Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium was a sport s stadium that stood in Washington , D . C . from 1911 to 1965 , between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street , and between W Street and Florida Avenue , NW . An earlier wooden baseball park had been built on the same site in 1891 . It was called Boundary Field or National Park , as its occupants were then known primarily by the nickname " Nationals . " This park was destroyed by a fire in March 1911 , and replaced by a steel and concrete structure , also at first called National Park ; it was renamed for Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith in 1920 . The stadium was home to the American League Senators from 1911 through 1960 , and to an expansion team of the same name for their first season in 1961 . The venue hosted the 1937 and 1956 Major League Baseball All - Star Game s . It served as a part - time home for the Negro League team called the Homestead Grays during the 1930s and 1940s . It was also home to the Washington Redskins of the National Football League for 24 seasons , from the time they transferred from Boston in 1937 through the 1960 season . In 1911 , William Howard Taft began the tradition of presidents throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the baseball season at Griffith Stadium . Harry Truman , being ambidextrous , enjoyed showing off by throwing the baseball with either hand . According to some reports , he would alternate from year to year . Early History . On March 17 , 1911 , Boundary Field , also known as National Park and American League Park II , was destroyed by a fire started by a plumber ' s blowtorch . This left the owners of the Washington Senators in a difficult situation , due to the fact that Spring Training had already begun and Opening Day was less than a month away . Thomas C . Noyes , president of the Senators , gained approval from the club ' s board of directors to build a new ballpark with a steel grandstand on the same site as Boundary Field . The quick construction of the ballpark was reported by " The Washington Post " : " Day and night the chanting of the negro laborers has been heard in the vicinity , like Aladdin ' s palace , the structure rose as if by magic . " Opening Day 1911 , the grandstand was sufficiently stable enough to host President William Howard Taft and the Boston Red Sox , as well as 16 , 000 fans . Construction of Griffith Stadium continued while the Senators were on the road , and was not completed until July 24 , 1911 . Field design . The stadium was laid out at an angle within its block in the Washington street grid . Thus , it was over 400 feet down the left field line ( east ) to the bleachers ( though this distance was shortened in later years by the construction of an inner fence ) . The fence also took an unusual right - angled jut into right - center field where a large tree and several apartment buildings stood , due to the unwillingness of the owners of the tree and those nearby houses to sell to the Senators ' owners during construction of the stadium . The right field fence angled away from the infield sharply which , in addition to a 30 - foot fence ( to block the view from surrounding buildings ) about 8 feet inside the lower , outer wall , meant that relatively few home runs were hit at the stadium . Center field was east - southeast of home plate , which made for difficult visibility for the fielders in the late afternoon sun . Senators groundskeepers maintained a downhill slope from home plate to first base , supposedly to help accelerate slow Washington batters . However , Griffith ' s groundskeepers were still adept at keeping a fine sod field that was " compared to that of the best golf courses " . This was in sharp contrast to the unkempt field that can be seen in photographs of Griffith prior to 1923 . For many years , the right field grandstand wall served as the right field foul line for the last 15 feet before the foul pole , making it impossible to catch a ball there . The 41 - foot tall , hand - operated scoreboard in right - center was in play , as was the National Bohemian beer sign , shaped like a bottle , 56 feet above the playing field . At one point in his youth , future MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was the operator of the scoreboard . Expansion and changes . In the early 1920s , a trend began of fans flocking in great numbers to the stadium whenever certain teams played the Senators . When the Yankees came to Washington , the chance to see Babe Ruth brought large crowds to the ballpark , and many fans came whenever John McGraw ’ s New York Giants were in town . Clark Griffith took advantage of this trend by making small improvements in the stadium in 1920 and 1921 . These improvements included changing the main entrance of the park from Georgia Avenue to a refurbished one on Florida Ave . , and spending $ 3 , 200 to build an office for himself beneath the grandstand . After various other small improvements , on August 21 , 1923 , Griffith announced plans to greatly expand and refurbish the ballpark . The stadium , built in 1911 , was hastily constructed and provided minimal seating and other features when compared to other ballparks . The planned expansion was reported to cost $ 100 , 000 , and expand the seating capacity to 50 , 000 , a number which wound up being 32 , 000 . The new seating came from the complete rebuilding of the left field grandstand into a double - decked tier . The roofline of the new grandstand was considerably higher than the roof of the main grandstand , resulting in a visible , 15 - foot gap between the two . At that point the wooden left field bleachers were also replaced , by a large concrete deck that ran from the foul pole across