Greenlee Field

Greenlee Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was one of only a few Black-built and Black-owned major league baseball fields in the United States.^[3] The field was the dream of Gus Greenlee, owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

Greenlee Field

Location	Bedford Ave. & Chauncey St. Hill District Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  United States
Owner	Gus Greenlee
Capacity	7500
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	April 29, 1932
Demolished	1938
Construction cost	$100,000 ($2 million in 2023 dollars[1])
Architect	Louis Arnett Stuart Bellinger
Tenants
Pittsburgh Crawfords 1932 - 1938 Homestead Grays 1932 – 1937
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated	July 17, 2009[2]

History

In 1931, construction began on Bedford Avenue between Chauncey and Duff in Pittsburgh's Hill District. 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 pitched to catcher Josh Gibson 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 era. The Homestead Grays 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 used the field for in-season practices during the 1930s.^[4]

Notes

1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
2. "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
3. Ashwill, Gary. "Lewis Park, 1927". Reconstructing Negro League & Latin American Baseball History. Agate Type. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
4. "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 9 May 2018.

References

• Lowry, Philip J. (1992). Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebration of All 271 Major League and Negro League Ballparks Past and Present. Reading: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-56777-6.
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article
• Greenlee Field and Ammons Field Archived 2016-10-21 at the Wayback Machine

40.4514°N 79.9727°W / 40.4514; -79.9727