West Side Park was the name of two different baseball parks in Jersey City, New Jersey in the early 20th Century. Both parks were also called Skeeters Park in reference to the long-time nickname of the teams, the "Jersey City Skeeters", so called because of the many mosquitoes ("skeeters") which lived in Jersey City's marsh lands.
First ballpark
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The first West Side Park was the home of the Jersey City Skeeters of the Eastern League from 1902 through 1905.
The ballpark's location was given in local newspapers as "West Side Avenue and the foot of (or 'end of') Belmont Avenue." The city directories gave a less precise location, "West Side Avenue." The lot was leased from the Jersey City Golf Club.[Jersey City News May 7, 1902, p. 1] [Jersey City News September 29, 1902, p. 7] [Jersey City News October 18, 1902, p. 7]
Its location has also been given as "West Side Avenue (east); Belmont Avenue (south); Marcy Avenue (west); and Duncan Avenue (north)."
The 1903 club was successful, winning the league championship for the only time in the club's years of operating along West Side Avenue.
When the Hudson County Park Commission began to develop a new public park in 1904, the ballpark stood in the way of its planned entrance road. In 1905, the city informed the Skeeters they would have to find another venue by 1906.[Jersey Observer and Journal, July 28, 1905, p. 1]
The new city park was also dubbed West Side Park. The potential for confusion was mitigated by the papers often referring to the ballpark as "West Side Park baseball grounds". The public park was eventually renamed Lincoln Park, in 1930.
Second ballpark
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The second West Side Park ballpark was the home of the Jersey City Skeeters of the Eastern League / International League from 1906 through 1915, and then again from 1918 through 1933.
The ballpark's location in city directories from 1908 onward was given as "Jersey City Baseball Grounds, West Side Avenue corner Fisk Street." It was about 1 mile (1.6 km) mile southwest of the previous ballpark.
Newspapers reported the location as "West Side and Culver Avenues."[Jersey Observer and Journal, July 28, 1905, p. 1][Courier-News 7-29-1905 p. 5][Jersey Observer and Journal, April 18, 1906, p. 2][Jersey Journal 5-1-1998 p. 31]
Its precise location, as shown in Sanborn maps, was West Side Avenue (northwest, first base); Bay View Avenue (not a through street there) and then Culver Avenue (northeast, third base); buildings and Hudson Boulevard (now JFK Boulevard) (southeast, left field); and Audubon Street (southwest, right field). Fisk teed into West Side Avenue from the west, near the main grandstand entrance.
The Skeeters struggled financially, and in 1916 they moved to another city. They were revived in 1918 but then moved again after the 1933 season as the Great Depression combined with their lack of on-field success compelled them to move permanently.
One attempt to impact attendance was to shorten the home run distances. The original ballpark's dimensions were rather expansive. In 1928, left field was reduced from 404 feet (123 m) to 329 feet (100 m), and right field from 345 feet (105 m) to 320 feet (98 m).[Berkshire Eagle, Apr 6, 1928, p.31]
Later
editAfter the Skeeters folded, the ballpark site was acquired by the school later known as New Jersey City University. They had already constructed their main building east of the ballpark in 1927. After they demolished the ballpark, they constructed a number of additional campus buildings on the block.
When minor league baseball returned to Jersey City in the late 1930s, the new Jersey City Giants occupied the recently-built Roosevelt Stadium. The Giants would win the IL titles for 1937 and 1949.
References
edit- Peter Filichia, Professional Baseball Franchises, Facts on File, 1993.
- Benson, Michael (1989). Ballparks of North America: A Comprehensive Historical Reference to Baseball Grounds, Yards, and Stadiums, 1845 to present. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN 0-89950-367-5.
- Lowry, Philip J. (1992). Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebration of All 271 Major League and Negro League Ballparks Past and Present. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-56777-6.