History
The White Stockings played at the lakefront park at Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street from 1878 through 1884. Its right-field fence was under 200 feet from home plate, and in the final season the club hit 142 home runs, against 39 for second-place Buffalo.
The grounds also hosted what Wikipedia calls the first college football game in the Midwest, on May 30, 1879. The city reclaimed the land after 1884, and the site is now part of Millennium Park.
Why it matters: Its very short fences produced a home run total in 1884 far beyond any other club's.
Timeline
- 1878
The White Stockings returned to the lakefront at a new park.
- May 30, 1879First Midwest college football game[1]
Michigan beat Racine College 1–0 in what Wikipedia calls the first college football game in the Midwest.
- 1884
The team played its last season there in 1884, hitting 142 home runs; the city then reclaimed the land.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
|---|---|
| Current use | Part of Millennium Park (Wrigley Square)[1] |
| Mapped location | Approximate historic location |
Teams & events
| Chicago White Stockings | National League · 1878–1884 |
|---|
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | Lake-Shore Park; Lake Park; Lake Front Park II; Chicago Base-Ball Grounds |
|---|---|
| Location | Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street (bounded east by railroad tracks and the lakeshore), Chicago, Illinois |
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball |
| Level | MLB |
| Opened | 1878[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | 1884[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Final capacity | 5,000[2] |
| Capacity notes | Baseball Data Hub lists 5,000 for the 1882 configuration. |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Closure | The city reclaimed the lakefront land after the 1884 season. |
Documented details
Sources
- Lake Front Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, events, opened
- Lake Front Park II (park CHI03), Baseball Data Hub. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, closed, coordinates, opened, teams
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- Wikipedia's text says the team returned to a new park in 1878, while a footnote says the second Lake Front Park opened in 1883.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.