At the southernmost end of Highbridge Park is a part of Washington Heights
that has been neglected and disused because of the lack of pride that was
once a part of baseball history. Coogan's Bluff played an important role in
bringing the residents of Washington Heights and Harlem out on a warm
afternoon to watch a baseball game without having to pay for it.
The bluffs original boundaries extended from 155th Street to 160th Street and
from Edgecombe Avenue to the Harlem River. There is also a deep
escarpment that descends 175 feet from Edgecombe Avenue down to the
Harlem River which creates a grassy knoll called Coogan's Hollow. Today
the section of parkland known as Coogan's Bluff is only .08 acres.
Coogan's Bluff was named in honor of James J. Coogan (1845-1915) who
was the Manhattan Borough President from 1899 to 1901. Coogan was also
an unsuccessful two-time candidate for the New York City mayoral race.
Coogan, a real estate merchant, owned much of the property in the area that
included the site of the Polo Grounds ballfield
The Polo Grounds, as we know it today, was originally called the
Brotherhood Park when it was constructed in 1890. But it was not always
thus. The original Polo Grounds stadium was constructed in 1876 and was
located at 111th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues as a field for playing
polo. By 1883 the New York Giants and the New York Metropolitans took
over the field and played there until 1889 when it was abandoned for the new
site at 155th Street. By then the name of the 155th Street ballpark was
changed.
The ballpark was destroyed by fire on April 13, 1911 forcing the owners to
rebuild the stadium with concrete and steel instead of wood. Initially the new
park had a seating capacity for 38,000 paying fans. In time the seating
capacity was increased to hold 55,987 people. The dimensions from home
plate were; 279 feet to left field, 483 feet to center field and 258 feet to right
field. The main entrance was on Eighth Avenue behind the Center Field
bleachers. Home Plate was on the western side of the field.
The main entrance of the stadium was connected to the Ninth (or Columbus)
Avenue elevated line which had a stop on Eighth Avenue and 155th Street.
The storage and repair yards connected to this line and was located between
the ballfield and the Harlem River. A ramp at track level accommodated the
fans who came by train. This ramp funneled onto long ramps leading to the
main grandstand after passing through the turnstiles. The main entrance and
Club House of the Polo Grounds were accessible to the street.
From a logistical point of view people who were at Coogan's Bluff, which was
above the western side of the stadium, could get an excellent view of the field
and the games. To many of the paying and unpaying fans the Polo Grounds
looked like an oversized bathtub.
Various sports teams played at the Polo Grounds. The New York Baseball
Giants played there until 1957. The New York Mets played at the Polo
Grounds from 1962 until 1963 when Shea Stadium opened at Flushing
Meadow Park not to far away from the Worlds Fair of 1964 and 1965.
The last game of the New York Baseball Giants was played on September
29,1957 with an attendance of 11,606 paying fans. The Giants were up
against the Pittsburgh Pirates and lost with a score of 9-1. The Polo Grounds
saw a brief revival when Casey Stengel and the New York Mets played for
the 1962 and 1963 seasons. The last game the Mets played at the grounds
was against the Philadelphia Phillies with 1,752 paying fans in attendance and
lost with a score of 5-1.
In 1948 a unique relationship was started when the New York Cubans
became the farm team of the Giants. The Cubans, a Negro League team, had
to relocate from the Dyckman Oval on Dyckman Street and Tenth Avenue
because the site was to be razed for urban renewal.
The New York Football Giants played at the Polo Grounds from 1925 to
1955. Presently they are at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. There was a
football field adjacent to the Polo Grounds called Manhattan Field that was
used until 1903 when it was abandoned and razed. The lot remained vacant
until 1955 and was used as a parking lot.
Several boxing matches were held at the Polo Grounds. In 1923 Jack
Dempsey KO'ed Luis Firpo in front of 90,000 hysterical fans. Sugar Ray
Robinson fought against Randy Turpin on September 12, 1951 before an
audience of 61,370 paying fans. On June 20, 1960 Floyd Patterson fought
and defeated Ingemar Johansson to regain the heavyweight championship of
the world in front of 32,000 fans.
One of the few trivial ballpark stories to come out of the Polo Grounds was
that of the hot dog. The term was coined by New York Journal cartoonist
Tad Dorgan who could not remember how to spell dachshund used to
describe the red hot dachshund sausage that was sold at the stadium.
The Polo Grounds had been dismantled in 1964 to make way for real estate
development now known as the Polo Ground Houses. One note of historical
significance, the wrecking ball used to raze Ebbets Field, was used for the
same purpose at the Polo Grounds.
Within Coogan's Bluff section of Highbridge Park is a stairway and a memorial
plaque honoring the field. The stairway located at 157th Street and
Edgecombe Avenue is closed off because it is in disrepair. On one of the
landings is a marker that states; THE JOHN T. BRUSH STAIRWAY
PRESENTED BY THE NEW YORK GIANTS. The stairway honors Brush
the owner of the Polo Grounds and was used by fans to get to the ticket
booth behind Home Plate. On a rock outcropping facing the Harlem River
Drive near the stairs is a plaque honoring the New York Giants.
Coogan's Bluff has loaned its name to various industries. For example, in
1968, the film COOGAN'S BLUFF with Clint Eastwood and Lee J. Cobb is
about an Arizona lawman who comes to New York City to capture a wanted
criminal. This movie became the basis for the television series McCloud
starring Dennis Weaver and J. D. Cannon. A local restaurant on Broadway
and 169th Street is called Coogan's in honor of the site.
For more information on Coogan's Bluff and Highbridge Park the Parks
Department has a website on the Internet. This is www.nyc.gov/parks. For
information of Giants and Mets players who became members of the Baseball
Hall of Fame, the website is www.cooperstown.com. The Society for
Baseball Research's website is www.sabr.org.
© 1998 HHOC. All Rights Reserved.
COOGANS BLUFF AND THE POLO GROUNDS
by James Renner
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