Griffith Stadium - Final Years

Final Years

In 1955, longtime Senators owner Clark Griffith died. His nephew, Calvin Griffith took over. Fewer and fewer fans were coming to the ballpark, due in large part to the St. Louis Browns' move to Baltimore in 1954, causing Baltimoreans to stop having to come to Washington to see games. Because of this, Calvin Griffith developed an interest in moving the Senators to Minnesota. Attendance may not have been the sole reason Griffith wanted to move, however; in a speech to Minnesota businessmen in the 1970s, Griffith said, "You only have 15,000 blacks here." The American League opposed a move at first, but agreed under the condition that an expansion team, also named the Senators, would come to Washington, beginning in 1961. The original Senators moved to Minnesota, and the new Senators played at Griffith in 1961. However, in 1962, the Senators moved to the new D.C. Stadium, joining the Redskins, who had moved there a year before. The final baseball game at Griffith Stadium was played on September 21, 1961, before a crowd of only 1,498 fans. Griffith Stadium now had no tenants, and sat empty for several years, deteriorating, with the field taking on the appearance of a prairie. The ballpark was demolished in 1965. Nearly 1,000 of the stadium's seats were moved to Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida, at that time the spring training home of the Senators/Twins, where they remain today. The Howard University Hospital now occupies the site.

A plaque has been erected in the building, near home plate.