"Roof Space: Cincinnati's Pendleton Park in 1901"

by Michael Boss
Casein and Gouache on Rag Board
18" X 26"
From the Collection of Midwest CPA, Cincinnati, Ohio

In some way or another I was taken by Cincinnati's Pendleton Park and it's being constructed on the very scenic Ohio River. A baseball park with riverboats passing by! Originally named East End Field, the park was built in 1891 by the Cincinnati Reds, an American Association team and not connected to the present day Cincinnati Reds. Because of transportation problems, the field was used by the team for one year and never hosted another professional team. The American Association Cincinnati Reds team experienced the same fate, folding up their uniforms after just the one year.

The painting depicts Pendleton Park in 1901, after it's later remodeling. The steamboat Bonanza, a staple in the Cincinnati area, is shown chugging upriver, maybe on a run to Coney Island.

I want to particularly thank Jim Farmer who hosts the website Society for Cincinnati Sports Research for his help on the unique history of East End Field and later Pendleton Park.