood Milk Jug from

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...

and all Red Sox retired numbers. The ballpark held its first concert on July 10, 2008, when Boston-based Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys played there with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The Lowell City Council voted on Tuesday, July 26th of 2022 to sell Lelacheur Park to UMass Lowell for $1 million dollars.

Attendance

The Spinners have had several consecutive sold-out seasons at LeLacheur Park.

References

External links

Lowell Spinners home pageUMass Lowell Athletics: Facilities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edward A. Lelacheur Park Baseball venues in Massachusetts Minor league baseball venues UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball Sports venues in Lowell, Massachusetts 1998 establishments in Massachusetts Sports venues completed in 1998 College baseball venues in the United States Populous (company) buildings Baseball in Lowell, Massachusetts

History

Attendance

See also

References

External links