Durham Athletic Park
Durham Athletic Park, nicknamed "The DAP", is a former minor league baseball stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The stadium was home to the Durham Bulls from 1926 through 1994, the North Carolina Central Eagles and the Durham School of the Arts Bulldogs. The DAP sits north of the downtown area of Durham, on the block bounded by Washington, Corporation, Foster and Geer Streets.
The DAP | |
Durham Athletic Park, circa 1990. | |
| Former names | El Toro Park (1926–1933) |
|---|---|
| Location | 428 Morris St Durham, NC 27701 |
| Coordinates | 36°0′10.04″N 78°54′10.06″W |
| Owner | City of Durham |
| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Record attendance | 6,202 |
| Field size | Left Field – 330 ft (100 m) Left Center Field – 365 ft (111 m) Center Field – 405 ft (123 m) Right Center Field – 340 ft (100 m) Right Field – 290 ft (88 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | July 7, 1926 (wooden grandstand) July 2, 1939 (temporary structure) April 7, 1940 (current structure) |
| Renovated | 1939-40 (rebuilt) 1979-80 2008-9 |
| Expanded | 1988 |
| Construction cost | $160,000 (1926 stadium) |
| Architect | George Watts Carr |
| Tenants | |
| Durham Bulls (Piedmont League, Carolina League) (1920–1933, 1936–1943, 1945–1967, 1980–1994) Durham Black Sox (1920s-1930s) (Negro leagues) Durham Eagles/Rams (1940s-1960s) Raleigh-Durham Mets/Phillies/Triangles (Carolina League) (1968–1971) Durham Braves/Americans (CPL) (1997–2002) Durham Dragons (softball) North Carolina Central Eagles (NCAA) ACC Tournament (1984, 1986) | |
Durham Athletic Park became one of the most famous minor league ballparks in history thanks to the 1988 film Bull Durham, featuring the Bulls, Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Most of the filming was done at the DAP, following the end of the Carolina League season of 1987. The film's wide acclaim helped fuel the burgeoning public interest in minor league ball in general. In the case of both the city and the film, this explosion of popularity caused the DAP to become a victim of its own success; despite expansion with temporary bleachers, it became too small to handle the increase in crowd size and the Bulls’ Triple-A ambitions.
The Bulls moved to their new home Durham Bulls Athletic Park (also known as "DBAP") in downtown Durham, starting with the 1995 season. The ballpark was built with a capacity to Carolina League standards, but the land that the DBAP was built on had more room in case the ballpark needed to be expanded for Triple-A baseball. Triple-A baseball came to Durham in 1998 and the Bulls moved up from High-A to Triple-A, with DBAP then expanded to Triple-A standards.