As baseball surged in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century, Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss sought to replace the 16,000-seat Exposition Park with a larger and more permanent structure. Forbes Field, with a seating capacity nearly doubling that of its predecessor, opened in 1909. Despite the 10-minute trolley ride to the field�s then-rural Schenley Park location, games regularly overflowed the stadium�s seating capacity.
