Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)

Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)
Name	Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)
Location	Westlake, Los Angeles
Opened	1925
Closed	1969
Demolished	1969
Owner	William Wrigley Jr.
Surface	Grass
Capacity	22,000

Wrigley Field (Los Angeles) was a baseball stadium in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, built in 1925 and demolished in 1969. It served as a home venue for minor league and Negro league teams, hosted spring training, and appeared in motion pictures and radio broadcasts. The ballpark was associated with prominent figures and institutions in early twentieth‑century American sport and entertainment.

History

Wrigley Field was commissioned by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. and constructed near the intersection of West 3rd Street and South Alvarado Street, opening in 1925 during the era of Herbert Hoover's rise and the Roaring Twenties. The venue hosted the Los Angeles Angels (minor league) of the Pacific Coast League, attracting executives from Pacific Coast League administration and promoters connected with Branch Rickey-era talent scouting. In the 1930s and 1940s the park accommodated spring training for Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers personnel and exhibition games involving Negro league teams such as the Kansas City Monarchs and the Baltimore Elite Giants. During World War II the stadium saw reduced attendance as many players joined the United States Armed Forces and travel restrictions affected schedules. Postwar competition from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the arrival of Brooklyn Dodgers major league broadcasts shifted regional attention, leading to declining revenues and the eventual sale of the property. By the late 1960s urban redevelopment plans by the City of Los Angeles and shifting real estate values culminated in the ballpark's closure and demolition in 1969.

Design and Features

Designed by architect Zachary Taylor Davis in consultation with Wrigley interests, the park shared architectural motifs with the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field, including a brick facade and ivy aesthetic cues, though on a smaller scale than Wrigley Field (Chicago). The ballpark's dimensions featured a cozy left‑field porch, short right field lines, and an asymmetrical outfield influenced by surrounding city blocks and zoning by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. The grandstand incorporated steel trusses used in contemporary stadia like Yankee Stadium and amenities modeled on venues such as Ebbets Field and Shibe Park. Seating accommodated roughly 22,000 spectators with wooden bleachers, press boxes used by reporters from the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Examiner, and clubhouse facilities reflecting standards promoted by Baseball Commissioner offices. Outfield walls displayed advertisements for regional brands tied to William Wrigley Jr. Company and local merchants on Alvarado Street. Night games were enabled by an illumination system influenced by designs used at Wrigley Field (Chicago) and Crosley Field.

Teams and Events

The most notable tenant was the Los Angeles Angels (minor league), who played Pacific Coast League schedules against rivals like the San Francisco Seals, Oakland Oaks, Hollywood Stars, and San Diego Padres (minor league). The park hosted Negro league contests featuring stars from the Kansas City Monarchs, including exhibitions with Satchel Paige and Willard Brown, and games involving barnstorming clubs that toured with players from the Negro American League and Negro National League. Spring training and exhibition matches brought major league clubs such as the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers to the venue for preseason series against teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and barnstorming collections organized by promoters linked to Joe Williams (baseball promoter). The stadium also staged high school championships sanctioned by the California Interscholastic Federation and amateur tournaments tied to organizations like the American Legion and Rotary Club.

Cultural Impact and Media Appearances

Wrigley Field appeared in motion pictures and newsreels produced by Hollywood studios including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, often doubling for other ballparks in films featuring actors such as Gary Cooper and James Cagney. Radio broadcasts from the grandstand were carried by stations like KNX (AM) and announcers who later worked for Mutual Broadcasting System networks. The venue hosted boxing exhibitions and civic rallies alongside athletic contests, attracting civic leaders associated with Mayor Frank L. Shaw's era and later officials from Mayor Fletcher Bowron's administration. Photographers from the Los Angeles Times and news photographers covering events for the Associated Press and United Press International documented crowds and celebrity sightings linked to local entertainment figures.

Preservation and Demolition

Efforts to preserve the stadium gained traction among local historians connected to institutions like the Los Angeles Conservancy and members of the Pacific Coast League Historical Society, but economic pressures and real estate development plans advanced by the Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles prevailed. Debates over landmark designation involved the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission and proposals from preservationists citing comparable efforts that saved Ebbets Field's memory and Historic American Buildings Survey precedents. Despite petitions from sportswriters at the Los Angeles Times and former players represented by the Major League Baseball Players Association, the site was sold and demolished in 1969 to make way for mixed residential and commercial projects aligned with broader urban renewal policies of the 1960s. Salvaged elements, including signage and structural components, were dispersed to collectors and museums such as the Baseball Hall of Fame and local historical societies.

Legacy and Commemoration

After demolition, the memory of the ballpark persisted through exhibits at the Los Angeles Public Library and displays curated by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and community organizations like the Westlake Historical Society. Scholars and authors associated with the Society for American Baseball Research documented the stadium's role in the evolution of West Coast baseball in works that reference pioneers such as Zachary Taylor Davis and team executives from the Pacific Coast League. Plaques and commemorative markers were installed with support from civic groups and alumni of the Los Angeles Angels (minor league), while artifacts entered collections at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and local archives maintained by the Hispanic Historical Society of Southern California. The park's cultural imprint continues to be discussed in studies of early Los Angeles sports venues and popular culture linking baseball history to the growth of Hollywood and the expansion of professional sport on the West Coast.

Category:Baseball venues in Los Angeles Category:Demolished sports venues in California