Historic Wahconah Park Grandstand to be Razed

Baseball has been played at the site of Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, since 1892. The ballpark itself dates back to 1919 and features one of the oldest wooden grandstands still in existence. Unfortunately, that old grandstand was condemned in 2022 and is now scheduled to be razed early in 2026.

Wahconah Park has hosted professional and amateur baseball in many forms. Affiliated teams from the Eastern League, NY-Penn League, and Can-Am League played here, as did independent squads from the Northeast League and Can-Am League. Most recently, Wahconah Park has been home to summer college ball, first in the NECBL and most recently by the Pittsfield Suns of the Futures League.

The Suns, who began play in 2012, have been forced to sit out the 2024 and 2025 seasons after using temporary bleachers for the previous two seasons. The team’s ownership group, the Goldklang Group, is currently in exclusive negotiations with the city on a replacement for the old ballpark.

Pittsfield Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath said there is still demand for use of the ball field, and it continues to host games using temporary bleachers. "We now are in the reality of having a, for lack of a better term, a rusting hulk of a building that can't be used that will need to be removed if there is a new grandstand constructed, or if there is — whatever gets constructed in its place," McGrath explained. "Even if we were just to have a bleacher system, we need to remove the existing grandstand to make way for a new project."

The demolition of the grandstand, including the removal of hazardous materials, will cost $875,000. Construction of a planned $18-million replacement is anticipated to begin immediately upon completion of the demolition.

The biggest question facing a new ballpark on this site: Since the original grandstand faces west (causing “sun delays” as the sun sets directly beyond the centerfield fence, giving the Suns their name), will the new ballpark be oriented in a different, more appropriate direction for baseball, direction?

Follow Paul Baker’s stadium journeys on Twitter and Instagram @PuckmanRI.