Portal:Philadelphia/Selected picture archive/16

Shibe Park rooftop bleachers on 20th Street, 1913

Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a baseball park located in North Philadelphia. The stadium was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened on April 12, 1909, Shibe Park was baseball's first steel-and-concrete stadium. Homeowners on both Somerset Street and 20th Street had a great view of the games due to the low outfield fences. A left field bleacher section was added in 1913 that blocked the view for the people on Somerset Street; however, the view was still clear from the roofs, bedroom bay windows, and porch roofs along 20th Street. Pathé News, Universal Newsreel and Movietone News even set up cameras at 2739 North 20th as part of their World Series coverage. The last game was held on October 1, 1970 and the stadium was eventually demolished in 1976.