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Jackie Robinson Ballpark

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Coordinates: 29°12′34″N 81°1′0″W / 29.20944°N 81.01667°W / 29.20944; -81.01667
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"Jackie Robinson Ballpark" redirects here. For the stadium in Los Angeles, see Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Jackie Robinson Ballpark
Facility Statistics
Location 105 East Orange Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Former names Daytona City Island Ballpark
1914–1988
Nickname The Jack
Broke Ground Spring 1914
Opened June 4, 1914
Renovated 1930, 1951, 1962, 1973, 1999
Owner City of Daytona Beach
Operator Big Game Florida, LLC.
Surface Grass
Architect Fuquay & Gheen, Inc.
Tenants
Daytona Beach Islanders I (FSL) 1920–1925
St. Louis Cardinals (Spring training) 1925–1937
Daytona Beach Islanders II (FSL) 1936–1941
Daytona Beach Islanders III (FSL) 1946–1966
Brooklyn Dodgers (Spring training) 1947
Baltimore Orioles (Spring training) 1955
Daytona Beach Dodgers (FSL) 1968–1973
Montreal Expos (Spring training) 1973–1980
Daytona Beach Islanders IV (FSL) 1977
Daytona Beach Astros (FSL) 1978–1984
Daytona Beach Islanders V (FSL) 1985–1986
Daytona Beach Admirals (FSL) 1987
Daytona Tortugas (FSL) 1993–present (franchise was known as Daytona Cubs from 1993–2014)
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (NCAA) 1993–present
Seating Capacity
2012 4,100
Current Dimensions
Left field 315 ft
Left center 385 ft
Center field 400 ft
Right center 385 ft
Right field 325 ft
Jackie Robinson Ballpark
City Island Ball Park
Entrance to Jackie Robinson Ballpark
Jackie Robinson Ballpark is located in Volusia County
Jackie Robinson Ballpark
LocationDaytona Beach, Florida  United States
Coordinates29°12′34″N 81°1′0″W / 29.20944°N 81.01667°W / 29.20944; -81.01667
Built1914 (ball field)
1929 (grandstand)
MPSDaytona Beach Multiple Property Submission
NRHP reference No.98001253[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 22, 1998

The Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark (also known as Jackie Robinson Stadium or City Island Ball Park) is a historic baseball field in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 105 East Orange Avenue on City Island, in the Halifax River.

Overview

The ballpark, originally known as City Island Ball Park, opened in 1914. It consisted of a baseball field and a set of wooden bleachers. The present day grandstand and press box were built in 1962.[2] It is the home of the Daytona Tortugas and the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. The Daytona Tortugas were founded in 1993. They have won six Florida State League championships, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2011, and 2013.

The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats have also achieved recent success, including six consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) baseball championships from 1999–2004, and seven more in 2006–2012.

History

One reason the stadium is named for Jackie Robinson is the fact that Daytona Beach was the first Florida city to allow Robinson to play during the 1946 season's spring training. Robinson was playing for the Triple-A Montreal Royals, who were in Florida to play an exhibition game against their parent club, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Both Jacksonville and Sanford refused to allow the game due to segregation laws. Daytona Beach permitted the game, which was played on March 17, 1946. This contributed to Robinson breaking the Major Leagues' color barrier the following year when he joined the Dodgers. The refusal by Jacksonville, previously the Dodgers' spring training home, led the team to host spring training in Daytona in 1947 and build Dodgertown in Vero Beach for the 1948 season. A statue of Robinson is now located at the south entrance to the ballpark.

The ballpark was previously the home field of the Daytona Beach Islanders (1920–24, 1936–41, 1946–66, 1977, 1985–1986), Daytona Beach Dodgers (1968–73), and Daytona Beach Astros (1978–84). The major league Montreal Expos conducted their spring training at the park from 1973–80.

On October 22, 1998, the stadium was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places. This property is part of the Daytona Beach Multiple Property Submission, a Multiple Property Submission to the National Register.

The stadium sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Donna in 1960. A $2 million historic renovation project was accelerated after Hurricane Floyd ripped off the metal roofs over the seating in 1999. In 2004, the ballpark suffered moderate damage during Hurricane Charley, causing several home games to be moved to Melching Field at Conrad Park in nearby DeLand.

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Jackie Robinson Ballpark". Daytona Tortugas. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
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