History
The Players' League's Brooklyn Wonders opened the park in April 1890 on the far eastern edge of Brooklyn. When that league folded, the National League club moved in, part-time in 1891 and full-time from 1892.
The park also hosted college football, cycling and a brief professional soccer venture. Its remote location hurt attendance, and Charles Ebbets moved the team back to a new Washington Park in 1898.
The grounds were subdivided into building lots and sold in late 1898, and the ballpark soon disappeared. Industrial businesses now occupy the area.
Why it matters: It was the Dodgers' home in the 1890s, the era in which the 'Trolley Dodgers' nickname appeared.
Timeline
- April 28, 1890First major league game[2]
The Wonders beat Philadelphia 3-1.
- November 1890
Bleachers collapsed before the Yale-Princeton football game.
- June 22, 1891No-hitter[2]
Tom Lovett no-hit the Giants.
- 1895'Trolley Dodgers'[1]
Wikipedia dates the first use of the 'Trolley Dodgers' nickname to 1895.
- 1898Grounds subdivided[2]
The club returned to Washington Park; the land was cut into building lots and sold in December 1898.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Commercial and light industrial uses, including a scrap yard[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Brooklyn Ward's Wonders | Players' League · 1890 |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn Grooms/Bridegrooms | National League · 1891–1897 |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Location | Bounded by Eastern Parkway (now Pitkin Ave.), Vesta Ave. (now Van Sinderen Ave.), Sutter Ave. and Powell St., East New York, Brooklyn (New York City), New York[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball, Football, Soccer, Cycling |
| Level | MLB, Players League |
| Opened | April 28, 1890[2] |
| Last used for sports | 1897[2] |
| Demolished | c. 1898[2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 7,200[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 12,000[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | SABR: 5,046 grandstand seats at opening, 7,200 with bleachers, later 12,000. Wikipedia: 12,000. |
| Surface | Grass |
| Closure | Poor attendance at the remote site led the club back to Washington Park in 1898. |
Documented details
- Wikipedia says no trolley lines ran near the park; the 'Trolley Dodgers' name referred to Brooklyn's trolleys generally.[1]
Sources
- Eastern Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, coordinates, current land use, events, teams
- Eastern Park (Brooklyn), Society for American Baseball Research (Bill Lamb). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, current land use, demolished, events, opened, teams
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- SABR records an unofficial first game on April 10, 1890; the record uses the first major league game.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.