An earlier wooden baseball park had been built on the same site in 1891, called Boundary Field, or National Park after its occupant's nickname. This was destroyed by a fire in 1911 and replaced by a steel and concrete structure, also at first called National Park and then American League Park; it was renamed for Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith in 1923. The stadium was home to the American League Senators from 1911 through 1960, and to an expansion team of the same name for their first season in 1961.
The venue hosted the All-Star Game in 1937 and 1956, as well as World Series games in 1924, 1925, and 1933. It served as home for the Negro league Homestead Grays during the 1940s and as such hosted both the 1943 and 1944 Negro World Series. It was also home to the Washington Redskins of the National Football League for 24 seasons, from the time they transferred from Boston in 1937 through the 1960 season.
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