List of jewel box baseball parks


Jewel box is a term sometimes used in reference to the group of Major League Baseball ballparks built primarily between 1909 and 1915, after the wooden ballpark era and before the modern multipurpose stadium era. These parks featured two-tier grandstand design to take advantage of the steel structural supports and often squeezed inside a city block bringing fans right on top of the action. The "retro" ballparks constructed in the 1990s were an attempt to capture, to some degree, the perceived intimacy and baseball focus of these parks.

Jewel box ballparks by city

Here is a list of the jewel box ballparks, their dates of use as a Major League Baseball facility^, and some indication of their remnants, if known:
Boston
League ParkRight field pavilion and concourse, as well as ticket office, survive as part of Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University.
  • Fenway Park – Still standing and active as of the beginning of the 2025 season.
Brooklyn
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Detroit
  • Navin Field/Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium – Abandoned for MLB but stood for nearly nine years. Demolition began summer 2008. After plans for saving the field and the dugout-to-dugout portion of the stands fell through in June 2009, demolition continued, and was completed at the end of the year. The ballfield and outfield flagpole remain in place. It is presently known as the Corner Ballpark.
New York
  • Brush Stadium/Polo Grounds – Plaque marking its location, along with parts of old stairway down from Speedway. Apartment building on site.
  • Yankee Stadium – Demolition completed in 2010 for public parkland.
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
Washington
^Unless otherwise noted, first and last years listed include entire baseball season in that year.

Night baseball – lights added

Jewel box parks were used during the era that saw the Major Leagues begin playing games at night. Below is a list of when each park had lights installed.
ParkYear lights were installed
Crosley Field1935
Ebbets Field1938
Connie Mack Stadium1939
Comiskey Park1939
Polo Grounds1940
Sportsman's Park1940
Forbes Field1940
Griffith Stadium1941
Braves Field1946
Yankee Stadium1946
Fenway Park1947
Tiger Stadium1948
Wrigley Field1988
Baker BowlNever
League ParkNever

The Cleveland Indians also played home games at Cleveland Stadium starting in 1932. They played their first night game at Cleveland Stadium in 1939.