| Jarry Park Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Parc Jarry | |
| Location | Montreal, Quebec |
| Opened | April 14, 1969 (Baseball) |
| Closed | September 26, 1976 |
| Owner | City of Montréal |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants | Montreal Expos (NL) (1969–1976) |
| Capacity | 28,456 (1969) |
| Field Dimensions | |
| Left Field - 340 ft / 103.6 m Left-Center - 368 ft. / 112.2 m Center Field - 420 ft / 128.0 m Right-Center - 368 ft / 112.2 m Right Field - 340 ft / 103.6 m Backstop - 60 ft / 18.3 m | |
Jarry Park Stadium (Parc Jarry) is a former baseball park in Montreal which served as home to the Montreal Expos, Major League Baseball's first Canadian franchise, from 1969-1976. It served as a temporary home (for 8 seasons) until the domed Olympic Stadium was finished and made available to the Expos. The ballpark's name in English was usually spoken as a homonym of "Jerry", and was typically called simply (and incorrectly) "Jarry Park" within baseball circles. The stadium began as a ballfield in Montréal's north end (Villeray) in a public park known as Jarry Park. The only structure was the small unroofed grandstand behind the home plate and backstop area, that sat maybe 3,000. When the Expos were announced as an expansion franchise in 1967, finding a site proved to be a challenge. The old minor league park, Delorimier Stadium, had a capacity of around 20,000, which was not large enough to meet Major league standards, and was eventually demolished in 1971. Initially it looked like the Expos would be using the Autostade from Expo 67, a fair which had inspired the new club's nickname. However, the city balked at the cost of adding a dome and 12,000 seats, forcing the Expos to find another site quickly. In August 1968, National League President Warren Giles and Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau visited Jarry Park. Giles liked the site's location--less than a mile from a highway and 200 yards from a commuter railroad. The Expos decided to convert the Jarry Park ballfield to something approaching major league standards. Once the ballfield was announced as the home of the expansion club, the site was likewise expanded. Unroofed extensions were built from the original stand to the left and right field corners, a large bleacher was constructed across left field, and a scoreboard was built behind the right field fence. This work brought the park's capacity to a serviceable 28,500, and the park was deemed ready for the Expos. Beyond right field was a pre-existing swimming pool in the city park. Long before the "splash hits" at AT&T Park in San Francisco, there were occasional "splash hits" here. The idea of the swimming pool itself was later replicated in Chase Field in Phoenix). The stadium was rather sparse, given that it was intended to be only a temporary home for a maximum of four years. It was very open to the elements, which was a particular problem at the beginning and end of the season, given the short Montreal summers. The Expos frequently had to postpone early- and late-season games because there was no protection for the fans. However, a strike delayed the completion of Olympic Stadium, forcing the Expos to stay in Jarry until 1976. Although the centre field distance was posted as 420 feet, it was actually 417 feet to straightaway centre, and 420 feet to the deep left and right centre field corners.
After the Expos
The stadium was used for various civic events in the years after the Expos moved out. It was gradually converted into a tennis stadium, with one corner of the court located at the old backstop. The stadium was renamed in honor of Pope John Paul II to mark his visit to Montréal and the park on September 11, 1984. The venue was renamed 'Du Maurier Stadium' in 1987. It has since been renamed again, to 'Stade Uniprix'.
| Preceded by None | Home of the Montreal Expos 1969–1976 | Succeeded by Olympic Stadium 1977–2004 |
See also
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