Ebbetts Field , opening ball -- Brooklyn History
Ebbetts Field, opening ball, 1913. Photo via Wikipedia.

In Part 1, we met architect Clarence R. Van Buskirk, mired in a corruption scandal in Part 2, but victorious designer of Ebbets Field in Part 3. Today, our story concludes.

Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, opened with an exhibition game between the Dodgers and the Yankees, held on April 5, 1913. A few days later on April 9, the Dodgers played their first league game here against the Philadelphia Phillies. Charlie Ebbets’ daughter threw out the first ball, as seen above.

A great deal of planning went into Ebbets Field, with architect Clarence Randall Van Buskirk and his partner, Alexander F. W. Leslie, taking field trips to other stadiums, and meticulously planning with their client, Charlie Ebbets.

Ebbets was determined to have the best stadium in baseball.

But when the stadium opened, they realized it wasn’t perfect. Even after all their research, Van Buskirk and Leslie had still forgotten a few things.

 

Ebbetts Field, CRVB ad in Eagle, 1913

1913 ad in Brooklyn Eagle

They forgot to add a press box, for one thing. It took until 1929 for that to happen. They would also have to reconfigure and add onto the seating. Then they needed a larger scoreboard, which didn’t happen until the 1940s.

But, hey, it opened with what they had, and most people were happy. Ebbets Field entered into the lexicon of legendary early 20th century ballparks.

Van Buskirk was happy, his reputation was soaring. He placed ads in the papers next to articles about the stadium, touting his role as architect. Things were looking up, but those around him were not feeling the joy.

In fact, as 1913 was progressing, the stadium would be the only bright light in Clarence’s life.

In January of 1913, Clarence’s wife, Lillian received a bill from a furniture store. The bill itemized the purchases by her husband, and listed the delivery address as a flats building at 548 46th Street, in Sunset Park. The furniture was for Mrs. Van Buskirk.

She had suspicions about Clarence’s activities since 1908. He was always going on overnight “trips to Philadelphia,” so she took a trip over to Sunset Park and spoke to the building owner.

She showed him a photograph of her husband, and the owner verified that that man and a woman had rented an apartment from him, and had been introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Van Buskirk. They also had another older woman living there, and she had been introduced as “Mrs. Van Buskirk’s mother.”

The real Mrs. Van Buskirk called her lawyer and filed for separation and divorce. Lillian and their ten year old son Bertram went to live with her parents. It was February.

In March, Clarence’s father, the Reverend Peter Van Buskirk died.

The stadium opened in April.

Ebbetts Field 1942, ebay 1

Ebbets Field, 1942 via Ebay

Soon afterwards, Clarence’s business partner, Alexander Leslie broke up the partnership, and filed suit against Van Buskirk. Leslie alleged that he, not Clarence, had been the primary designer of the stadium.

Leslie charged Van Buskirk with fraud, and said that Clarence and Charlie Ebbets had a “secret agreement” between themselves, which involved Clarence being paid on top of the agreement the firm had struck as a whole.

Leslie’s attorneys also alleged that Clarence had been dishonest with Leslie from the start of their partnership. Leslie charged that Clarence had totally misrepresented himself, and had never turned over their financial books to him, as Leslie had repeatedly asked him to.

He also brought up the unpleasantness at the Highway Department, with the allegations that Van Buskirk had been fired because of his involvement in payoffs and preferential treatment.

And to top it off, Leslie alluded to Van Buskirk’s growing marital problems, all of this contributing to his dishonesty, and general untrustworthiness. It didn’t look good for Van Buskirk at all. It was all circumstantial and gossip, but it was damaging gossip.

But somehow, he managed to get through 1913, riding on the coattails of Ebbets Field. But 1914 was not a good year. Not a good year at all.

It started out good… kinda. On January 12, 1914, Alexander Leslie died at the relatively young age of 58. But unfortunately for Clarence, Leslie’s lawyer and widow intended to continue the suit. Mrs. Leslie said that her husband had papers that proved that he, not Clarence Van Buskirk, had designed Ebbets Field.

In May of 1914, a judge ordered Van Buskirk to pay his wife $15 a week in alimony, and a $30 fee for her lawyer. This decision was made after the revelation of the second woman and her apartment became an official part of the divorce proceeding.

Clarence told the judge he couldn’t do it — he was flat broke. He was living at the Crescent Club in Brooklyn Heights, almost a dormitory for separated husbands whose stories get told here. The judge was not sympathetic.

