Recreation Park ( Pittsburgh ) Recreation Park , originally known as Union Park , was a stadium located in Allegheny City , Pennsylvania , before its 1907 annexation into the city of Pittsburgh , in the latter 19th century to the early 20th century . It was the first official home to the Pittsburgh Pirates , the city ' s Major League Baseball ( MLB ) franchise . It also hosted the football team of the University of Pittsburgh , then known as the Western University of Pennsylvania . In November 1892 , the Park hosted the first ever professional American football game , between two local teams . After sporting events had ceased , Recreation Park was renamed the Pittsburgh Coliseum and was used as " a wooden saucer for motor - paced bicycle riding " . There are no known pictures of the full park in existence . History . Recreation Park originally had a capacity of 2 , 500 , but later expanded its wooden grandstand s to allow 17 , 000 spectators . The stadium stood at the corner of North , Grant , and Pennsylvania Avenues on Pittsburgh ' s Northside . Baseball . Prior to 1876 , three amateur Pittsburgh baseball teams — the Enterprise Club , the Xanthas , and the Olympics — competed , most often at Recreation Park . In 1876 an Allegheny club , which can be traced to the modern - day Pittsbyrgh Pirates , but not affiliated with any organized league , played its first game against Xanthus at Union Park , winning 7 - 3 . The first major league team to play at Recreation Park was the Pittsburgh Stogies , of the Union Association . The Stogies relocated from Chicago in 1884 , lasting one season at Recreation Park . Due to flooding in Exposition Park II from its close proximity to the Allegheny River , the Pittsburgh Alleghenies of the American Association moved to Recreation Park in 1884 . The team posted a 18 – 37 record at home throughout the 1884 season , finishing 12th overall in the league . In 1887 , Alleghenies ' s owner William A . Nimick moved the team from the American Association to the National League . On April 30 , 1887 , the Alleghenies defeated the Chicago White Stockings by a score of 6 – 2 in front of 10 , 000 spectators , in the first official contest of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise . Prior to one game in the 1887 season Pittsburgh ' s catcher , Fred Carroll , buried his pet monkey beneath home plate . The lowest attended game at the park came on April 23 , 1890 , when six specatators watched the Pirates play the Cleveland Spiders . In 1891 , after the collapse of the Pittsburgh Burghers baseball franchise of the Players ' League , the Alleghenys moved to Exposition Park III which had been constructed for the Burghers . Football . On November 12 , 1892 , Recreation Park hosted a game between the Allegheny Athletic Association football team and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club . The Allegheny Athletic Association won the game , which was the first in professional football . In 1902 , a Pittsburgh Pirates - backed football team , the Pittsburgh Stars of the first National Football League , played all of its home games at the field , now called the Coliseum . The Stars would go on to win the league ' s only championship against the Philadelphia Athletics , by a score of 11 - 0 , at the field . In 2001 , the Pittsburgh Steelers constructed Heinz Field blocks from the site of Recreation Park . The Western University of Pennsylvania ( WUP ) , known today as the University of Pittsburgh , played their first game of the 1898 season at Recreation Park . The team defeated Wesminster 5 – 0 . However , the following season on October 15 , Wesminster would beat the WUP , 6 – 0 , at Recreation Park . Though the WUP began playing games at Exposition Park as early as 1900 , games were still hosted at Recreation Park , until the University signed an exclusive contract with Exposition Park in 1904 .