Philadelphia baseball fans are a different breed entirely. Always have been...

Fans on rooftops across from Shibe Park in Philadelphia, 1919. During its heyday, fans watched games at Shibe Park from rooftop bleachers, windows, and porches across North 20th Street, creating one of baseball’s great urban traditions. This practice began in the park’s earliest years (opened 1909), with homeowners capitalizing on their direct views over the park’s original 12-foot right-field wall. Residents set up wooden bleacher seating atop houses on North 20th Street, selling tickets for major games including multiple World Series (1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, and 1929). On important game days, thousands watched from rooftops and upper windows, sometimes exceeding the capacity of sections inside the stadium. Children, neighbors, and vendors participated in a lively cottage industry, selling refreshments and tickets from doorways and rooftops. 

 

 

In 1935, as rooftop viewing became more organized during the Depression, team ownership (Connie Mack) raised the right field wall to 50 feet with a corrugated “spite fence,” blocking street-side views and effectively.  ending the tradition.