Ebbets Field was home to the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1913 until 1957. The ballpark was the brainchild of Dodgers owner Charlie Ebbet. He spent four years piecing together the land necessary to construct the ballpark when it became clear that the Dodgers’ home at Washington Park was no longer suitable.
Located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, the stadium’s front entrance was at the northeast corner of McKeever and Sullivan Place.
Ebbets Field Apartments, a housing project constructed pursuant to the Mitchell-Lama Program and rising 25 stories above the former playing field, now occupies the site.
Although no part of the former ballpark remains, the apartment building does pay homage to the former occupant of the site. The front entrance of the building near the northwest corner of Bedford Avenue and Sullivan Place includes a marble plaque honoring Ebbets Field.
Dated 1962, the inscription states: “This is the former site of Ebbets Field.”
The memory of Jackie Robinson and the ballpark are honored with the Jackie Robinson Elementary School and Ebbets Field Middle School, both located opposite the ballpark site on McKeever Place. Both schools were built in the 1960’s.
When Ebbets Field was constructed in 1912, much of the land and buildings surrounding the ballpark still had a small town feel.
The ballpark’s opening in 1913 brought with it construction of block-long, one story brick buildings surrounding the site.
The right field corner of the ballpark was located at the northwest corner of Bedford Avenue and Sullivan Place.
The only portion of the ballpark not surrounded by grandstands was right field.
A brown brick wall with the letters “EBBETS FIELD” runs parallel to former site of the right field wall along Bedford Avenue, approximately 15 feet from original wall’s location.
Two buildings dating from the time of Ebbets Field remain on Bedford Avenue. The first, at the corner of Montgomery and Bedford, is a four-story walk up.
The second, attached to the four-story walk up at mid block, is a one story building currently housing a pharmacy.
First base once ran parallel to Sullivan Place.
Across the street from the Ebbets Field Apartments on Sullivan Place are several one-story buildings that also date to the time of Ebbets Field.
At the southwest corner of Sullivan Place and Bedford Avenue is a unique one story building that currently houses a Firestone Tire Store. This building also dates to the time of Ebbets Field. The corner of the building includes a mural and a painted tribute to New York City police officers.
Much of the former site of right and center fields is a plaza located one story above the former playing field, on top of a parking garage.
Up until at least 2001, a sign in the courtyard above what would have been the infield cautioned:
Please NO
Ball Playing
Dogs Allowed
Bicycle Riding
This Area For Tenants Of Ebbets Field Appts Only
Ebbets Field is one of the most storied lost ballparks. Unfortunately, no piece or artifact of the old ballpark remains at the site. However, just two miles south of the Ebbets Field Apartments, down Flatbush Avenue, is a flag pole that once sat in center field, now residing in front of the Barclay Center. For more information on the well-traveled flag pole, see: Ebbets Field Flag Pole.
The New York Mets current stadium, Citi Field, pays homage to Ebbets Field with a front entrance and rotunda that evoke the lost ballpark.
Should you find yourself with extra time before or after a Mets game, the former site of Ebbets Field is only 13 miles southwest of Citi Field down Grand Central Parkway and the Jackie Robinson Parkway. For any true fan of the National Pastime, it is well worth the trip.
