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Baker Bowl Baker Bowl was the popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its formal name was National League Park. It was also known at various times as Baker Field, Philadelphia Park, the Huntingdon Street Grounds, The Hump, The Cigar Box, The Band Box and perhaps a few unprintable names by frustrated pitchers. It was on a too-small block bounded by N. Broad St., W. Huntingdon Ave., N. 15th St. and W. Lehigh Avenue. The ballpark, shoehorned into the Philadelphia city grid, acquired a number of nicknames over the years. The Baker name referred to one-time Phillies owner William F. Baker. The Hump referred to a hill in center field covering a partially submerged railroad tunnel in the street beyond right field that extended through into center field. The Cigar Box and The Band Box referred to the tiny size of the playing field. The right field wall was only 280 feet (85 meters) from home plate, and right-center only 300 feet (91.5 meters) away, but the fence was 60 feet (18 meters) high (by comparison, The Green Monster at Fenway Park is 37 feet (11 meters) tall), a rather difficult task to surmount. Initially built in 1887, the stadium was destroyed by fire in 1894, then rebuilt in fireproof materials and a cantilevered upper deck. In terms of pure design, it was ahead of its time, but subsequent problems and the thriftiness of the team's owners undermined any apparent positives of the facility. The ballpark soon became prematurely decrepit, and often unsafe. A section of the balcony collapsed during a 1903 game, killing 12 and injuring 232. This led to more renovation of the stadium and forced the ownership to sell the team. During a May, 1927 game, 10 rows of the upper deck along the right field line collapsed onto the lower deck. Miraculously, no one died in the fall, but one individual did die in the subsequent stampede. The fact that the Phillies rarely fielded competitive teams during the early 20th century did not help either. For many years, a huge advertising sign on the right field wall read "The Phillies Use Lifebuoy", which was a popular brand of soap. This, however, lead to the popular quip that "The Phillies use Lifebuoy, and they still stink." The ballpark was abandoned during the middle of the 1938 season, as the Phillies chose to move 5 blocks west on Lehigh, to rent the newer and more spacious Shibe Park from the A's rather than remain at the Baker Bowl. Subsequently, the upper deck was peeled off, and the stadium was used for odd events such as midget auto racing and ice skating. Its old centerfield clubhouse served as a piano bar for awhile until it burned. What remained of the ballpark was finally demolished in 1950, and a parking lot now stands on the site. The Philadelphia ballparks in general, and Baker Bowl in particular, seem to be a good metaphor for the life cycle of structures, of the influence of the fortunes and misfortunes of their occupants, and of changes in public tastes and demographics: When Baker Bowl was first opened, it was praised as the finest baseball palace in America. By the time it was abandoned, it had been a joke for years. The Chicago Tribune ran a series of articles on baseball parks during the summer of 1937, and the article about Baker Bowl was merciless in its ridicule of this park. Perhaps the writers would have been kinder if the Phillies themselves were not such a joke, as per the Lifebuoy sign. Similarly, when Shibe Park opened, it was regarded as state-of-the-art, and was still a lively and joyous place to watch ball games when the Phillies moved in. But over time, both the neighborhood and the teams deteriorated, and the joy went away. Like Baker Bowl, Shibe Park / Connie Mack Stadium was increasingly criticized for a variety of reasons. At the close of its final game, there was a near-riot by the fans, who stole anything they could get their hands on. After that, the park sat vacant for five years, suffering various indignities including a devastating fire, before the wreckers' ball finally sent it to baseball heaven. And when Veterans Stadium opened, it was a gleaming new structure. Indeed, all was well while the teams were winning. But 30-plus years later, its occupants were all too happy to get rid of it. At least it went down in one big blast of TNT instead of lingering for years as its predecessors had. Thus, Baker Bowl and its successors may serve as a cautionary note to sociologists and sports fans alike. All of these places were highly praised when they opened, and had become laughingstocks by the time they closed, confirming that all glory is fleeting. The question, then, is this: In another generation or so, will the same fate befall Citizens Bank Park, the new home of the Phillies, and of the other highly-praised 1990s-early-2000s ballparks?
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