History
Recreation Park opened in 1879 as a sports ground with a baseball field and a half-mile track, next to Harper Hospital.
The Wolverines played the city's first major league game there on May 2, 1881. After drug manufacturer Frederick Stearns bought the club, it won the 1887 pennant and a postseason series against St. Louis. Poor attendance ended the franchise after 1888.
Other teams used the grounds until 1894, when the grandstand came down and the land was subdivided. A state marker now stands in what was left field, among Detroit Medical Center buildings.
Why it matters: It was Detroit's first major league ballpark and home of the 1887 champions.
Timeline
- 1879
Recreation Park opened, with a ballfield and a half-mile track.
- May 2, 1881
1,286 fans watched the first major league game in Detroit.
- 1887
The Wolverines won the pennant and beat the St. Louis Browns.
- 1888
The money-losing club left the league after 1888.
- 1894
The grandstand was torn down and the land subdivided.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Detroit Medical Center campus[1] |
| Surviving remnants | Michigan historical marker (2005) in former left field[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Detroit Wolverines | National League · 1881–1888 |
|---|
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Official name | Recreation Park |
|---|---|
| Other names | Recreation Park |
| Location | Brady St. north toward Willis Ave., between Beaubien St. and Harper Hospital; main gate at Brush and Brady, Detroit, Michigan[1,2] |
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball |
| Level | MLB |
| Opened | 1879[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | 1894[2] |
| Demolished | 1894[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Surface | Grass |
| Closure | The Wolverines folded after 1888; the park closed and was subdivided in 1894. |
Documented details
Sources
- Recreation Park (Detroit), Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, remnants, teams
- Recreation Park historical marker, Historical Marker Database (Michigan Historical Commission marker L1426). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, demolished, events, opened, remnants, 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)
- Northern boundary: early accounts say Fremont (now Canfield) St.; later accounts and the marker say Willis Ave.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.