Griffith Stadium
The steel-and-concrete home of the Redskins from their Boston arrival until 1960.
Griffith Stadium stood in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1965, nestled between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street in left field, and W Street and Florida Avenue NW. Originally replacing a wooden park destroyed by fire in 1911, this steel and concrete structure served as the home of the Washington Redskins for 24 seasons after their transfer from Boston in 1937 through the 1960 season. Before becoming a football fortress, it hosted American League baseball and Negro league history, including two Negro World Series. The venue was demolished in 1965, and Howard University Hospital opened on the site in 1975.
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
- Years Active (Football)
- 1937–1960
- Capacity
- ~32,000
- Surface
- Natural Grass
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The stadium's origins trace back to a fire on March 17, 1911, which consumed the wooden Boundary Field. Thomas C. Noyes, president of the Senators, authorized immediate construction of a new steel grandstand on the same site. The Washington Post reported that "Day and night the chanting of the negro laborers has been heard in the vicinity, like Aladdin's palace, the structure rose as if by magic." Griffith Stadium opened on April 12, 1911, with President William Howard Taft attending with 16,000 fans, though construction was not completed until July 24. The field design was unorthodox: home plate pointed northwest, and the outfield expanded significantly into left field. An unusual right-angled jut in the fence accommodated a large tree and five houses whose owners refused to sell. Later expansions under Clark Griffith added double-decked grandstands and an inner fence in the mid-1950s that shortened distances by 10 to 20 feet.
In Their Own Story
When the Washington Redskins moved from Boston in 1937, they found a venue that had already hosted World Series games in 1924, 1925, and 1933. The stadium adapted to football by running the gridiron along the third base line. By the mid-1950s, an inner fence was erected across left and center field, reducing home run distances but altering the game's geometry for both sports. The right-field wall featured a unique inward-pointing 90° angle in center field, reconstructed during the 1925 World Series to keep neighbors from watching for free. A 41-foot hand-operated scoreboard stood in play in right-center, once operated by future MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn as a youth. The natural grass field sat approximately 100 feet above sea level, with groundskeepers maintaining a downhill slope from home plate to first base to "help accelerate slow Washington batters." Lights installed for the 1941 season allowed the Senators to play their first night game on May 28.
Reader's Guide
Visiting Griffith Stadium meant navigating a venue angled within the Washington street grid. The left field line stretched over 400 feet, though an inner fence later reduced this by up to 20 feet in the mid-1950s. The right-field foul line was typically reported as 328 feet but revised to 320 feet in the early 1960s under Calvin Griffith's ownership. A unique challenge for batters was the 30-foot fence about 8 feet inside the lower outer wall, which blocked views from surrounding buildings and suppressed home runs. The right field grandstand served as the foul line for the last 15 feet before the pole, making catches there impossible. In 1956, the Senators revived a plan to install seats across left field, reducing the distance to 350 feet, benefiting sluggers like Harmon Killebrew and Jim Lemon. The venue's final baseball season was 1961, after which the team moved, leaving the stadium for football until its demolition in 1965.
Did You Know?
- A fire started by a plumber's blowtorch destroyed the original wooden park on March 17, 1911, leaving less than a month to build a replacement before the April 12 opening.
- The stadium featured an unusual right-angled jut in the fence because owners of a large tree and five houses refused to sell their property during construction.
- Future MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn operated the hand-operated 41-foot scoreboard in right-center field as a youth.
- In 1950, the left field distance was temporarily reduced by 19 feet, but the change was not reverted until 1954.
- The natural grass playing field was elevated approximately 100 feet above sea level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Griffith Stadium?
Griffith Stadium was a steel-and-concrete ballpark in Washington, D.C., that served as the home field for the Washington Redskins from 1937 through 1960. It occupied the block bounded by Georgia Avenue, 5th Street, W Street, and Florida Avenue NW.
How many seasons did the Redskins play at Griffith Stadium?
The team called Griffith home for 24 seasons, spanning their 1937 relocation out of Boston all the way through the 1960 campaign. After that stretch, the franchise shifted to a different venue.
What was Griffith Stadium used for before it hosted football?
The ballpark originally opened in 1911 as a replacement for a wooden park that had been lost to fire, and it went on to host American League baseball as well as two Negro World Series. That rich baseball legacy preceded the Redskins' arrival by more than two decades.
What happened to Griffith Stadium after the team left?
The structure was demolished in 1965, and the site is now taken up by Howard University Hospital. No visible remnants of the original stadium remain at that location.
What was the capacity and playing surface at Griffith Stadium?
The ballpark seated roughly 32,000 fans and featured a natural grass field. Because it doubled as a baseball and football venue, the surface had to accommodate both sports throughout the season.