By July, Clarence was back in court. He had failed to make his alimony payments for two weeks. The judge declared him in contempt of court, and gave him two weeks to pay up, or he’d be going to jail. Lillian’s lawyers advised that they jail him now, as he was going to skip town. The judge gave him the two weeks.

Then Clarence completely lost his mind.

204 Livingston St. BE ad, 1914

Brooklyn Eagle, 1914

On August 11, Clarence checked into the Bedford Rest, a hotel and restaurant on Eastern Parkway at Bedford Avenue. The next day, he was going to have to turn himself into the court, as he had not paid his wife her alimony.

He was going to the Raymond Street Jail where he would be incarcerated with other deadbeat husbands in a section of the jail called the “Alimony Club.”

He spent his last night of freedom at the hotel, a place he had been many times before. The next morning, before the establishment opened, he was seen hanging out by the entrance to the upstairs storeroom. The owner was the one who spotted him.

He watched Clarence slip through the open entrance,  and go upstairs with his suitcase. When he came out, he shut the door, looked around, and walked away.  The owner had a policeman stop him.

Inside the suitcase were 14 boxes of “2 for a quarter” cigars. Van Buskirk was arrested.

Standing before a judge, Clarence was a mess. He told the judge that he had been drinking, and must have lost his mind. He explained that he knew he was going to the “Alimony Club” and suddenly thought it would be a splendid idea to have some cigars there to share with his fellows, and pass out to the guards for favors. He knew his key fit the upstairs storeroom door, and he just helped himself.

He went on to explain that his wife was bleeding him dry, his business had “gone to smash,” and he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know why he did it. The proprietor of the Bedford Rest wanted to press charges, and Clarence found himself at Raymond Street after all — and not in the Alimony Club part of the jail either.

Clarence got out on bail. A few days later, his lawyer tried to get the charges reduced. He argued that since the door leading to the storeroom had been open, Clarence had not broken in, and should not be charged for the more serious crime.

The judge grudgingly agreed he had a point. The charge was reduced to petty larceny, and the proprietor of the Bedford Rest declined to press charges further. Clarence Van Buskirk was free to go, the case was dismissed.

On September 30, 1914, Lillian Van Buskirk received her final divorce decree from the courts. The judge upheld the $15 week alimony and added an additional $5 a week for child support. Clarence wasn’t there, his hard-working lawyer represented him at the proceedings.

The horrible part of Clarence Van Buskirk’s horrible year were over.

Ebbetts Field 1940s, ebay 5

Ebbets Field, 1940 via Ebay

In 1916, Clarence Van Buskirk’s name came up in an ad for the Daimler Automobile Company. Clarence was being credited as one of the designers of Daimler’s “Mercedes” brand automobiles. No other details were mentioned, or available.

In 1922, there was a Van Buskirk selling real estate in New Jersey. Was it Clarence?

In 1940, Clarence Randall Van Buskirk was living alone in Pontiac, Michigan. The census lists him as an architect. He had been at that address since 1935. He was one of two lodgers in a private house. He was 57 years old.

According to public records, Clarence died three years later, on January 9, 1943, in Oakland, Michigan. Brooklyn lost the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1957. In 1960, Ebbets Field was torn down for housing. Only memories and photographs remain.

Did Clarence Van Buskirk design Ebbets Field, or did Alexander Leslie? No one remembers either one of them, but history records Van Buskirk as the official architect. He won, after all.

Clarence Van Buskirk, Part One
Clarence Van Buskirk, Part Two
Clarence Van Buskirk, Part Three

Ebbetts Field 1914, ebay 4

Ebbets Field via Wikipedia


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. I also really liked this story – and the terrific pictures of this well remembered place. Regarding the latter, do you – or anyone for that matter – have any pre-1940 pictures of Ebbets Field? I know that the grandstand in left field – known as the pavilion – was not constructed until sometime in the 1930’s and just learned that the scoreboard did not assume its well known form until the 40’s. This made for a very different stadium. Before the pavilion was built, the left field foul pole was situated nearly 400 feet from home plate and the initial capacity was only about 18,000 – compared to the 32-33,000 that the ballpark could ultimately hold. It would be fascinating to see some of the really vintage pictures of Ebbets Field and, thereby, capture Buskirk’s – or whomever’s – initial vision of the old ballpark..

  2. Great story, MM! I’m not a Brooklyn native myself, but there is a place in my heart for Ebbets Field. As for Buskirk, way to not-so-discreetly have a second family–a second mother-in-law and all!