in a speech to Minnesota businessmen in the 1970s, Griffith said, "You only have 15,000 blacks here". The American League opposed a move at first, but agreed under the condition that an expansion team, also named the Senators, would come to Washington, beginning in 1961. The original Senators moved to Minnesota, and the new Senators played at Griffith in 1961. However, in 1962, the Senators moved to the new D.C. Stadium, joining the Redskins, who had moved there a year before. The final baseball game at Griffith Stadium was played on September 21, 1961, before a crowd of only 1,498 fans. Griffith Stadium now had no tenants, and sat empty for years, deteriorating, with the field taking on the appearance of a prairie. In 1962, it was leased to Howard University which used it for student parking. In 1963, Congress authorized money for the purchase and clearing of the stadium and in 1964 it sold to Howard University for about $1.5 million. The ballpark was demolished in 1965. Nearly a thousand of the stadium's seats were moved to Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida, at that time the spring training home of the Senators/Twins, where they remained until 2015 when that stadium was also demolished. The Howard University Hospital now occupies the site. A marker has been placed in the building designating the location of home plate. The expansion Senators remained in Washington through the 1971 season, then relocated to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and became the Texas Rangers in 1972. Gallery of presidents at Griffith Stadium References Sources Green Cathedrals, by Phil Lowry. Lost Ballparks, by Lawrence Ritter. Williams, Paul K. Greater U Street. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2002. The Ballparks, by Bill Shannon & George Kalinsky, 1975. . External links Color movie of Griffith Stadium (YouTube) Where Was Griffith Stadium? - Ghosts of DC blog American football venues in Washington, D.C. Baseball venues in Washington, D.C. Boxing venues in Washington, D.C. Defunct college baseball venues in the United States Defunct college football venues Defunct Major League Baseball venues Defunct National Football League venues Defunct sports venues in Washington, D.C. Demolished buildings and structures in Washington, D.C. Demolished sports venues in the United States George Washington Colonials football Georgetown Hoyas football Homestead Grays Jewel Box parks Maryland Terrapins football venues Negro league baseball venues Washington Redskins stadiums Washington Senators (1901–1960) stadiums Washington Senators (1961–1971) stadiums Sports venues completed in