Rickwood Field Rickwood Field , located in Birmingham , Alabama , is the oldest surviving professional baseball park in the United States . It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team - owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues . Though the Barons moved their home games to the suburbs , and most recently to Regions Field in Birmingham , Rickwood Field has been preserved and is undergoing gradual restoration as a " working museum " where baseball ' s history can be experienced . Rickwood Field is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . History . The Birmingham Coal Barons baseball team began playing professionally in 1887 , with their home games at an informal park called " Slag Pile Field " in West End . In 1901 they joined the Southern Association . Allen Harvey " Rick " Woodward , chairman of Woodward Iron Company and grandson of pioneer Birmingham industrialist Stimpson Harvey Woodward , purchased a majority share of the Birmingham Coal Barons baseball team from J . William McQueen in 1909 while he was still in his 20s . Immediately he began planning a grand showplace for his new team . He contacted Connie Mack for advice on the details , including the field dimensions . He settled on Forbes Field in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania and Shibe Park in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ( which was controlled by Mack ' s team and later renamed Connie Mack Stadium ) as the models for the new park . He purchased land in the West End neighborhood of Birmingham from the Alabama Central Railroad . The $ 75 , 000 structure was designed by Southeastern Engineering Company of Birmingham ( a short - lived subsidiary of Pittsburgh ' s General Fireproofing Company ) and completed during the summer of 1910 . The 12 . 7 acre ( 51 , 000 m² ) park was flanked along the basepaths by concrete and steel stands . A tile - roofed cupola on the roof behind home plate provided space for the announcer and the press . Woodward named the field after himself , using his nickname and the first part of his last name . A . H . “ Rick ” Woodward invited Alabama Governor Braxton Bragg Comer , Birmingham Mayor Culpepper Exum , civic leader , George B . Ward and Victor H . Hanson , publisher of The Birmingham News for opening day on August 18 , 1910 . The day was celebrated by businesses closing all over town to allow fans to fill the park for the first pitch at 3 : 30 P . M . Over 10 , 000 people attended that first game in which the Barons defeated the visiting Montgomery Climbers 3 - 2 . Throughout the first half of the 20th century Rickwood Field hosted sellout crowds for the Barons and the Black Barons who played on alternate weekends . In 1912 a spring tornado tore through the field , pulling up the outfield fence . Two years later Woodward felt the need to have electric fans installed in the grandstands for the comfort of the crowd . The Pittsburgh Pirates also made Rickwood Field their spring training home in 1919 . Rickwood Field also hosted college football games . From 1912 to 1927 the Alabama Crimson Tide played its Birmingham home dates in Rickwood . In 1921 the outfield fence was damaged in a tornado and quickly rebuilt . In 1924 - 1927 the infield bleachers were covered with a steel - framed roof designed by Denham , VanKeuren & Denham , Architects of Birmingham . Shortly after , In 1928 a new Mission style entry structure with offices was built to the designs of Paul Wright & Co . , Engineers of Birmingham . A new concrete outfield wall replaced the original fence . In 1931 in the first game of the Dixie Series championship , Birmingham ' s 43 - year - old Ray Caldwell outpitched 22 - year - old Dizzy Dean , who had guaranteed a win . The Barons won the series 4 games to 3 . In 1936 four monumental steel - frame light towers designed and fabricated by the Truscon Steel Company of Youngstown , Ohio were erected , allowing for night games . In 1938 , Woodward sold the park to Ed Norton , a local businessman . In 1940 Norton sold it to the Cincinnati Reds . At that time new outfield fences were built inside the original walls to reduce the field dimensions . G . J . Jebeles of Birmingham purchased the park in 1944 . A ladies ' rest room was added and the outfield fence reduced again in 1948 . In 1949 ownership changed hands again , going to a partnership of Al DeMent , Al Belcher , and Rufus Lackey . They added a small restaurant in the entrance building in 1950 and installed additional box seats , necessitating the relocations of the dugouts farther down the baselines . In 1958 Belcher gained a majority share and control of the park . In 1964 General Manager Glynn West purchased 1000 wooden seats from New York ' s Polo Grounds and installed them at the park . Belcher sold Rickwood Field in 1966 to the City of Birmingham , but retained a lease for the remainder of that year . In 1966 the lease was transferred to Charlie Finley , who brought the Kansas City Athletics ' AA farm team to Birmingham for the 1967 season . That year is remembered for the day that 14 , 000 disappointed fans were sent home early when the Atlanta Braves vs . Southern League All - Stars exhibition game was called " on account of tornado . " During this period , following a trend which swept minor league baseball ( and which has since been largely reversed ) , the team took the name of the parent major league club and was known as the " Birmingham A ' s " . Between 1979 and 1980 the wooden seats were replaced with plastic seats in the box areas and metal bleachers under the grandstands . In 1981 Art Clarkson brought minor league baseball back to Rickwood with the Detroit Tigers AA club , which resumed the Barons name . He had a new electronic scoreboard installed at the park . In 1986 , the Barons became the Chicago White Sox AA club , an affiliation that continues today . In 1987 the Barons moved to a new facility , ( Hoover Metropolitan Stadium ) in the suburb of Hoover , Alabama . The Barons are currently playing at Regions Field located just south of downtown Birmingham . Current status . Since 1992 the ballpark has been under the care of the Friends of Rickwood who are restoring the facility to its former glory . They also host frequent amateur , police and semi - pro games and open the gates to visitors who can walk in and explore the grandstands or run the bases . Since 1996 , Rickwood Field has hosted the Barons for a throwback game in which both teams wear period uniforms . Each match honors a different era in Birmingham baseball history . Ballpark enthusiasts from across North America migrate to Rickwood to attend this AA regulation game , named the " Rickwood Classic , " every season . Many consider this game the best opportunity to experience a regulation ballgame in an historic ballpark that remains true to its original and traditional appearance . Those involved – the Barons franchise , Friends of Rickwood , and fans – fully believe that this experience in the sacred baseball cathedral is among the most underrated baseball events . Scenes from the movies " Cobb " ( 1994 ) and " Soul of the Game " ( 1995 ) were filmed at Rickwood . Those productions contributed to the recreation of the scoreboard and press - box and the addition of 1940s period style advertisements on the outfield fence . Some of these retro - style ads have been sponsored by real Birmingham businesses , including a section sponsored by the descendants of Rick Woodward that advertises long - gone Woodward Iron Co . The outfield signs were designed by Ted Haigh , a Los Angeles - based graphic designer and executed by Skidmore Sign Company of Birmingham . In May 2012 , scenes from the movie " 42 " were also filmed at Rickwood Field . As of 2005 , the Friends of Rickwood have spent around $ 2 million refurbishing the grandstands , press - box , locker rooms , roof and main entrance to the park . Future plans include establishing a Museum of Southern Baseball . ESPN Classic broadcast a re - enactment of a Negro League game played at Rickwood on February 26 , 2006 . It featured teams wearing the uniforms of the fictitious " Bristol Barnstormers " ( named for ESPN ' s hometown of Bristol , Connecticut ) and the Birmingham Black Barons .