History
Named for Hall of Famer Joe Tinker, the park opened in 1923 and served as spring home of the Reds, Dodgers and, for more than half a century, the Senators and Twins. Orlando's Southern League clubs played there until 1999.
In 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. spoke from the mound. Expansion of the neighboring Citrus Bowl cut into the outfield, and the grandstands were demolished in 2015. A history plaza honoring its baseball and civil rights past opened in 2018.
Why it matters: It combined decades of spring training and minor league history with a landmark civil rights event.
Timeline
- 1923
The ballpark, named for Joe Tinker, opened.
- March 6, 1964
King addressed thousands from the pitcher's mound, his only public speech in Orlando.
- May 14, 2004National Register listing[1]
The field was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- April 28, 2015
Crews began tearing down the grandstands.
- May 2018
The city opened Tinker Field History Plaza on the site.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2,3] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Tinker Field History Plaza (opened 2018)[1,2] |
| Surviving remnants | The plaza includes a replica diamond with granite blocks naming Hall of Famers who played there. |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Orlando minor league clubs (through the Orlando Rays) | Southern League · 1963–1999 |
|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (spring training) | National League · 1923–1930 · secondary |
| Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (spring training) | American League · 1936–1990 · secondary |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Location | 287 S. Tampa Ave. (NRHP address 1610 W. Church St.), beside Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida[1] |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball |
| Level | Minor League, MLB spring training |
| Opened | 1923[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | 1999[2] |
| Demolished | 2015[1,2,3] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Final capacity | 5,014[1] |
| Closure | Expansion of the adjacent Citrus Bowl stadium encroached on the field and the city removed it. |
Documented details
- Nearly 1,000 seats from Washington's Griffith Stadium were installed at Tinker Field in 1963.[1]
Sources
- Tinker Field, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, teams
- Tinker Field History Plaza opens, Ballpark Digest. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, demolished, opened, teams
- Photos: Demolition of Tinker Field begins, Orlando Weekly. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: demolished
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)
- Wikipedia's infobox gives demolition as June 2015; its text and Orlando Weekly say the grandstands came down starting in April 2015.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.