Stadium Help

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Posted By: Bert Wright

Could someone out there help me with this photo and which stadium this might be? Thanks! Bert

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Posted By: Chris

A guess...but it looks to be Maple Leaf Stadium (now gone) from Toronto. The proximity to the waterfront, ther trains in the background and what looks to be the Tip Top Tailors building on ther right.

From Wikepedia:

Maple Leaf Stadium was a baseball stadium in Toronto built in 1926 by Lol Solman for his Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team of the International League. It continued to be the home of the Leafs for 42 seasons, until the team left town following the 1967 season. The stadium was demolished in 1968.

Maple Leaf Stadium was located at the foot of Bathurst Street on the south side of Lakeshore Boulevard (formerly Fleet Street) and designed by architects Chapman, Oxley & Bishop. Previously, the Maple Leafs had played at Hanlan's Point Stadium. The opening game was held on April 29, 1926, with the Leafs rallying to defeat the Reading Keystones in extra innings before a rain-soaked crowd of 12,781.

Lights for night games were installed in 1934.

In the early 1960s, Leafs owner Jack Kent Cooke tried to persuade Toronto city council that a new stadium was needed to attract a major league team, but the city was unwilling to shoulder the costs. After the Leafs left, the run-down stadium was considered to be a safety hazard and demolition began within a few months. The site is currently occupied by apartments shaped like the old ball park.






Check out this image

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Posted By: Steve Murray

Can't help but that's quite a line to get into the stadium!

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Posted By: Butch & Co.

A good guess, but a friend in Toronto offers contradictory evidence -- here's Maple Leaf Stadium in 1946:


In the foreground, beyond the center field fence, "Little Norway," a base and barracks for the Norweigian Air Force during WWII, here already converted to public housing.
Clearly, a lot more territory there between the outfield and the waterfront than appear in Bert's photo. Would also expect to see the area beyond the grandstand much more urbanized if that were actually Toronto.

Bert, can you read any of the ads on the grandstand facade? One is for a cement company... can't make out any further details. If it's a local outfit, that might nail down the city...

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Posted By: Max Weder

I blew up the photo, and as best I can tell, the cement company is simply "Lime and Cement". I couldn't easily find a specific reference to a company known solely as that. The other name I could see is "Peter Pan Flour". A google search didn't provide any clues there.

Is there any possibility the foreground was the subject of landfill before the war? The background does look somewhat like Toronto, and in the 1930s (and even today), the background neighbourhoods would have had that green look to them in that part of town. That said, the train does look too new for the 1930s, but I must confess I am neither an expert on trains nor Toronto.

Max

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Posted By: Bert Wright

Thanks, guys for digging and trying to come up with a match. MAx, I too looked up the companies on the signs to no avail. I'm not quite convinced this is Maple Leaf Stadium but maybe some more detective work on someone's part will solve the puzzle. As someone mentioned it sure must have been a ballyhooed game. Bretta, you're good at figuring this stuff out...what do you think?

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Posted By: brock

This aint much but it does date from 1935 and up, because theirs lights and the first major league game to be played at night was in 1935.

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Posted By: Bert Wright

This may be a given, but is it safe to say that no minor league park had lights before 1935? I'm not a car guy but I would guess the cars date the photo to late 40s or so.

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Posted By: bobw

Just a thought, I see a stage set up behind home plate. Thats a lot of people just to watch a ballgame, could it be a Jehovah Witness meeting or a religious gathering? I've seen pictures where Yankee Stadium was packed solid for those meetings.

If you have the picture in hand, you could scan it on a higher resolution and then possibly read the scoreboard or possibly see more details.

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Posted By: Shawn

New Jersey? Seattle? Looks like I see a Ford sign in the back-ground also.

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Posted By: Greg

A Google search reveals a Newark Lime and Cement Manufacturing Company -- I don't know about bodies of water in Newark.

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Posted By: Bert Wright

Good eye on catching the stage...I hadn't noticed that. I also noticed the light standards INSIDE the field. What would have happened to Willie going back on that ball in this park? Geez!

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Posted By: Bert Wright

Here are some blow ups. Although it looks like there are some players in the outfield, I think you're right about this not being a baseball game due to the stage and the large number of women in the crowded line. Could have been a ladies' day I guess. Sorry, I thought the scans would be larger.

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Posted By: Max Weder

Bert

And of course the blow up shows "Peter Pan Fresh Bread" when I somehow typed it as "flour"

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Posted By: Bert Wright

Ok now I'm rambling. The crowd is lined up away from the grandstands and winds around to the right away from the stadium. Maybe they are all lined up for the maiden voyage of that white shiny train as that is where the line goes. That seems to a lot of people for a train. Also, -------Lime & Cement Co. you can see part or the word that precedes that: it starts with B and ends in DER before the D may be L. Boulder would fit but this is not Boulder, Colorado and Google Search turns up no clues. My son and i are having a ball with the magnifying glass.

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Posted By: Bert Wright

Thanks Max. From what we can tell the sign below that says "Makes Faster Meals" which of course helps a ton. See the guy fishing?

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I don't think it's a stage, I think it's a boxing ring. Can't help you out with the location of the park, but I would bet that Eric at Digitalballparks.com could tell you exactly where it is. Or perhaps you can find it somewhere on his website.

http://www.digitalballparks.com/

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Posted By: William

I was able to find offices for Peter Pan Bread in Topeka KS (1920's) and Chicago (1950's). Both cities directly abut a body of water. Chicago seems unlikely as it would have been more developed in the era of the photo, but perhaps it is a northern or southern suburb? Looking at Google maps, Topeka has several train tracks along or near the river.

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Posted By: Bert Wright

Thanks for the tip, Dan. Eric & Wendy at Digital Ballparks replied back after my inquiry and state that they think it may be "old John O'Donnell Stadium in Davenport, Iowa taken from the bridge". Anyone have any photos from that park?

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Posted By: bobw

Found a photo on the internet.

Looks like a match:

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Posted By: william

Forward those then/now photos to Al Gore in support of his global warming efforts! The water has risen about 8 feet. Must be a glacier down river.

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Posted By: Steve

Aww what are you worried about. They'd found ancient seashells atop the highest mountains and deep into deserts. Relax, it's just a cycle.

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Posted By: bobw

Found another photo of O'Donnell Stadium from 2001 under the flood waters of the Mississippi

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Posted By: william

That shot from 2001 gives new meaning to the term safe at home.

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Posted By: Bert Wright

Great job, guys. Case is solved. William, keep posting great jokes!