Wrigley Field in South LA? How LA Lost an Iconic Baseball Stadium
10,234
Publicado 2021-11-03
In 1925, South LA was home to the very first Wrigley Stadium in the country. It was a steel-built, minor league baseball field that was once home to the Los Angeles Angels—before the team landed in the major league—and served as one of the largest outdoor event venues in the city at the time. But by 1969, just 45 years later, the park was demolished.
Today, on the corner of San Pedro and 42nd Place you’ll find an extraordinarily large lot of land in the Historic South Central neighborhood that holds the Gilbert Lindsay Recreation Center, which is adjacent to the Kedren Health Center.
But in the first quarter of the 20th century, this entire lot held one of the finest baseball fields in the country named after William Wrigley Jr., the Chewing Gum Magnate who founded Wrigley gum.
Originally in the minor league, the Los Angeles Angels played in Downtown Los Angeles in field called Washington Park - pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/4331/
The Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles on May 28, 1957. Here's how it went down - www.history.com/this-day-in-history/baseball-owner…
Philip Wrigley, the son of William Wrigley, Jr., now in ownership of the Angels and Wrigley Field, sold the park and the team to William O'Malley that same year - www.nydailynews.com/sports/dodgers-owner-o-malley-…
The Dodgers traded Wrigley Field in South Los Angeles for 300 acres of the Chavez Ravine - www.mlb.com/dodgers/ballpark/information/history
Gene Autry, who later took the Angeles to the major league, had a pretty interesting life, though - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Autry
Today on 42nd Street and San Pedro, you’ll find a quiet park with a little league baseball field that, in some ways, is reminiscent of the baseball energy that once graced South LA and its Historic South Central neighborhood. In consideration of this park’s glory, there’s a plaque near the corner of San Pedro and 42nd that recognizes this park's amazing history. Beyond the park's baseball field, you’ll find two wide stretching fields, a full play set, a skate park, and a basketball court.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Opening
0:41 Intro
0:52 A Look at the Land
1:15 Out of the Park
3:25 The Ninth Inning
7:13 A Different Ball Game
8:14 Outro
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Todos los comentarios (21)
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Great episode. I always had an interest on old baseball stadiums, both minor and major, and Wrigley Field in LA was one of the ballparks I loved looking at pictures of. I wish it was still around. There’s nothing like the architecture of old baseball parks.
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I watched the video twice.. You're not crazy, this is our Los Angeles history. Thank you for keeping us informed.
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Eric, my dad took me to a game at Wrigley Field when I was very young, perhaps 6 or 7. He also took the family to Gilmore Stadium over where Farmer's Market is located. The team there was the Hollywood Stars. Wrigley also owned Catalina Island and the Cubs used a field at Avalon for spring training.
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First O Malley didn't give the Angels to Autry. He moved the Angels to Spokane and was still a minor league. Autry recieved an American expansion franchise and Wrigley had been used for movie and TV after the Dodgers came to LA. Wrigley was used as the Angels stadium for one year until Dodger Stadium was built. Also, O'Malley bought the the Angels so he wouldn't have to pay The PCL a territory invasion fee because he owned the land and the area. This also caused the Hollywood Stars to leave LA for Salt Lake City.
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Wrigley Field lives on in one way: The classic 1960 TV show "Home Run Derby" was shot there.
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Loved Wrigley Field growing up. Went to dozens of Angels games there with my dad in 1956-1957 seasons, the great Steve Bilko years.
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I never understood why Huell Howser never did an episode on California's Gold about Wrigley. The original home run derby show taped here was an awesome collection of baseball history in California . Outstanding video and research!
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One of the best descriptions of the stadium I've found. Great work - very compeling and interesting history.
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This is a really great baseball stadium history video! Thanks!
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This was an outstanding historical overview of Wrigley Field in LA. Thank you.
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Thank you--fantastic video. You've done a terrific job of highlighting what appears to have been a true Los Angeles landmark. By the way, in the 1990s there used to be get-togethers in SoCal of former PCL players, mostly LA Angels and Hollywood Stars veterans (unfortunately, these men have all likely passed on by now). I attended a couple of them and found their stories of Wrigley Field (and Gilmore Stadium) and PCL baseball fascinating. At one point, following WWII and when attendance was very robust, the PCL was granted "open classification" (i.e., beyond AAA status) as it attempted to become a third major league. Imagine how different the sports landscape would be had this occurred.
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Very interesting, I loved learning about my neighborhood history. Thank you
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Wow, I learn so much from your channel. Ironically before Wrigley Field was demolished it housed the offices of NAPP, (Neighborhood Adult Participation Project) an anti-poverty program founded by the late Opal Jones. Despite the fact it is a park now, I think there was a landmark Clock Tower at Wrigley Park that should have never been torn down. They should rebuild it in the park because it’s still the type of landmark that can motivate at entire community.
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Yes, it's too bad that it was demolished. I was reminded of the old Wrigley Stadium watching The Kid From Left Field, 1953, recently. I know it was filmed there as well as other movies and television shows. In the movie you can make out a building on Avalon just beyond right field that is still there today being used as a church.
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That was called progress .many spots in Los Angeles have been erased . Drag strips ,raceways ,homes relocated or torn down because time marches on . Freeways wiped out many areas in LA area.I remember many farms dairy’s between airport and south Bay Area all gone.
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Oooh noooo! As a youngster I attended jazz concerts there featuring Lionel Hampton and other jazz artists on Sunday afternoons.
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I knew some of this stuff from watching "Things That Aren't Here Anymore," hosted by Ralph Story....but you brought up a lot more details. Good stuff, thanks.
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My dad took me to see a baseball game back then, don't remember who but I remember wrigley field.
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i hope that one day south la can change and become a beautiful place to live and play. wish wrigley was still there
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The very first NFL Pro Bowl, then called the Pro All-Star Game, was played there in 1938.
