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Chittick Field

Coordinates: 33°47′32″N 118°10′19″W / 33.7921°N 118.1719°W / 33.7921; -118.1719
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Chittick Field
Map
Former namesHamilton Bowl
Address1900 Walnut Avenue
Long Beach, California
Coordinates33°47′32″N 118°10′19″W / 33.7921°N 118.1719°W / 33.7921; -118.1719
Acreage19 acres
Construction
Broke ground1936
Built1950
Years activefrom 1950
Website
https://www.longbeach.gov/Park/Park-and-Facilities/Directory/Chittick-Field/

Chittick Field is a sports complex in Long Beach, California. Originally constructed (and still used) as a stormwater detention basin named Hamilton Bowl (after Hamilton Junior High School, which was located nearby[1]), it is also known under multiple other names: Dee Andrews Sports Complex, "The Hole", "El Hoyo", and as a result of its deterioration in the 2000s, "The Dust Bowl".[2] The complex includes a football field, an all-weather running track, and three lighted soccer fields.[1]

Located along Walnut Avenue, to the north of Pacific Coast Highway,[3] the basin was built in 1936[2] to capture stormwater runoff from the Signal Hill area, as well as oil from an occasional oil gusher from one of the oil wells that dotted the neighborhood at the time.[3] The basin still slows the peak flow of water downstream to the Los Angeles River during major storms; restoration of submerged playing fields after such occurrences takes about 90 days.[2] The bowl overflowed during the 1939 California tropical storm.[4]

The baseball diamonds were originally built in the detention basin in 1950, with major expansions that included a soccer field and parking in the 1960s and the 1970s. Hamilton Bowl was renamed in 1983 in honor of Brian Chittick, a creator of the Kid Baseball Association,[2] and in 2021 was again renamed to Dee Andrews Sports Complex at Chittick Field after a former city council member.[2]

References

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Sources

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  • Anaya-Morga, Laura (January 5, 2023). "After the rain, a flooded Chittick Field reminds us of its purpose and its history". Long Beach Post. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  • Davis, K. (2006). Signal Hill. Images of America. Arcadia Pub. ISBN 978-0-7385-3073-4. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  • Gritchen, Jeff (February 9, 2014). "Beachside homes survived 1939 hurricane". Orange County Register. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  • Parks, Recreation and Marine. "Chittick Field Dee Andrews Sports Complex". www.longbeach.gov. City of Long Beach. Retrieved 18 August 2023.