Google Something and You Never Know What You’ll Find: Palace of the Fans

I was looking for the intersection by the Dalton Street Post Office here in Cincinnati when I noticed a point of interest just north, called Palace of the Fans.

A little digging indicated that the Palace of the Fans was the Cincinnati Reds’ ballpark from 1902 to 1911.

I knew that Crosley Field used to be in this area, but was unaware of its predecessor.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about it:

The Palace of the Fans, so audaciously named, also presented a striking appearance. Built partially of concrete, and designed in a neo-classic style reminiscent of Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Palace featured an extravagant facade, with 22 hand-carved Corinthian columns with elaborate details at the top, and opera-style private boxes in front of the covered grandstand. The grandstand actually sat atop carriage stalls so that the wealthy could simply drive directly to the game, an early precursor of “luxury suites”.

The grandstand was unique: a blend of Roman and Greek styling that had never been used before in a grandstand, and has never been seen since. The 3,000-seat grandstand featured 19 “fashion boxes” along the front railing that could hold 15 or more well-to-do fans. Beneath the grandstand, at field level, was standing room for 640 more spectators in a rowdy section known as “Rooter’s Row.” This section was so close to the players, the fans could take part in on-field conversations. Rooters Row was also strategically placed by the bar. The facade behind home plate contained the word “CINCINNATI”. This was obviously of no benefit to anyone in attendance, assuming they knew where they were, but it ensured that pictures of the stands would inform viewers. However, the designers of the park forgot to include dugouts or clubhouses for the players.^[1]

Early 20th century postcard of a game at Palace of the Fans, with remnant of original 1884 stands now in use as right field seats

The original 1884 stand remained as right field seating, having escaped the fire. A less elaborate stand connected the old and the new structures. Both the contemporary club owners and modern baseball historians consider the 1902 structure to be a new ballpark. Cincinnati fans not interested in the hype continued to call the facility “League Park”, hence the alternate historical name, “League Park III”.

On Opening Day, April 17th, 1902, some 10,000 spectators crowded into the park and watched the Reds lose to the Chicago Colts (a.k.a. “Cubs”), by the score of 6-1.

The Reds had little on-field success during their stay at the Palace, but one event foreshadowed an historic development on this site: night baseball. On June 19, 1909, an exhibition game was held under temporary lighting at the Palace. This was not the first time night baseball had been attempted, but this experiment was deemed a success. Nothing would come of it, though, until the 1930s when night ball came to be seen as a necessity for boosting attendance.

Meanwhile, as with the original Columbian Exposition buildings, the Palace soon lost its lustre. For one thing, the seating area was too small. Then, over time, the structure fell into a state of disrepair; city inspectors began to note cracked girders, decayed supports and unsafe floors. Finally, another fire damaged the stands significantly. (Benson, p.101) The Palace was done after 10 seasons.

The last game played at the Palace was on October 12th, 1911, against the Cubs, the same team they played when the park was opened.‎ By opening day of 1912, the Reds had an entirely new arena waiting for them on the site: Redland Field, which would later become known as Crosley Field.   Link

Here’s a couple of pictures from the Palace:

I stopped by the area today, looking for any signs of this old stadium.  I didn’t find any plaques commemorating the Palace, but I did find this where the Google map indicated its location:

More than likely dedicated to Crosley Field which was built upon the Palace of the Fans

Across the street, I found this marker which not only mentions Crosely Field, but also the Palace and its predecessor, League Park:

The Reds played in this area from 1884 to 1970

Tags: Cincinnati Reds, Crosley Field, Palace of the Fans