Calvin Griffith Park

Coordinates: 35°12′N 80°51′W / 35.200°N 80.850°W Clark Griffith Park was a stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, located at 400 Magnolia Avenue in the Dilworth section of town. The park opened in 1940 and held as many as 5,000 people in a covered grandstand which extended from first base to third base. It was primarily used for baseball, and served as the home field for the Charlotte Hornets, the farm team for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins from the 1940s to 1971, and the Charlotte Orioles from 1976 to 1985. After a renovation of the park in 1976 for the O's, it was renamed Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Park, both in honor of the promoter who brought the team, and to distance themselves from the former owners. The park was burned down on March 16, 1985. Investigators determined the fire was set by juveniles.

The Crockett family built a 3,000-seat makeshift stadium soon after the fire. However, it was completely exposed to the elements. The O's attendance fell off over the next three seasons because there was no protection for the fans. George Shinn bought the stadium after the 1987 season when he bought the team, and renamed it Knights Park. The renamed Knights only played there one more year, however, and it was eventually replaced by what became Knights Stadium.

References

• Classic Venues for Jim Crockett Promotions: Crockett Park
• Gault, Earl. Some win, some lose if Knights move to S. C. The Herald, 1988-05-22.