About Shibe Park / Connie Mack Stadium
Shibe Park, later renamed Connie Mack Stadium, was one of the original steel-and-concrete ballparks and a masterpiece of its era. Designed with a distinctive French Renaissance facade and a tower at the main entrance, it set a new standard for stadium architecture when it opened in 1909.
The park served as home to the Philadelphia Athletics under the legendary Connie Mack, whose dynasty teams of 1910-1914 and 1929-1931 are among the greatest in baseball history. When the Athletics left for Kansas City after the 1954 season, the Phillies became the sole tenants.
The surrounding neighborhood of North Philadelphia grew around the ballpark, and rooftop viewing became such a popular (and free) pastime that the Athletics eventually raised the outfield walls to block the view, sparking one of baseball's earliest disputes between teams and fans.
Fun facts
- Neighbors built rooftop bleachers to watch games for free until the team raised the wall height.
- Connie Mack managed the Athletics for 50 years, all while wearing a suit and tie in the dugout.
- The stadium's French Renaissance tower at the entrance was modeled after the Pantheon in Paris.
- The field was built below street level to reduce the height (and cost) of the exterior walls.
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