We won't be seeing a game at Tiger Stadium, but we may have to make the short journey from Detroit's downtown to see where Tiger Stadium used to stand, "The Corner" of Michigan and Trumbull. There is a large lot just west of downtown that looks like rough gravel surrounding a baseball field. Of course, this is what I assume is there based on what I can see on Google Maps.
Although Comerica Park was completed in 1999, and the Tigers began playing on that new field in 2000, Tiger Stadium sat empty until 2007 while multiple preservation groups tried to save the park. The park was taken apart and demolished over the next 2 years, completing in September 2009. But the demolition effort took only the building, not the field it surrounded.
Maybe this last step wasn't completed because the recession hit Detroit especially hard, or because a few representatives of the city desired to hold onto this piece of historic Detroit strength in the hard times, or because city planning office hasn't figured out what to do with this piece of land. Whatever has prevented the remainder of this field from being swept into the history books and re-purposed is a small gift to baseball enthusiasts that thrive on learning (and seeing) the history of the game.
This year, Tiger Stadium would have turned 100. Built in 1912, the same year as Fenway, it had a very modest turnout to celebrate its birthday in April, only around 200 people. They ate grilled hotdogs, played catch, ran the bases, and participated in a commemorative flag raising on the pole that still exists in the old center field. Thanks to the Tiger Stadium Historical Society, the grounds are maintained by volunteers and the flag still flies. I'm uncertain if the grounds are open to the public to visit. I read in one blog that the fence has been opened and in another blog I see the "No Trespassing" sign on a locked fence. I will report on this when I get there.
It is city property and the city has rejected multiple proposals to use the land while still preserving the field. One proposal included a 'living building', charter school, retail, and housing that surrounded the field, which could then be used as a community park. The cost of the proposal was $65.3 million and was rejected because the city could not see a return on their investment.
Another plan rejected was one to make it a "new ballpark for Detroit's youth". So, instead, the lot sits empty and ugly, providing no payback at all to the city.
It is very sad that a piece of history is in limbo because the city cannot reach consensus on what to do with a simple piece of land with a small patch of grass and gravel that retains the appearance of a baseball field. The Tigers have money to help preserve the land, but the organization does nothing because 'it is the City's land.' Until a decision is made, those of us with interest in history can visit this small patch of grass and imagine we are stepping onto the field in the Stadium where Ruth hit his 700th Home Run, where Lou Gehrig voluntarily benched himself after 2,130 consecutive games, where Prince Fielder's father was a star and Prince, then 12 years old, hit home runs at batting practice, and where Ty Cobb scored the first run in the park by stealing home. I'll play ball, even if the city won't.
No comments:
Post a Comment