5. Coogan’s Bluff in Highbridge Park Served as the First Home of the New York Mets
Fans on Coogan’s Bluff watch the Merkle’s Boner game, described as “the most controversial game in baseball history” which took place on September 23, 1908 between the Giants and Cubs. Image via Wikimedia Commons
Located near the western shore of the Harlem River, Coogan’s Bluff is a promontory noted for its steep slope that descends 175 feet to the river valley below. This unique geological formation creates an area between the bluff and river, known as Coogan’s Hollow, which was once home to the Polo Grounds sports stadium for 83 years.
The name “Polo Grounds” actually refers to three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, but it’s mostly synonymous with the site located in Coogan’s Hollow, which was built in 1890. Formerly known as “Brotherhood Park” and later nicknamed “The Bathtub” (in reference to its distinct shape), it was known for its unusually deep center field.
During the 1962 and 1963 baseball seasons, the site served as the first home to the New York Mets, which was established that same year to replace New York’s departed National League teams: the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) and the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants); the latter occupied the grounds from 1925 to 1955, until the team moved to San Francisco prior to the start of the 1958 season.
The stadium was later torn down in 1964 to make room for the Polo Grounds Tower, a public housing project with 1,616 apartments. However, remnants of the site’s former life are not lost: the staircase that once led down to the stadium ticket booth can still be seen.