A movement to save historic Tinker Field, the longtime home of spring training in Orlando, is afoot, as preservationists want to see it declared a landmark, with accompanying protections. The call to preserve Tinker Field comes from Orlando’s Historic Preservation Board, which oversees the management of historic properties for the city. Last week Mayor Buddy […]
Archive | Endangered Ballparks
Astrodome awarded historic designation –but it probably won’t change anything
The Houston Astrodome has been added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, a designation that probably won’t affect its fate. The Register doesn’t carry any specific protections: Harris County can certainly go ahead and tear down the Astrodome if commissioners sees fit. But designation does carry some financial rewards […]
Preserve Civic Stadium, says local school board superintendent
Civic Stadium would be saved — for now — under a recommendation from Eugene School District Superintendent Sheldon Berman to sell the historic ballpark to the city, instead of an entity seeking to tear down the facility. Berman’s logic is simple: the city is offering the most money up front for the 10-acre lot owned […]
Historic Tinker Field to be torn down
Tinker Field, the historic Orlando ballpark where the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins trained for decades, will be torn down to make way for the Citrus Bowl expansion. The above photo shows the 91-year-old Tinker Field in the 1920s, when the orginal grandstand was built to house Cincinnati Reds spring training. (The Reds trained there […]
Final days of Knights Stadium
We’ll have more on the Metrodome today, but tis the season for ballparks to close: today is the last day of operations at Knights Stadium, home of the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League). Dan Rajkowski, Scott Brown and crew are closing the doors on the tenure of the Knights in suburban Fort Mill, S.C., […]
Countdown to Candlestick’s final act
Barring an unlikely series of events, tonight marks the final game at Candlestick Park, built for the San Francisco Giants and now home of the NFL’s 49ers. Jesse Goldberg-Strassler looks back at the historic venue. The New York Giants won the World Series in 1954, drawing over one million fans to the Polo Grounds. Two […]
Ted Turner: Preserve Turner Field as green space
There’s no chance it will happen, but Ted Turner wants to see the Turner Field site preserved as green space after it is demolished in 2017. Interestingly enough, Turner’s first reaction wasn’t to keep the ballpark and former Olympic stadium intact; rather, his inclination was to come down against retail development in favor of green […]
Decision on Civic Stadium: Commerce vs. community
At the end of the day, the fate of Eugene’s Civic Stadium will come down to a simple decision: commerce versus community. There are four bids for the former home to Pacific Coast League and Northwest League ball in the form of Eugene Emeralds franchises. Two, from Fred Meyer ($5 million and the Y ($4.5 […]
Four bids received for Eugene’s Civic Stadium
The Eugene School Board received four bids for Civic Stadium, the former home to Pacific Coast League and Northwest League baseball, with the highest offer calling for the historic facility to be razed. Civic Stadium has sat empty since the Eugene Emeralds (short season A; Northwest League) moved to PK Park. The local school board […]
Final days of Metrodome, Candlestick Park at hand
Two former Major League Baseball venues have dates with the wrecking ball early next year, as the Metrodome and Candlestick Park are set to come down after the 2013 NFL season. The San Francisco Giants played at Candlestick Park between 1960 and 2000. It was originally built for baseball, with a nice open design. It […]
Bush Stadium lofts big hit in Indy
It’s proven to be a bigger success than anticipated: with lofts at Indianapolis’s renovated Bush Stadium sold out this summer, Core Redevelopment is building 144 flats at the former home of the Indianapolis Indians (Class AAA; International League). The 1931 ballpark, which opened as Perry Stadium, had sat empty for several years after the Indians […]
Astrodome renovation plan shot down by voters
A $217-million bond issue for Houston Astrodome renovations was rejected by Harris County voters, leading to the possible demolition of the historic facility. The proposal would have converted the former home of the Houston Astros to a convention and event center. The vote Tuesday wasn’t particularly close — 53 percent against, 47 percent for — […]
Paterson moves forward with Hinchliffe Stadium renovation
A renovation of Hinchliffe Stadium, former home to Negro League baseball in New Jersey, will move forward after the Paterson City Council approved a design and construction contract. It’s not a full renovation of the ballpark, which opened in the early 1930s and served as home to the New York Black Yankees and New York […]