left field and into center field . The first base pavilion remained single - decked . The first attempt at a high wall was constructed across right field . By the 1930s the right field pavilion had been double - decked , and the angling right field wall and its scoreboard were realigned to align with the low right field wall , about 8 feet inside of it . This also resulted in the unique inward - pointing 90 - degree angle in center field . Both versions of the tall fence had the effect of keeping the neighbors in the adjacent row houses from watching the games for free . Lights were installed for the 1941 season . The Senators played their first home night game on May 28 . The right field fence was originally covered in various billboard advertisements , but in later years was painted a solid dark color . A bullpen area was built in right center field behind a short fence , providing a new target for lefthanded batters . In the mid - 1950s , an inner fence was erected across left and center field , to reduce the home run distances by 10 to 20 feet . This inner fence stayed in place through the ballpark ' s final season , 1961 . A Presidential Destination . Every President of the United States from William Howard Taft to John F . Kennedy threw a ceremonial first pitch at least once at Griffith . The Senators even constructed a special presidential box near the first base dugout for the annual ritual . Franklin D . Roosevelt was a good friend of Clark Griffith , and had attended games at the stadium since his days as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the 1910s . When FDR returned to Washington in 1933 as President , Griffith visited the White House early every season to give Roosevelt season passes ; he also constructed a special ramp at the ballpark that accommodated the President ' s special mobility needs after his bout with polio in 1921 . On Opening Day in 1941 , Roosevelt stood up in the stadium ' s presidential box on the arm of a military aide , and threw out the first pitch . In 1942 , Clark Griffith urged Roosevelt to keep baseball going during the war . Griffith took credit after Roosevelt ' s initial " Green Light letter , " which allowed baseball to continue . Notable sluggers . The distant fences were no problem for sluggers like Josh Gibson , Mickey Mantle and the Senators ' own youngster Harmon Killebrew . There have only been two reported instances of a player hitting a home run " over " the left field bleachers : once by Mantle and twice by Gibson . Babe Ruth hit near - 500 foot drives over the center and right - center walls on consecutive days in May 1921 . In May 1949 , Cleveland Indians outfielder Larry Doby smacked the then - longest home run ever hit at the stadium over the right - center field wall , and onto a rooftop well outside the ballpark . The shot was reported to have traveled over 500 feet , and Doby called it " the longest homer I ' ve ever hit . " On April 17 , 1953 , Mantle hit one off Chuck Stobbs that was so impressive that someone tried to determine its flight with some precision , thus popularizing the term " Tape Measure Home Run . " It was alleged to be 565 feet , although it bounced off the top of the back wall of the bleachers , adding some distance to its flight path . Clark Griffith once said that Josh Gibson hit more home runs into Griffith Stadium ' s distant left field bleachers than the entire American League . Aside from some championship seasons in the early 1920s and 1930s , the Senators teams that played at Griffith Stadium were legendarily bad . The hapless Washington team became the butt of a well - known Vaudeville joke , " First in war , first in peace , and last in the American League , " a twist on the famous Henry " Light Horse Harry " Lee eulogy of George Washington : " First in war , first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen . " ( A similar phrasing was once used for the St . Louis Browns : " First in shoes , first in booze , and last in the American League . " ) Only one Washington , DC public high school baseball player ever hit a home run over the 30 - foot high " green monster - like " right field wall at Griffith Stadium - Bill Harrison of Coolidge High School in 1952 . The stadium was still called Griffith Stadium in 1961 , even though team owner Calvin Griffith had moved the original Senators club to the " Twin Cities " area of Minneapolis - St . Paul ( becoming the Minnesota Twins ) , to be replaced in Washington by a new expansion team , also called the Senators ( now the Texas Rangers ) . Football at Griffith Stadium . Griffith Stadium hosted numerous football events before the Redskins moved there in 1937 . It was the home of Georgetown Hoyas football from 1921 until 1950 , George Washington Colonials football in the 1930s and 1940s , and Maryland Terrapins football in 1948 . The stadium was the host of an annual Thanksgiving day game between Howard and Lincoln Universities , which was one of the most popular events during the year , drawing many African American alumni and fans from the surrounding neighborhoods . One major reason for the stadium ' s early - 1920s expansion was that Clark Griffith had envisioned the stadium hosting the annual Army - Marine football game , played every December . Temporary seats were often placed in right field for football games at Griffith , with the gridiron stretching from left field to the first base line . Home of the Washington Redskins . The Redskins , previously based in Boston and named for the Boston Braves , moved their home to D . C . in time for the 1937 NFL season . As Boston , they had won their division in 1936 , and would continue their winning ways in Washington , capturing their first NFL championship in that 1937 season . They would continue