Friday, May 29, 1896: A new ballpark on Nicollet
Posted on February 19th, 2006 – 5:40 PMBy Ben Welter
Need a new ballpark? In 1896, no environmental impact statement or millions in tax money was needed. It was as simple as signing a lease and putting up a grandstand and bleachers. On May 29, the Minneapolis Baseball Association agreed to foot the construction costs ( $4,000) and signed a lease on land at Nicollet Avenue and Lake Street. The park was ready for the Minneapolis Millers’ first home game less than three weeks later. The team played there for 60 years, until Metropolitan Stadium opened in Bloomington. [Kudos to my colleague Dick Parker for another fascinating Retro item, this one from the Minneapolis Journal.]
BASEBALL AT LAKE ST
A Surprise in the Location of the New Athletic Park.
COULD NOT GO TO KENWOOD
The New Grounds Are Between Nicollet and Blaisdell and Are Very Room[y]
There was drawn up this noon for the necessary signatures a five-year lease to the property between Lake and Thirty-first streets and Nicollet and Blaisdell avenues, the parties to the agreement being H.C. Carpenter and the officials of the Minneapolis Baseball Association. To put the matter simply, the location is that for the new ball park and there was a meeting of the triumvirate this afternoon to decide on the grand stand to be built and to look after the necessary contracts. The grand stand and grounds are to be in shape by June 15, or four days before the return of the team from its present trip so that the first home game will be played at the new park.
It was not only expected but announced some few days ago that the Kenwood site was to be chosen by the baseball management and to the end of securing the property application was made by the administrator of the McNair estate, to which the property belonged, to the city council for permission to use certain streets that there might enough room for a large field. The matter came before the council at its meeting the first of tis week and was then referred to a committee. It is now understood that the committee will report adversely and the reason is one of those given for the final selection of the Lake street site as against all comers. There is another reason which told in the choice of the Lake street property and that is the car-service. The street car company when interviewed in the matter declared to the baseball management that they could do much better for Lake street than for Kenwood and to prove their ability to do so said that they would run four lines to the Lake street grounds. These will be the First and Fourth avenue lines, the Lyndale and the Hennepin lines. The First avenue, of course, will be the most direct and will reach the ball grounds in almost the time in which the Kenwood grounds could have been reached.
At the new park it is proposed to put $4,000 into the grand stand and fences, and the seating capacity of grand stand and bleachers will be 4,000. The grand stand will have a capacity of half the total number seated and there will be two bleachers to accommodate 1,000 rooters each. The new grounds are so level that they will need comparatively little work. They will be practically 450×450 and thus of size sufficient to prevent any allusions to their band-box dimensions. In general arrangement and fixtures the new field and grand stand will be as complete and modern as any in the country. The lease will permit the use of the field for general athletic purposes as well as baseball and so if the university lads do not get their enclosed athletic field by next fall they will have a full-sized grounds for their football games.
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| Well-dressed baseball fans streamed toward the entrance on Nicollet Park’s final day at the end of the 1955 season. (Minneapolis Tribune photo by Powell Krueger) |
20 Responses to "Friday, May 29, 1896: A new ballpark on Nicollet"
Coincidential to the present discussions regarding a New Twins facility we have this remembrance. It would seem that a replica of old Nicollet Park would be in keeping with the present talent of the today’s Twins.
Some worthless, trivial observations…
According to S. Morgan Friedman’s inflation calculator (http://www.westegg.com/inflation/), a $4,000 ballpark built in 1896 would cost $88622.42 in 2005.
Compared to the seating capacity of 4,000 at Nicollet Park, the new Twins stadium will have a capacity of 42,000. Assuming a very unscientific $1,000/seat (in 1896) and adjusted for inflation, rebuilding a park similar to Nicollet today would cost less than $1 million…
Of course, that doesn’t take into account flat-panel monitors - and would take more than three weeks to design and build…
[…] Check out this Star Tribune blog’s flashback to an 1896 Minneapolis Journal story about Nicollet Park, home of the Minneapolis Millers baseball team. The article announces a “surprise” in the selection of the park’s location, which was expected to be in the Kenwood area. Instead, the park was built at the intersection of Lake and Nicollet, bordered by 31st Street on the south and Blaisdell Avenue on the west. At the new park it is proposed to put $4,000 into the grand stand and fences, and the seating capacity of grand stand and bleachers will be 4,000. The grand stand will have a capacity of half the total number seated and there will be two bleachers to accommodate 1,000 rooters each. […]
I was 14 when the picture was taken. I recall attending a game there between the Millers and Saints. If my memory is correct one of the teams scored about 9 runs in the ninth inning with 2 out to win it. Any one have a record of such a game?
