About Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a College Football, MLB and NFL stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1909 and closed in 1971. It was designed by Charles Wellford Leavitt. Its last recorded capacity was 23,000. Tenants included Pittsburgh Panthers (College Football, 1909–1924), Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB, 1909–1970) and Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL, 1933–1957). In all, 3 teams from 3 leagues have called it home. On our ranked lists it ranks 30th for most tenants among 67 venues with 3 or more teams and 200th shortest-lived of 272 stadiums and arenas with known opening and closing years.
Appears in
- 30th for most tenants among 67 venues with 3 or more teams
- 200th shortest-lived of 272 stadiums and arenas with known opening and closing years
- 96th shortest-lived of 139 football stadiums with known opening and closing years
- 41st shortest-lived of 55 NFL stadiums with known opening and closing years
- 39th longest single tenancy (24 years) of the 101 longest on record in NFL stadiums
- 71st shortest-lived of 107 College Football stadiums with known opening and closing years
- 73rd shortest-lived of 82 MLB stadiums with known opening and closing years
- 6th longest single tenancy (61 years) of the 100 longest on record in MLB stadiums
Venue Information
Year Opened
Year Closed
Location
Elevation
274 m above sea level
Architect
Location derived from the venue's coordinates using data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
Elevation of the venue's coordinates from USGS and NASA SRTM elevation data, via Open Topo Data.
Architect and operator credits from Wikidata.
The site today
- A marker, “Home Plate from Forbes Stadium”, stands at the site.
- The site is now occupied by Wesley W. Posvar Hall.
From OpenStreetMap data near the venue's recorded coordinates, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Maps show what is there now, not the old footprint.
Teams
| Team | League | Years |
|---|---|---|
|
Pittsburgh Pirates While based here: 62 seasons · 4845-4694-73 regular season · 5 postseason trips
MLB · 1909–1970
All 7 home venues of the Pittsburgh Pirates
|
MLB | 1909–1970 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers While based here: 23 seasons · 98-159-9 regular season · 1 postseason trip
NFL · 1933–1957
Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1940–1957)
|
NFL | 1933–1957 |
|
Pittsburgh Panthers While based here: 16 seasons · 101-29-8 regular season · no postseason trips (postseason results on record for 10 of 16 seasons)
College Football · 1909–1924
Independent 1909–1924 · Major College
All 8 home venues of the Pittsburgh Panthers
|
College Football | 1909–1924 |
Records are each team's full-season results while it was based here, home and away games alike, from final scores. They are not records of games played at this venue.
A season split between two home venues counts in full at each.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the capacity of Forbes Field?
The capacity of Forbes Field is 23,000.
When was Forbes Field built?
Forbes Field opened in 1909.
What is on the site of Forbes Field today?
A marker, “Home Plate from Forbes Stadium”, stands at the site. The site is now occupied by Wesley W. Posvar Hall.
Who designed Forbes Field?
Forbes Field was designed by Charles Wellford Leavitt.
Where did the Pittsburgh Steelers play after Forbes Field?
After leaving Forbes Field in 1957, the Pittsburgh Steelers moved to Pitt Stadium in 1958. They played there until 1969.
Where did the Pittsburgh Pirates play before Forbes Field?
Before moving to Forbes Field in 1909, the Pittsburgh Pirates played at Exposition Park III from 1891 to 1909.
Where did the Pittsburgh Pirates play after Forbes Field?
After leaving Forbes Field in 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates moved to Three Rivers Stadium in 1970. They played there until 2000.
Where did the Pittsburgh Panthers play before Forbes Field?
Before moving to Forbes Field in 1909, the Pittsburgh Panthers played at Exposition Park from 1904 to 1908.
Where did the Pittsburgh Panthers play after Forbes Field?
After leaving Forbes Field in 1924, the Pittsburgh Panthers moved to Pitt Stadium in 1925. They played there until 1999.
Sources
Where the facts on this page were read from. How VenueStats compiles them.
- Open Topo Data (Public domain): Elevation.
- OpenStreetMap (ODbL): What stands on the site today, What stands on the site today.
- OpenStreetMap Nominatim (ODbL): Location.
- VenueStats compilation: Opening and closing years, name history and teams (compiled by VenueStats from Sports Reference and Wikipedia).
- Wikidata (CC0): Capacity, Coordinates (Wikidata places the building within 161 m of this point), Architect and operator.
- Wikimedia Commons (Public domain): Photograph.
Location
Nearby Venues
| Venue | Years | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pitt Stadium | 1925–1999 | 0.4 mi |
| Duquesne Gardens | 1890–1956 | 0.5 mi |
| Schenley Park | 1889– | 0.8 mi |
| PPG Paints Arena | 2010– | 1.9 mi |
| Mellon Arena | 1961–2011 | 1.9 mi |
| Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field | 1993– | 1.9 mi |
Straight-line distance between the venues' coordinates.
References
Teams on Wikipedia
Every source for the facts on this page is listed under Sources.