History
Charles Comiskey built a wooden park on 39th Street in 1900 for his new team, which joined the American League as a major league in 1901. The White Sox beat the Cubs in the 1906 World Series here and left in mid-1910 for Comiskey Park.
The park then became the home of Rube Foster's Chicago American Giants under the name Schorling's Park, after owner John Schorling. For three decades it was a center of Black baseball and hosted several Negro league championship series.
A fire on December 23, 1940, destroyed the park, and the American Giants moved to Comiskey Park. The Wentworth Gardens housing development was built on the site in 1945.
Why it matters: It was the first home of the American League White Sox and a leading Negro league ballpark for 30 years.
Timeline
- April 21, 1900Opening[2]
The White Sox, then a minor league team, opened the park; Milwaukee won 5-4.
- 1906
The White Sox clinched the title over the Cubs at home.
- June 27, 1910
The White Sox moved to the new Comiskey Park three blocks north.
- May 13, 1911
Rube Foster's American Giants played their first game at the renamed Schorling's Park.
- 1926
The park hosted the final games of the 1926 Negro World Series.
- December 23, 1940
A fire destroyed the ballpark; it was not rebuilt.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Wentworth Gardens, a Chicago Housing Authority public housing development[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Chicago White Sox | American League · 1900–1910 |
|---|---|
| Chicago American Giants | Negro American League · 1911–1940 |
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 | Schorling's Park (1911–1940); Schorling Park |
|---|---|
| Location | North side of 39th St. (now Pershing Rd.) between S. Wentworth Ave. and S. Princeton Ave., Chicago, Illinois[1,2] |
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball, Football |
| Level | MLB, Negro Leagues |
| Opened | April 21, 1900[2] |
| Last used for sports | December 23, 1940[1,2] |
| Demolished | 1940[1] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 12,500[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 15,000[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia: 12,500 (1901), 14,000 (1902-06), 15,000 (1907-10). SABR estimates 12,500 at opening. |
| Surface | Grass |
| Closure | Destroyed by fire on December 23, 1940; the American Giants did not rebuild. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- South Side Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, teams
- Schorling Park, Society for American Baseball Research (Ken Carrano). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, current land use, 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 (2)
- The 1940 fire is often dated Christmas Day; both sources say December 23.
- Wikipedia's infobox lists 'Opened 1890', which belongs to an earlier park.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.