More than 50 years ago, there was some talk about the Philadelphia Phillies moving to Cherry Hill.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies will open their 2017 home schedule with an afternoon game against the Washington Nationals. The home opener will kick off the 14th season at Citizens Bank Park, which opened in 2004.
The Phillies have called five different stadiums home since the franchise was founded in 1883. From the Baker Bowl to Veterans Stadium, all five homes have been located in the city of Philadelphia. However, there was once a time more than 50 years ago where there was talk of the Phillies moving out of Philadelphia and into what is today Cherry Hill.
In 1959, there was some talk of the Phillies moving to what was then still named Delaware Twp. The Phillies were looking to build a new stadium to replace the aging Connie Mack Stadium. In Mike Mathis and Lisa Mangiafico’s “Cherry Hill: A Brief History,” it is mentioned how Phillies president Robert Carpenter purchased land near Garden State Park with the hopes of building a 45,000 seat ballpark. The book doesn’t go into too much detail, saying the stadium was not built because township officials and community members were concerned about the increase in traffic.
An article in the “Philadelphia Daily News” from Nov. 23, 1964, offers more details. The article from Tom Fox states Carpenter originally bought 70 acres and added to its over the years. The story notes how a new stadium, later to become Veterans Stadium, had recently been approved in Philadelphia and speculation had increased about the Cherry Hill property being available for sale. Details on what land Carpenter owner were murky, but the article says it was bounded roughly by Route 70, Cuthbert Boulevard, Route 38 and Garden State Park racetrack.
An 1967 article from “The Philadelphia Inquirer” discusses how the Phillies move to Cherry Hill was squelched after “Cherry Hill township officials indicated the Phillies would not be welcome.” Carpenter still owned about 130 acres of property, but in multiple newspaper articles, it was mentioned he simply purchased the property as an investment.
Ultimately, a baseball stadium was never built in Cherry Hill. Veterans Stadium opened as the new home of the Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles in 1971. It would close in 2003 and was demolished the following year.
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