E. J. Block Athletic Field
E.J. Block Athletic Field is a stadium in East Chicago, Indiana that opened in 1942. It is primarily used for amateur and professional baseball, and is the home field of the Calumet College of St. Joseph's Crimson Wave Baseball team which play in the CCAC. It is also the home park of the East Chicago Central High School baseball team[1] and the East Chicago Post 369 American Legion summer baseball team.
| Location | East Chicago, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Owner | East Chicago |
| Operator | East Chicago Parks Department |
| Capacity | Baseball: 3,500 |
| Field size | Left field - 360 ft Center Field - 385 ft Right field - 320 ft |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1941 |
| Opened | May 25, 1942 |
| Construction cost | unknown |
| Architect | Inland Steel Company |
| Tenants | |
| East Chicago Conquistadors (MAL) 1995 Crimson Wave (CCAC) ?-present East Chicago Washington Senators, 1942-1986 East Chicago Central Cardinals, 1987-present East Chicago American Legion Post 266, ?-1994 | |
History
Block Stadium was dedicated on Memorial Day 1942 and financed by the Block family (owners of the Inland Steel Company) to boost employee morale. They later donated the stadium to the City of East Chicago.
The stadium first served a professional team in 1995 when the independent league East Chicago Conquistadors called it home, for their first and only season. The team's average per game attendance was 94 fans per game.
References
- team