History
Athletics owner Ben Shibe opened the park at 21st Street and Lehigh Avenue on April 12, 1909. The A's beat Boston 8–1 that day. William Steele & Sons built it for about $301,000, and Wikipedia calls it baseball's first steel-and-concrete stadium.
Under Connie Mack, the Athletics played seven World Series at the park between 1910 and 1931. The Phillies became co-tenants in 1938, and the American League's first night game was played there in 1939.
The park was renamed for Mack in 1953. The Athletics played their last season there in 1954 before moving to Kansas City, and the Phillies stayed until the final game on October 1, 1970.
A fire in August 1971 destroyed much of the empty upper deck. A court ordered demolition in 1975, and the last section came down in July 1976. Deliverance Evangelistic Church later built a large sanctuary on the site.
Why it matters: It was among the first concrete-and-steel ballparks and housed Connie Mack's Athletics dynasties and the 1950 'Whiz Kids' Phillies.
Timeline
- April 12, 1909
The Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 8–1 in the first game at the park.
- July 4, 1938Phillies arrive[1]
The Phillies played their first game as co-tenants after leaving Baker Bowl.
- May 16, 1939First AL night game[1]
Cleveland beat the Athletics 8–3 in the American League's first game under lights.
- 1953
The park was renamed for the Athletics' longtime manager and owner before the 1953 season.
- October 1, 1970
The Phillies beat the Montreal Expos 2–1 in 10 innings.
- August 20, 1971Fire[1]
A fire set by two boys destroyed much of the original upper deck of the vacant stadium.
- October 1975
A court ordered the damaged structure demolished.
- July 13, 1976
The corner tower, the last part still standing, was torn down.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Deliverance Evangelistic Church, which bought the site in 1981 and dedicated its sanctuary there in 1992[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Philadelphia Athletics | American League · 1909–1954 |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | National League · 1938–1970 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | NFL · 1940–1957 · tenant |
| Philadelphia Stars | Negro National League · 1943 · tenant |
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 | Connie Mack Stadium |
|---|---|
| Other names | Connie Mack Stadium (1953–1976) |
| Location | N. 21st St. and W. Lehigh Ave., North Philadelphia; block bounded by Lehigh Ave., 20th St., Somerset St. and 21st St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1,2] |
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball, Football |
| Level | MLB, NFL, Negro Leagues |
| Opened | April 12, 1909[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | October 1, 1970[1,2] |
| Demolished | July 13, 1976[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 23,000[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 33,608[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | 23,000 at opening, plus standing room per SABR. Final capacity 33,608 (1961–1970). |
| Architect | William Steele & Sons[1] |
| Construction cost | $301,000 (1909)[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Owner / operator | Philadelphia Athletics (Shibe/Mack families) until 1954; later Bob Carpenter (Phillies), followed by other private owners |
| Closure | The Phillies moved to the city-built Veterans Stadium in South Philadelphia in 1971. The abandoned park was damaged by fire and later demolished by court order. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- Shibe Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, teams
- Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia), Society for American Baseball Research (James Lincoln Ray). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, current land use, demolished, opened
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 (3)
- Church construction: SABR says the church was built on the site in 1991; Wikipedia says the sanctuary was completed and dedicated in 1992.
- Builder vs. architect: Wikipedia lists William Steele & Sons as architect; SABR says the firm was hired to construct the stadium and names no architect.
- 'First steel-and-concrete stadium': Wikipedia gives this title to Shibe Park, while Pennsylvania's Forbes Field marker gives it to Forbes Field.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.