Gordon and Koppel Field

Gordon and Koppel Field was the home of the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League in 1914 and 1915.

Originally built in 1910 as a multipurpose (track and field, football, and baseball) amateur athletic park, it was located at what is now the southeast corner of 47th Street and Tracy Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, and derived its name from a mens' clothing store that originally owned it. It had a high fence added and its grandstand improved when the Packers moved from Covington, Kentucky in 1913 during the Federal League's inaugural (non-major league) season. The park remained the Packers' home through 1914 and 1915, when the Federal League was considered the third major league.

When Brush Creek flooded in September 1914, the outfield walls were knocked down and the team was forced to finish its season on the road. The walls were rebuilt for the 1915 season, along with other improvements. It had a short LF fence (estimated at 260 feet or less) with a 20-foot high scoreboard added atop the 10-foot tall fence for the 1915 season to cut down on "cheap" home runs. Home runs hit over the left field wall frequently landed in Brush Creek, which ran directly alongside the wall.

After the demise of the Federal League, the park served for some years as home field to nearby Paseo High School for both its baseball and football games. It was torn down some time before 1930. It is now the site of a restaurant (near home plate), some businesses, and a small park, and some of the outfield area has been cut off by the rerouting of Brush Creek.

Sources

Green Cathedrals by Phil Lowry