being perennial contenders all through the war years . Griffith Stadium was the location of 1940 and 1942 NFL Championship Games . The 1940 game was the 73 – 0 triumph by the Chicago Bears over the Redskins , the highest - scoring shutout game in the history of the NFL . The Championship Game in 1942 was essentially a rematch , with nearly the same players , and this time the Redskins upset the previously undefeated Bears , 14 – 6 . According to Richard Whittingham ' s history of the Chicago Bears ( ISBN 0671628852 ) , George Preston Marshall , the owner of the Redskins , gave his team a pre - game " pep talk " that consisted simply of writing " 73 - 0 " on the chalkboard . During the Redskins ' game on the afternoon of December 7 , 1941 , against the Philadelphia Eagles , an announcement was made over Griffith Stadium ' s public - address system commanding all of the American generals and admirals there to report to their duty stations . The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not explicitly announced over the P . A . system ; with no small , portable radio s available in the 1940s , that left thousands of other spectators to be among the last Americans to learn of the Japanese attack . The Redskins won that game , their last game of the 1941 season , by a score of 20 to 14 . They finished the season with a record of six wins and five losses , in third place in the NFL Eastern Division . Although the Redskins enjoyed only one winning record at home ( 4 – 2 in 1956 ) during their final 13 seasons at Griffith , they still finished with an 81 – 58 – 6 overall record at the stadium over 24 seasons . Other events . Griffith Stadium was home to many events other than baseball and football . The All - American Girls Professional Baseball League played games there during the league ' s existence . Over 180 boxing matches were held at the ballpark , including fights by Joe Louis . On July 23 , 1942 , a " battle of music " was held at Griffith between musicians Louis Armstrong and Charlie Barnet . Some of the 18 , 000 fans in attendance began to dance on the field in front of the bandstand . Spectators who remained in their seats complained that they could not see . When the police attempted to control the situation by stopping the music , a riot broke out , with some minor injuries and several teenagers being hauled away by the police . Scrap metal salvage rallies were held at least once at the stadium during World War II , where people would bring scrap metal to the ballpark to be melted and made into steel for new weapons . Griffith was also the home to public school events , church revivals , public meetings , and annual ROTC drill competitions . Billy Graham held a crusade at Griffith in 1960 , preaching from a platform erected near second base . Two choir stands , each accommodating 500 singers , were set up along the foul lines . Status in racial disputes . Griffith Stadium was located in the Shaw Neighborhood of Washington , D . C . , a historically black area since the Civil War . The neighborhood was home to many black working class people , but also a class of young , professional African American " elite " such as Langston Hughes . Duke Ellington worked at Griffith selling hot dogs during his childhood . Griffith Stadium was not officially segregated , although an unofficial policy early after the 1920s expansion was that blacks sat in the right field pavilion . Calvin Griffith , nephew of Clark Griffith , claimed that the segregated seats were a result of " colored preachers . . . asking Mr . Griffith to put aside a section for the black people . " In October 1957 , a group of blacks picketed multiple times in front of Griffith Stadium , protesting the lack of black players on the Washington Redskins . Shorty after the end of World War I , after a report that several white women had been raped by a black man , a large group of whites seeking revenge marched toward the Shaw neighborhood . However , a conflict was avoided after these men came upon " a group of two thousand armed black men , " who had been prepared and gotten their weapons at Griffith Stadium , chosen as a meeting place because of its landmark status in the community . Final years . In 1955 , longtime Senators owner Clark Griffith died . His nephew , Calvin Griffith took over . Fewer and fewer fans were coming to the ballpark , due in large part to the St . Louis Browns ' move to Baltimore in 1954 , causing Baltimoreans to stop having to come to Washington to see games . Because of this , Calvin Griffith developed an interest in moving the Senators to Minnesota . Attendance may not have been the sole reason Griffith wanted to move , however ; in a speech to Minnesota businessmen in the 1970s , Griffith said , " You only have 15 , 000 blacks here . " The American League opposed a move at first , but agreed under the condition that an expansion team , also named the Senators , would come to Washington , beginning in 1961 . The original Senators moved to Minnesota , and the new Senators played at Griffith in 1961 . However , in 1962 , the Senators moved to the new D . C . Stadium , joining the Redskins , who had moved there a year before . The final baseball game at Griffith Stadium was played on September 21 , 1961 , before a crowd of only 1 , 498 fans . Griffith Stadium now had no tenants , and sat empty for several years , deteriorating , with the field taking on the appearance of a prairie . The ballpark was demolished in 1965 . Nearly 1 , 000 of the stadium ' s seats were moved to Tinker Field in Orlando , Florida , at that time the spring training home of the Senators / Twins , where they remain today . The Howard University Hospital now occupies the site . A plaque has been erected in the building , near home plate .