Pelican Stadium

Pelican Stadium

250px Pelican Stadium/Heinemann Park, 1921
Former names	Heinemann Park (1915-1937)
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
Coordinates
Capacity	9,500 (1940)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	1915
Demolished	1957
Tenants
New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) (1915-1957) New Orleans Black Pelicans New Orleans Creoles New Orleans-St. Louis Stars (1941)

Pelican Stadium, originally known as Heinemann Park (1915-1937), was a sports stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1915-1957.

Heinemann Park namesake

Alexander Julius (A.J.) Heinemann was an officer and shareholder in the New Orleans Pelicans baseball organization, but the principal owner of the Pelicans was Charles Somers. Heinemann was, however, the principal owner of the stadium and grounds where the Pelicans played. He began his career as a peanut and soda-pop vendor at Sportsman's Park in New Orleans and worked his way up through the ranks. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his office at the ballpark in January of 1930.

Tenants

It was most notably used by the New Orleans Pelicans baseball team from 1915 through 1957. The New Orleans Negro league baseball teams, the New Orleans Black Pelicans and New Orleans Creoles also played at the stadium. The New Orleans–St. Louis Stars also played half of their home games here in 1941.

New Orleans was the Cleveland Indian's spring training location in 1902-1903, 1905-1906, 1912, 1916-1920 and 1928-1929.

Location

File:Pelican Stadium 1934.jpg

Pelican Stadium/Heinemann Park, 1934

The Stadium was designed by New Orleans architect Emile Weil (1878-1945) and constructed at the corner of Tulane Avenue and South Carrollton Avenue in Mid City New Orleans, an area that was only recently being developed thanks to improved drainage. (A short lived amusement park, "White City", was on the site just before.) The Park spanned 458 feet (140 m) by 610 feet (190 m).

Pelican Park (or Stadium) was originally located at Banks St. and Carrollton Avenue across the street from the present-day site of Jesuit High School. In 1914-1915, the park's wooden grandstand was disassembled and relocated several blocks down Carrollton Avenue by mules allocated by Heinemann to the intersection of Carrolton Avenue and Tulane Avenue. It reopened on April 13, 1915.

Pelican Stadium was bounded by Tulane Avenue (northeast, left field); South Carrollton Avenue (northwest, home plate); Gravier Street (southwest, right field); and Pierce Street (southeast, center field). The rail yards visible behind the right field area in old photos have since been replaced by Interstate 10 and its approach ramps. A pair of round-roofed buildings which sat across Gravier behind right center, are still visible on Google Maps.

Demolition

File:New Heinemann Park Marker.jpg

Pelican Stadium/Heinemann Park Historical Marker

It was demolished in 1957, becoming the site of Fountainbleau Hotel, and more recently a storage company and dorms for Xavier University of Louisiana students. The Burger King restaurant, which sits toward the north corner of the property, approximates the location of the infield.

See also

• New Orleans Pelicans (baseball)
• Sports in New Orleans

References

• Michael Benson, Ballparks of North America, McFarland, 1989, pp. 248–250.
• David Borsvold, Cleveland Indians, The Cleveland Press Years, 1920-1982, Arcadia Publishing, 2003, p32