Hamilton Bowl
Located along Walnut Avenue, to the north of Pacific Coast Highway, the basin was built in 1936 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. 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. The bowl overflowed during the 1939 California tropical storm.
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, and in 2021 was again renamed to Dee Andrews Sports Complex at Chittick Field after a former city council member.
References
- ^ Parks, Recreation and Marine.
- ^ Anaya-Morga 2023.
- ^ Davis 2006, p. 37.
- ^ Gritchen 2014.
Sources
- 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.