Durham Athletic Park
The DAP | |
Durham Athletic Park, circa 1990. | |
Interactive map of Durham Athletic Park | |
| Former names | El Toro Park (1926–1933) |
|---|---|
| Location | 428 Morris St Durham, NC 27701 |
| Coordinates | 36°0′10.04″N 78°54′10.06″W / 36.0027889°N 78.9027944°W |
| Owner | City of Durham |
| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Record attendance | 6,202 |
| Field size | Left Field – 330 ft (100 m) Left Center Field – 365 ft (111 m) Center Field – 405 ft (123 m) Right Center Field – 340 ft (100 m) Right Field – 290 ft (88 m) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | July 7, 1926 (wooden grandstand) July 2, 1939 (temporary structure) April 7, 1940 (current structure) |
| Renovated | 1939–40 (rebuilt) 1979–80 2008–09 |
| Expanded | 1988 |
| Construction cost | $160,000 (1926 stadium) |
| Architect | George Watts Carr |
| Tenants | |
| Durham Bulls (PL/CL) (1920–1933, 1936–1943, 1945–1967, 1980–1994) Durham Black Sox (1920s–1930s) (Negro leagues) Durham Eagles/Rams (1940s–1960s) Raleigh-Durham Mets/Phillies/Triangles (CL) (1968–1971) Durham Braves/Americans (CPL) (1997–2002) Durham Dragons (softball) North Carolina Central Eagles (NCAA) (2010-2021) ACC Tournament (1984, 1986) | |
Durham Athletic Park, nicknamed "The DAP", is a former minor league baseball stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The stadium was home to the Durham Bulls from 1926 through 1994, the North Carolina Central Eagles and the Durham School of the Arts Bulldogs. The DAP sits north of the downtown area of Durham, on the block bounded by Washington, Corporation, Foster and Geer Streets.
Durham Athletic Park became one of the most famous minor league ballparks in history thanks to the 1988 film Bull Durham, featuring the Bulls, Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Most of the filming was done at the DAP following the end of the Carolina League's 1987 season. The film's wide acclaim helped fuel the burgeoning public interest in minor league baseball in general. In the case of both the city and the film, this explosion of popularity caused the DAP to become a victim of its own success; despite expansion with temporary bleachers, it became too small to handle the increase in crowd size and the Bulls’ Triple-A ambitions.
The Bulls moved to their new home, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (also known as "DBAP") in downtown Durham, starting with the 1995 season. The DBAP was originally built with a capacity befitting Carolina League standards, but more land was acquired so that the park could to be expanded for Triple-A baseball. Triple-A baseball came to Durham in 1998, with the Bulls moving up and the DBAP being expanded.