Modern Woodmen Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Modern Woodmen Park | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Davenport, Iowa |
| Opened | May 26, 1931[1] |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Owner | City of Davenport |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $185,000 USD (1931) $12.5 million USD (2004 renovation)[1] |
| Architect | HOK Sport + Venue + Event (2004 renovation) |
| Former names | Municipal Stadium (1931-1971) John O'Donnell Stadium (1971-2007) |
| Tenants | Quad Cities River Bandits (MWL) |
| Capacity | 4,024[2] |
| Field dimensions | Left field - 343 ft (105 m) Center field - 400 ft (122 m) Right field - 318 ft (97 m)[2] |
Modern Woodmen Park is a minor league baseball park located in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is home to the Quad Cities River Bandits, a single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. It is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, in the shadow of the Centennial Bridge. Home run balls to right field often land in the river.
[edit] History
Modern Woodmen Park was built in 1931, and was originally known as Municipal Stadium. It is one of the oldest ballparks still in use in all of the minor leagues (Centennial Field, home of the Vermont Lake Monsters originally opened in 1906), although it underwent a major renovation before the 2004 season that brought the ballpark up to modern professional baseball standards and a seating capacity of 4,024. The only major league ballparks older than it still in use are Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium.
In 1971 the stadium was renamed from Municipal Stadium to John O'Donnell Stadium in honor of the longtime sports editor of the Davenport Times-Democrat, shortly following his death. John O'Donnell Stadium was renamed Modern Woodmen Park on December 12, 2007, after Rock Island-based Modern Woodmen of America purchased the naming rights to the facility. O'Donnell's name remains on the ballpark's press box.[3]
In earlier years, Modern Woodmen Park played host to high school football games. Assumption High School (a private Catholic high school in Davenport) and Saint Ambrose College called the field home until 1987, when both schools began playing at Brady Street Stadium. It was also the site of the "Rumble on the Riverbank" boxing match on May 10, 1991, where local boxer Michael Nunn lost the IBF middleweight title to James Toney.
The renovations done before the 2004 season include a nine-foot-high berm that provides a lawn seating area for fans. The berm also acts as a floodwall around the entire stadium. Until that point, it had no flood protection from Mississippi River flooding, causing the home team to play home games at other parks whenever the river floods. During the Great Flood of 1993, photos of water creeping across the playing field at the ballpark made national publications and became somewhat of a symbol of the flood.
The River Bandits (then known as the Swing of the Quad Cities) defeated the Burlington Bees 1-0 in the first game at the renovated Modern Woodmen Park on April 29, 2004. The 2006 Midwest League All-Star Game was held here.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Quad City River Bandits (2006). Souvenir Program, 14.
- ^ a b Quad City River Bandits (2006). Souvenir Program, 42.
- ^ Batterson, Steve. "JOD has a new name", Quad-City Times, 2007-12-13.
[edit] External links
- History of Modern Woodmen Park
- Ballpark Digest's review of John O'Donnell Stadium (before the renovation and renaming)
| Current ballparks in the Midwest League | ||||
| Eastern Division | Western Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coveleski Stadium • Dow Diamond • Fifth Third Ballpark Fifth Third Field • Memorial Stadium • Oldsmobile Park |
Alliant Energy Field • Community Field • Elfstrom Stadium Modern Woodmen Park • O'Brien Field • Pohlman Field Time Warner Cable Field • Veterans Memorial Stadium |
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