Ewing Field

Ewing Field was a baseball park in San Francisco, California. It served as the home of the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League for a single season, 1914.

Ewing Field was located in the Richmond District of the city, bounded by Masonic Avenue (east, third base); St. Rose's Avenue (now Anza Street, north, first base) and Geary Boulevard (a block north of St. Rose / Anza); Presentation Convent and Turk Boulevard (south, left field); and Lone Mountain (west, right field).

History

Ewing Field on opening day, May 16, 1914

After several years at Recreation Park, Seals owner J. Cal Ewing was faced with some complex legal issues concerned with his ownership and his rental of Recreation Park. He decided to build a new ballpark, which came to be known as Ewing Field.

After one season at the new park, and after enduring many complaints about the cold, windy, foggy weather at Ewing Field),[1][2][3][4][5] Ewing worked out his legal problems and moved the club back to Recreation Park.

The ballpark continued to be used by local amateur teams for a dozen years after. During a game on June 5, 1926, the wooden structure caught fire from a cigarette, and soon burned down. In the process, windblown embers started fires across the streets and destroyed several homes. With the ballpark fire raging out of control, the firemen concentrated their efforts on protecting the rest of the neighborhood, including the Presentation Convent behind the left field corner of the ballpark.[6]

For another dozen years, the field remained unoccupied.[6] In late October of 1938, developers announced plans for constructing a new street and housing development to be named Ewing Terrace. The internal looping street is also called Ewing Terrace.

Sources

  1. Franks, Joel (2001). Whose baseball?: the national pastime and cultural diversity in California, 1859-1941. Issue 19 of American sports history series. Scarecrow Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-8108-3927-4. ISBN 0-8108-3927-X.
  2. Gaar, Greg. "Ewing Field: Lost in the Fog Bank". Western Neighborhoods Project. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  3. Macfarlane, Angus. "Ewing Field: Better than Make-Believe, Part 1". Western Neighborhoods Project. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  4. Macfarlane, Angus. "Ewing Field: Better than Make-Believe, Part 2". Western Neighborhoods Project. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  5. MacFarlane, Angus. "Ewing Field". FoundSF. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  6. "The Story Of Ewing Field, NoPa's Doomed Stadium Of Yesteryear". Hoodline. Retrieved 2016-08-26.

Further reading

  • Peter Filichia, Professional Baseball Franchises, Facts on File, 1993.
  • Phil Lowry, Green Cathedrals, several editions.
  • Michael Benson, Ballparks of North America, McFarland, 1989.
  • Ewing Field and other Seals ballparks
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