Here stands the Nicollet Baseball Park Mural. It commemorates a beloved ballpark and team. This vibrant artwork captures a slice of Minneapolis history. It is a tribute to Nicollet Park and the Minneapolis Millers.
The Nicollet Baseball Park Mural is located on the north side of a building. It currently houses B-Squad Vintage and Yeti Records. David and Susie Butler painted this mural. It was part of the Walldogs on Nicollet mural project. The Lyndale and Kingfield Neighborhood Associations collaborated on Walldogs. Ten murals at eight sites along Nicollet Avenue were painted in 2008. It was one of the largest public art creations in Minneapolis history.
Nicollet Park was a former baseball ground. It hosted the Minneapolis Millers from 1896 to 1955. The Millers were part of the Western League and later the American Association. In its first season, 1896, it was known as Wright Field. This name honored Harry Wright, a baseball founding father. A steel and concrete stadium replaced the wood stadium in 1912. Lights were installed in 1937.
The ballpark occupied a small block. It was bounded by Nicollet Avenue, 31st Street, Blaisdell Avenue, and Lake Street. Home plate sat in the southwest corner. A ticket office with a Spanish-style roof stood at the Nicollet-31st intersection.
Joe Hauser hit 69 home runs for the Millers in 1933. Ted Williams made a splash in 1938. He hit 43 home runs before joining the major leagues. Willie Mays played for the Minneapolis fans for a month in 1951. The New York Giants then called him up.
The Minneapolis Marines and Red Jackets played NFL games at Nicollet Park in the 1920s. The Minneapolis Millerettes called Nicollet Park home in 1944. This team was part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Wheaties cereal was first advertised here. Augsburg College’s football team played home games here from 1946 to 1950. The New York Giants and Green Bay Packers played a preseason game here in 1948.
Nicollet Park closed in 1955. It was demolished in 1956. The Millers moved to Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. The Minneapolis Millers had a rivalry with the St. Paul Saints. The Millers team folded after the 1960 season. The Minnesota Twins arrived the following year. A new Minneapolis Millers team formed in 1994. They played at Parade Stadium. The league lasted only one season. The new Millers finished in second place.
Nicollet Park cost $4,000 to build and seated 4,000 fans. It was home to a pennant winner in its first and last seasons. Nicollet Park also hosted prize fights and high-school football games. The short right-field fence was only 279 feet, 10 inches from home plate.
Mike Kelley built his 1930s powerhouse around that fence. Halsey Hall said the right-field fence was made higher over the years. Awnings went down in front of Nicollet Avenue businesses. This was to prevent window breakage.
A typical Nicollet Park finish occurred in 1953. The Millers trailed the Saints 9-8. They had two outs and nobody on in the ninth. Clint Hartung walked. Ray Katt hit a pop fly to right. The ball scraped the screen for a game-winning home run.
Babe Ruth made a Nicollet Park appearance in a game between the Minneapolis and St. Paul police teams. He played half a game with each team. He hit a double in five at-bats.
Wheaties first unveiled its “Breakfast of Champions” slogan in 1933 on the walls of Nicollet Park.
In 1983, a historical marker was erected on the former site of Nicollet Park. It stands in front of the Norwest Bank on 31st and Nicollet.
Al Worthington remembers Nicollet Park fondly. He recalls his success there. He also remembers the lack of heat in the clubhouse. Eddie Popowski recalls rats chewing up gloves and shoes left overnight.
For sixty years, Nicollet Park was home to ten pennant-winning teams. It was a mecca for baseball fans. The Nicollet Baseball Park Mural reminds us of this history. It keeps the memory of Nicollet Park alive.