Greenlee Field in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, was one of only a few Black-built and Black-owned major league baseball fields in the United States. The field was the dream of Gus Greenlee, owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

History

In 1931, construction began on Bedford Avenue between Chauncey and Duff in Pittsburgh's

Hill District The Hill District is a grouping of historically African American neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, "the Hill" was the cultural center of black life in the city and a major ce ...

. The park opened on April 29, 1932, and reportedly cost $100,000. The first game was held the next day, April 30, 1932. Future hall of famer

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

pitched to catcher

Josh Gibson Joshua Gibson (December 21, 1911 – January 20, 1947) was an American baseball catcher primarily in the Negro leagues. In 1972, he became the second Negro league player to be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, National ...

as City Council members, the Allegheny County commissioners and Mayor Kline watched from the stands. Greenlee Field held seven thousand five hundred spectators and was the home field for the Crawfords throughout the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

era. The

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 in sports, 1912 by Cum ...

also played there for a time. Located a few blocks up Bedford Avenue from Ammon Field, it was also home to the Pittsburgh Keystones. Contemporary city directories list the ballpark's address as 2501 Bedford Avenue. During the 1938 season, Greenlee Field management prevented African Americans from obtaining jobs at the ballpark, angering the team's fans. Attendance lagged as a result. After the season ended, the Crawfords disbanded and Greenlee Field was torn down. The Bedford Dwellings housing project was later developed on the property. The

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

used the field for in-season practices during the 1930s.

Notes

References

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette articleGreenlee Field and Ammons Field
{{coord, 40.4514, -79.9727, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Defunct Negro league baseball venues Defunct baseball venues in the United States Sports venues in Pittsburgh Demolished sports venues in Pennsylvania Baseball venues in Pennsylvania Defunct sports venues in Pennsylvania Sports venues demolished in 1938 Sports venues completed in 1932 1932 establishments in Pennsylvania 1938 disestablishments in Pennsylvania