History
The White Stockings opened West Side Park on June 6, 1885 with a win over the St. Louis Maroons, on a block bounded by Congress, Loomis, Harrison and Throop Streets. They won National League pennants there in 1885 and 1886.
The club left after 1891 and moved to a new park at Polk and Lincoln (now Wolcott) Streets in 1893. The first park's site is now occupied by the Chicago World Language Academy.
Why it matters: The White Stockings won two National League pennants there.
Timeline
- 1885NL pennant[1]
The White Stockings won National League pennants in 1885 and 1886 at the park.
- June 6, 1885Opening game[1]
The White Stockings opened the park with a win over the St. Louis Maroons.
- 1891
The club played its last full season at the park in 1891 before moving to the second West Side park.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
|---|---|
| Current use | Chicago World Language Academy, 1340 West Harrison Street[1] |
| Mapped location | Approximate historic location |
Teams & events
| Chicago White Stockings / Colts | National League · 1885–1891 |
|---|---|
| Chicago Maroons | Western Association · 1888 · tenant |
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 | Congress Street Grounds; Loomis Street Park |
|---|---|
| Location | Block bounded by Congress, Loomis, Harrison and Throop Streets, Chicago, Illinois |
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball |
| Level | MLB |
| Opened | June 6, 1885[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | 1891[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia's text says roughly 10,000; its table gives 6,000 for 1885–1891. |
| Closure | The club moved to a larger West Side park. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- West Side Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, events, opened
- West Side Park (park CHI06), Baseball Data Hub. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: 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 (2)
- Wikipedia gives capacity as roughly 10,000 in text and 6,000 in its table.
- Right-field distance reported as 216 ft (Spalding) and 225 ft (another newspaper).
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.