Civic Field
Port Angeles, WA
Review by Mike
Civic Field in Port Angeles, Washington is a baseball stadium… or is it? Whereas the usual order of things is to use a baseball stadium for football, here we have the opposite; a football stadium has been adapted for baseball. The original wooden grandstand was built in the 1930s, with the current concrete and steel structure put up in 1978. Civic Field serves as home to the Port Angeles Lefties of the collegiate West Coast League.
The ballpark stands just a few blocks from the water, while lush hills provide the backdrop beyond the outfield. The main grandstand is large and solid, with a nice roof and some interesting architectural touches. It extends down the 1st base line of the baseball diamond and is centered right on the 50-yard-line of the football field. When the field is set up for baseball, the grandstand extends well beyond the right field foul pole.
A small grandstand has been built by home plate, with six rows of seating behind the plate, extending around and towards 1st base. A raised wooden deck has been placed along the 3rd base line. A field-level party area can be found just beyond the 3rd base dugout. A small press box sits directly behind the home plate seating.
I wasn’t able to gain entry during my swing through Port Angeles on a September morning and the stadium had already been set up for football, but satellite photos show that a temporary fence is set up around the outfield during baseball season. The modest scoreboard is in right-centerfield, beyond the end zone, so far from home plate that knowing fans likely bring binoculars.
My favorite part of Civic Field was actually seen from outside the stadium where the name is spelled out on colored glass panels along the top of the main grandstand. Maybe this was only visible with the morning sun at the time of my visit, but the sunlight shone through these panels and they positively glowed.
The field looked to be in excellent condition and Civic Field appears to be an outstanding venue for high school football, a little less so for baseball, what with the best seating being in the covered grandstand down the line, but I give credit to the city for maintaining a single venue to serve all of their sporting needs.
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2024
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N/A
