Hi all!
I've been spending most of my efforts on the 19th Century ballparks, but am (finally) taking care of a long-standing request for
Greenlee Field, home of the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays from 1932-1938, and one of the few Black-owned ballparks of the era. This was the home park for Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and Cool Papa Bell, among other baseball icons, for stretches of their careers.
As the main park for two important Negro League teams during the heyday of Black baseball, it's been the subject of a few articles out there, including
this one and
this one on the SABR website.
Google Drive Link to Greenlee Field
There's not a ton of documentary evidence that I had access to, but there are some contemporary photos that show what it looked like from the point of view of the 3rd base stands and an aerial photo of Pittsurgh from right around the time it was demolished--the diamond is there but I'm not sure if the stands are. I also had a bit of an unusual source--the stadium is available in a product competing with OOTP, and some folks on Youtube posted some in-game video that let me get a look at how they handle some other viewing angles. There's also a photo down the left field line available, though in the end I didn't really use it. Greenlee Field was entirely uncovered at the start, and that's how I modeled it. I
'm almost happy with the background, but not entirely so--the screenshots are taken from a bit higher off the ground than ideal, though that was the only way to avoid some modern elements I didn't particularly want to include. But it looks like the whole area is in something of a topographic bowl, when it wasn't. I suppose I could try stretching the backgrounds in a way I haven't tried before? For what it's worth, they are taken from the actual location of Greenlee Field, using Google Earth.
My next post (which should be soon?) will be about this thread, spoiler--I do plan to keep posting here, particularly once the 19th-century must-haves are completed.
Enjoy!