B's Ballpark Museum

The best kept secret in baseball

Most people probably think that seeing the Rocky Mountains or attending a Rockies game at Coors Field is the main reason to plan a trip to Colorado.  I think there is an even better excuse.

Specifically, visiting B's Ballpark Museum is enough of a reason to travel to Colorado.  If you are a baseball fan in general or are devoted to ballparks in particular, you owe it to yourself to visit this outstanding public museum.

Located in the Denver suburb of Englewood, this museum is the result of Curator Bruce Hellerstein's lifelong love of baseball parks.  From the outside -- with its "Pass The Torch" miniature ball field (see lefthand photo below), complete with authentic seats from Tiger Stadium -- to the entryway and all the way through the exhibits, I was extremely impressed with everything I encountered.

The entry stairway is truly something to behold.  As the righthand shot above shows, there are 15 framed lithographs of classic ballparks, all autographed by a player (most in the Hall of Fame) or manager who achieved fame at that field.  You'll want to stop and read the personalized inscriptions that all of these baseball stars included with their autographs.  

As you descend the steps and enter the main exhibit areas, you are greeted by a sign that describes the situation perfectly.  It tells you that you are entering the "sole place on earth where all the ballparks come together to capture the innocence of our national pastime."  And it's true!  I can't imagine any collection of ballpark-related items anywhere to rival this one.

The heart and soul of the Museum is the "Paradise Park" room.  Here you are transported back in time through the incredible relics of ballparks past.  There are 18 different seats from America's all-time classic ballparks.  It is fascinating to look at the differences from one seat to another -- in color, in shape and in the material from which they were made. 

In the lefthand photo above, for instance, are seats from Washington's Griffith Stadium and the Polo Grounds in New York.  The shot to the right shows an authentic seat from the pre-reconstructed Yankee Stadium, along with a rare piece of the park's original copper facade.  In the right-hand photo above is a home plate actually used in Fenway Park.

The Paradise Room also contains bricks from now-demolished parks such as Crosley Field (Cincinnati), Shibe Park (Philadelphia), County Stadium (Milwaukee), Forbes Field (Pittsburgh), Comiskey Park (Chicago) and Municipal Stadium (Cleveland).

One of my very favorite elements of B's Ballpark Museum is the re-creation of the grand entry rotunda of Brooklyn's Ebbets Field (above left).  That entryway had marble everywhere, and exquisite lighting fixtures.  The museum re-creates this setting . . . while including two fixtures which actually illuminated the original rotunda!  There's also a piece of original brick from Ebbets and a replica of the rotunda's tile floor to complete the scene.

This description of the Museum only scratches the surface.  You'll love pouring through the countless books and research files on ballparks, standing on the actual on-deck circle from Tiger Stadium, going through the extensive Denver Bears and Colorado Rockies items, examining the sculptures and other artifacts, and on and on.

I know that I am quite thankful that Bruce Hellerstein has the same kind of addiction to ballparks that I do . . . and that he acted on it by accumulating the most amazing collection anywhere.  Bruce, who is both the Museum's president and curator, is shown above in front of (appropriately) a giant "B" actually used on Wrigley Field's scoreboard.

The Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and would welcome your contributions.  They can be sent to:

B's Ballpark Museum

P.O. Box 2016

Littleton, CO 80161-2016

The exhibits are open to the public from 9:00 until 5:00 on Saturdays and 9:00 until 1:00 on Sundays.  During other times, it is open by appointment.  There is an admission charge.  For more information, or to schedule a time to see the Museum, call Bruce at (720) 351-0665. 

If you're a baseball fan, you really need to travel to the Denver area to visit B's Ballpark Museum!

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