Edward A. LeLacheur Park
Encyclopedia
Edward A. LeLacheur Park is a baseball park
located on the banks of the Merrimack River
in Lowell
, Massachusetts
. It is home to the New York-Penn League Lowell Spinners
, the Class A
Short Season Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox
. LeLacheur Park is also home to the University of Massachusetts Lowell
River Hawks baseball team, which competes in the Northeast 10 Conference at the NCAA Division II level.
. Named after a local civic leader who spearheaded the initial redevelopment of Lowell, the park was built adjacent to the residential section of UML. Populous (formerly HOK Sport) designed the park. It offers views of the Aiken Street Bridge, Lawrence Mills And Fox Hall. The seating bowl is raised above the field. A concourse surrounds the top of the park. The refreshment, merchandise stands and bathrooms are located here. The design enables an open view while waiting in line.
Two seating expansions have been considered since the park opened. One plan would have added 600-1000 seats on the third base side. The expansion would match how the first base side is angled towards the infield. The other proposal was to add a smaller version of the Green Monster
with seating for approximately 200 people. This would also would have shortened the field and raised the wall to 20 ft (6.1 m). Due to lack of funds, neither have been built.
The stadium also features the Giant Hood Milk Jug from Fenway Park
and all Red Sox retired numbers.
The ballpark held its first concert on July 10, 2008 when Boston-based celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys
played there with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
.
Baseball park
A baseball park, also known as a baseball stadium, ball park, or ballpark is a venue where baseball is played. It consists of the playing field and the surrounding spectator seating...
located on the banks of the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
in Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It is home to the New York-Penn League Lowell Spinners
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...
, the Class A
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
Short Season Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. LeLacheur Park is also home to the University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
River Hawks baseball team, which competes in the Northeast 10 Conference at the NCAA Division II level.
History
The park was built between a partnership with the city of Lowell and the University of Massachusetts LowellUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
. Named after a local civic leader who spearheaded the initial redevelopment of Lowell, the park was built adjacent to the residential section of UML. Populous (formerly HOK Sport) designed the park. It offers views of the Aiken Street Bridge, Lawrence Mills And Fox Hall. The seating bowl is raised above the field. A concourse surrounds the top of the park. The refreshment, merchandise stands and bathrooms are located here. The design enables an open view while waiting in line.
Two seating expansions have been considered since the park opened. One plan would have added 600-1000 seats on the third base side. The expansion would match how the first base side is angled towards the infield. The other proposal was to add a smaller version of the Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
with seating for approximately 200 people. This would also would have shortened the field and raised the wall to 20 ft (6.1 m). Due to lack of funds, neither have been built.
The stadium also features the Giant Hood Milk Jug from Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
and all Red Sox retired numbers.
The ballpark held its first concert on July 10, 2008 when Boston-based celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
played there with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
.
Yearly Attendance
- 1998 - 174,020
- 1999 - 180,077
- 2000 - 190,000
- 2001 - 190,000
- 2002 - 190,000
- 2003 - 190,000
- 2004 - 190,000
- 2005 - 190,000
- 2006 - 193,363