A 1922 baseball park in Lakeland, Florida, built to draw professional baseball to the city and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1997.
At a glance
Henley Field sits at 1125 North Florida Avenue in Lakeland, Florida, adjacent to Bryant Stadium, a football stadium. It has served as a baseball venue for more than a century, from professional spring training to college and minor-league play.
History
Clare Henley encouraged the construction of the ballpark as part of an effort to persuade a professional baseball team to train in Lakeland. The park was named for him in 1942.
On May 23, 1997, Henley Field was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
In 2002, the ballpark was renovated at a cost of $250,000 so the Lakeland Tigers could play there while their home field, Joker Marchant Stadium, was being renovated. Joker Marchant Stadium remains the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers.
What you see
The ballpark is a modest historic baseball venue, simple in form and urban in setting. It stands next to Bryant Stadium, sharing a corner of Lakeland’s sports landscape.
No architectural details beyond its 1922 origin are given in the source material.
Cultural significance
Henley Field appeared in the 1987 HBO movie Long Gone, starring William Petersen and Virginia Madsen. In the film it served as Smythe Field, home of the fictional Class D Tampico Stogies.
On September 2, 2015, the City of Lakeland announced it would sell Henley Field for $1 million to Florida Southern College, affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college’s baseball team had used the park for the previous 55 years.
Key facts
- Country: United States
- City: Polk County, Florida
- Coordinates: 28.0567, -81.9564
- Year built: 1922
- National Register of Historic Places: listed May 23, 1997
Practical information & getting there
Henley Field is at 1125 North Florida Avenue in Lakeland, Florida. The source does not provide current visiting hours, ticket prices, or access details. Check locally before you go.
Sources & resources
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