McCormick Field
{{Short description|Baseball park in Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = McCormick Field
| nickname =
| logo_image = 200px
| image = 250px
| location = 30 Buchanan Place
Asheville, North Carolina, 28801
| coordinates = {{coord|35|35|14|N|82|32|57|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground = 1923
| built =
| opened = April 3, 1924
| renovated = 1959, 1992
| expanded =
| closed =
| owner = City of Asheville
| operator = DeWine Seeds Silver Dollar Baseball, LLC.
| surface = Natural Grass
| construction_cost = $200,000
(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|200000|1924}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
| architect = Bowers, Ellis, and Watson{{cite web |title=McCormick Field|url=http://www.heritagewnc.org/bibliography/buildings/mccormick_field.htm|publisher=University of North Carolina at Asheville|accessdate=September 17, 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415073745/http://www.heritagewnc.org/bibliography/buildings/mccormick_field.htm|archivedate=April 15, 2012}}
| general_contractor= Leader Construction
| main_contractors =
| tenants = Asheville Tourists (SAL/High-A East) (1924–present)
UNC Asheville Bulldogs (BSC)
Big South Tournament (2009)
Asheville Blues (NSL) (1940s)
| seating_capacity = 4,000
| dimensions = Left Field: {{convert|326|ft|abbr=on}}
Left-Center: {{convert|370|ft|abbr=on}}
Center Field: {{convert|373|ft|abbr=on}}
Right-Center: {{convert|320|ft|abbr=on}}
Right Field: {{convert|297|ft|abbr=on}}
}}
Lewis McCormick Field is a baseball stadium in Asheville, North Carolina. It is the home field of the Asheville Tourists team of Minor League Baseball. As befits the hilly city of Asheville, the ballpark sits on a section of level ground partway up one of the city's hills, providing a picturesque atmosphere.{{cite news |title=On Base with the Asheville Tourists|first=Keith|last=Jarrett|url=http://blogs.citizen-times.com/blogs/index.php?blog=12&p=237&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1|newspaper=Asheville Citizen Times|date=May 14, 2007|accessdate=April 5, 2011|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20110812172245/http://blogs.citizen-times.com/blogs/index.php?blog=12&p=237&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1|archivedate=August 12, 2011}} It is the third-oldest ballpark in Minor League Baseball.
History
File:McCormick Field from Memorial Stadium.JPG
The ballpark was built in 1924 and was named after Asheville resident Lewis McCormick. Lights were installed for nighttime play prior to the 1930 season. Since then, it has been home to the various incarnations of the Asheville Tourists team, and also served as home field for the Asheville Blues of the Negro Southern League during the 1940s.{{cite web |title=Ballparks of the Negro Leagues and Barnstorming Black Baseball Teams|url=http://www.nlbpa.com/ballparks.html|publisher=Negro League Baseball Players Association|accessdate=June 17, 2009|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610073533/http://www.nlbpa.com/ballparks.html|archivedate=June 10, 2009}} In 1956, a quarter-mile racetrack was built around it, which held three NASCAR races{{Cite web |title=McCORMICK FIELD RACEWAY (NC) |url=http://www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com/mccormick-field-raceway-nc.html |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=speedwayandroadracehistory |language=en}} (including a NASCAR Cup race in 1958){{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Ken |title=NASCAR has history at stadium venues as it readies for LA Coliseum exhibition opener |url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2021/09/14/nascar-has-history-at-stadium-venues-as-it-readies-for-l-a-coliseum-exhibition-opener/ |website=NASCAR.com |access-date=29 November 2023 |date=September 14, 2021}} until the facility was renovated in 1959, and then rebuilt in concrete between the 1991 and 1992 seasons, replacing the largely wood structure which had developed a leaky roof. The 1992 ballpark kept a similar layout to the original McCormick Field. The facility included new expanded restrooms and larger concession stands. New clubhouses were built and lights erected as player and field enhancements. The height of the fence behind the cozy right field area, which was in the vicinity of just {{convert|300|ft|m}} away from home plate, was more than tripled, as it now stands {{convert|36|ft|m}} tall (nearly the same height as Fenway Park's "Green Monster").{{cite web |title=History of McCormick Field|first=Bill|last=Ballew|url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-64045212|publisher=Minor League Baseball|date=November 19, 2013|access-date=May 30, 2014}}
It is one of the oldest Minor League Baseball stadiums still in regular use; as of the 2021 season, only Jackie Robinson Ballpark and LECOM Park, both in Florida, are older, dating to 1914 and 1923, respectively.{{cite news |url=https://www.milb.com/news/oldest-11-minor-league-ballparks |title=Been a while: Oldest Minor League ballparks |first=Benjamin |last=Hill |website=Minor League Baseball |date=February 18, 2021 |access-date=April 18, 2021}}
Other uses
The ballpark served as one of the settings for the 1988 film Bull Durham.{{cite news |title=Local Men Recall 'Bull Durham' Roles|first=Keith|last=Jarrett|url=http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130616/SPORTS/306160059/|newspaper=Asheville Citizen Times|date=June 16, 2013|accessdate=May 30, 2014}}
The venue hosted the 2009 Big South Conference baseball tournament, won by Coastal Carolina.{{cite web|title=Coastal Carolina Wins Big South Baseball Championship |url=http://www.bigsouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4800&ATCLID=3742296 |publisher=Big South Conference |accessdate=February 18, 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531125623/http://www.bigsouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4800&ATCLID=3742296 |archivedate=May 31, 2014 |date=May 23, 2009 |url-status=dead }}
Farther up the hill, behind the left field area, is Asheville Memorial Stadium, a football and soccer facility. Its bleacher seating structure is visible from McCormick Field. It was used as the Asheville High School football field until the current, on-campus field was constructed in 1980, as a practice field, in 82, as the main football field, with the addition of sufficient bleachers.
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [http://www.ballparkreviews.com/ashev/ashev.htm Photos of the ballpark]
- [http://www.littleballparks.com/Stadium/2011/Asheville/Asheville.htm McCormick Field Views – Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues]
- [https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3904am.g3904am_g063721917/?sp=25 Sanborn map showing Oates Park, immediate predecessor to McCormick Field, in 1917]
- [https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3904a.pm006590/ Map showing artist's conception of Riverside Park, predecessor to Oates Park, near lower left corner, in 1912]
- [https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2018/07/01/visiting-our-past-untold-stories-ashevilles-rivvisiting-our-past-untold-stories-asheverside-park/749164002/ More about Riverside Park]
{{University of North Carolina at Asheville}}
{{South Atlantic League ballparks}}
{{Big South Conference baseball venue navbox}}
{{WNC sports venues}}
{{NASCAR Cup Series racetracks}}
Category:Minor league baseball venues
Category:UNC Asheville Bulldogs baseball
Category:Defunct Negro league baseball venues
Category:Negro league baseball venues
Category:Buildings and structures in Asheville, North Carolina
Category:Tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina
Category:1924 establishments in North Carolina
Category:Sports venues completed in 1924
Category:College baseball venues in the United States