Silas Simmons to Receive Replica 1913 Homestead Grays Jersey for his 111th Birthday.
huh. i always wondered why Lake detoured at Nicollet, and this seems to explain why. and, man, that’s a gorgeous park.
Regarding the game Jim Miller mentioned, here’s one possibility: it wasn’t a 9-run rally, but the Millers had a 8-5 lead over the Saints at Nicollet Park on Saturday, August 20, 1955. St. Paul scored two in the eighth to cut the lead to 8-7. With two out and nobody on in the top of the ninth, Bob Borowski of the Saints singled off Bud Byerly and went to third on a double by Lyle Olsen. Norm Larker then singled to right to drive in both runners. Plate umpire Walter Doyle called Olsen safe at home, and catcher Ed Sawatski was ejected arguing the play. In the bottom of the ninth, manager Bill Rigney was ejected after Monte Irvin, trying to bunt George Wilson to second following a lead-up single, was called out for interference. St. Paul won the game, 9-8, but the first-place Millers still held a six-game lead in the standings. Minneapolis went on to win the pennant and eventually the Junior World Series. The photo Jim mentions was taken during the Junior Series against Rochester. It was the final Sunday game played at Nicollet Park.
Looks better than the Big K there now.
I remember Ted Williams hitting balls out on Nicollet Ave during batting practice. A 12 year old kid could turn the ball in to get free admission to the game. I wish I had saved those balls now.
Hi, everybody. Thanks for sharing your memories and comments on Nicollet Park. Unfortunately, I accidently deleted three posts today while cleaning out a bunch of spam that was clogging the inbox. Sorry about that. Please repost if you have the time!
This is the first time I’ve seen Nicollet Park, having grown up in Austin, Mn. I think it’s a good idea to use this sight. Keep the entrance (or build a replica) and the name of the park the same.
There used to be a plaque on the site of the old Nicollet Park. Does anyone know if that plaque is still there? It was in the parking lot back when a Norwest Bank branch was there.
Just to clarify, the article states that the ballpark was between Lake and 31st and Nicollet and Blaisdell.
Kmart, abhorration that it is (and, I believe, the source of the Nicollet detour mentioned above) is between Lake and 29th streets, so one block north of where the ballpark would have been.
Either way, this article is a gem.
I live in the condo building at Lake and Nicollet which is now on the sight of the old ball park. There is still a plaque behind what the former Norwest bank (now Wells Fargo).
On another note, nothing would make me happier than Kmart closing and Nicollet opening up again! The city has really let this part of town go down hill.
I too shagged balls that cleared the right field fence onto Nicollet Ave. Years later shagged a few beers at the President Cafe as well. Thanks for the memories. Lake Street was a grand commercial paradise from end to end and there was little that could not be purchased there. It is sad to note the change for us old timers.
Looking for info on a Edward Kinkel that played for the Minneapollis Millers. He was a catcher, also a Samual Kinkel. Edward died in California at the age of 57. The obit said that Edward played also for the JAVA AND ALSO GENNYMEDES TEAMS. I have no idea what those two teams were , any info will help. Thank you
Bill Kinkel
I remember the old ballpark very well!
When I first saw it, I asked my “Daddy” what it was. Our family shopped in that area for years. It had everything you could need, including the old Vogue Theatre. The park was 1 block South of Lake Street between Nicollet & Blaisdell, not where K-Mart is. The street (Nicollet) was not blocked off back in those years.
To Konrad and Seth:
I could be mistaken, but I think the present-day K-Mart sits on the former site of an auditorium/ice rink, probably built in the 1920s or even earlier. I (born 1955) can remember going there as a young child for Shipstad & Johnson’s Ice Follies. I can clearly remember that it had wooden bench seats and wooden floors that were chewed up from innumerable ice skates. That building–not the K-Mart–was the reason Nicollet was blocked off at Lake Street.
I believe the ice rink survived until the Met Center (which was located in Bloomington, just north of the Met Stadium) was built in the early to mid 1960s. If I’m wrong, I’d still love to know the name of that ice rink!
To Konrad and Seth:
I could be mistaken, but I think the present-day K-Mart sits on the former site of an auditorium/ice rink, probably built in the 1920s or even earlier. I (born 1955) can remember going there as a young child for Shipstad & Johnson’s Ice Follies. I can clearly remember that it had wooden bench seats and wooden floors that were chewed up from innumerable ice skates. That building–not the K-Mart–was the reason Nicollet was blocked off at Lake Street.
It was torn down once the Met Center (which was located in Bloomington, just north of the Met Stadium) was built in the early to mid 1960s. After that, the K-Mart was put on the site. If I’m wrong about the exact location, I’d still love to know the name of that ice rink!
I saw Willie Mays on opening day at Nicollet Park in 1951. It was about a month later when the Giants brought him up for that miracle season when the Giants won the pennant!
