Stockyards in Cleveland in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Brookside Stadium

Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 21, 2019

1. Brookside Stadium Marker

Inscription. For more than 120 years, the natural amphitheater of Brookside Stadium has been a place of recreation for visitors to enjoy community events, festivals, and even a concert by John Philip Sousa. Engineered by William Stinchcomb, chief architect of the Cleveland Metroparks, Brookside Stadium officially opened as a premier space for sandlot baseball in May 1909. As amateur baseball found increased esteem, both locally and nationally, Brookside Stadium regularly became popular with thousands of spectators. On Sunday, October 10, 1915, it was host to the National Inter-City Amateur Championship, during which a crowd of an estimated 115,000 people witnessed the White Autos beat the Omaha Luxus 11 to 6. Although there was no formal ticketing system to verify the exact attendance, photographs taken that day strongly suggest that Brookside Stadium hosted the largest crowd in amateur baseball history.

Erected 2014 by the Brookside Stadium Preservation Society, SCFBC Community Development Office, the City of Cleveland, and The Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 111-18.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Sports.

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1909.

Location. 41° 27.081′ N, 81° 43.056′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is in Stockyards. Marker can be reached from John Nagy Boulevard east of Ridge Road. It is under the Fulton Parkway bridge. Car access to the Brookside Stadium parking lot where this marker is located is usually blocked off, but the parallel bike path is always open. Park at the far end of John Nagy Boulevard and walk east, under the Fulton Road bridge towards Cleveland Zoo gate “N.” Turn left just before the gate and go under the pair of railroad overpasses. The road and bike path curve left under the bridge again and the marker is visible at the far end of the parking circle. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cleveland OH 44109, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Old Brooklyn (approx. 0.9 miles away); Pearl Street Savings & Trust Building (approx. 0.9 miles away); Stuck, Stuck, STUCK! (approx. 1.9 miles away); Welcome to Monroe Street Cemetery (approx. 2 miles away); Ohio City / Monroe Street Cemetery (approx. 2 miles away); John W. Heisman Birth Site

Amateur Championship Game, Brookside Stadium, September 20, 1914 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Miller Studio, 2208 Clark Avenue, Cleveland Ohio, September 20, 1914

2. Amateur Championship Game, Brookside Stadium, September 20, 1914

This photographic panorama is titled “Amateur championship game, Telling’s Strollers vs. Hanna’s Cleaners, Brookside Stadium, Sept. 20, 1914, attendance 100,000.” Original is a gelatin silver print at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. A copy of this photograph is embedded in the marker.

(approx. 2.1 miles away); Saint Ignatius High School (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Templin-Bradley Company (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cleveland.

More about this marker. Marker is NOT at or near 4460 Denison Avenue. It down below in the park under the Fulton Road bridge. You can reach it by driving through the Cleveland Zoo parking areas to the western end of Brookside Park Drive, or by driving through Brookside Reservation park on John Nagy Boulevard to its eastern end.

Regarding Brookside Stadium. Spectators from all over the city took streetcars ball games played in this stadium. One of the Cleveland Electric Railway Company’s streetcar lines came down what is now Fulton Road (the bridge had not been built) and terminated at Denison Avenue. Another line ran the length of Denison and Harvard Avenues, connecting from other streetcar lines and interurban lines from all over the area.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 21, 2019

3. Brookside Stadium Marker

Fulton Road bridge is in the distance.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 708 times since then and 84 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 19, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.