Eighty-two-year-old Municipal Stadium would be renovated under a $7-million plan currently under debate by Waterbury (Ct.) Board of Aldermen.
The ballpark, formerly home to the Eastern League professional and independent-league baseball teams (including the charmingly named Waterbury Timers), is deteriorating rapidly. Under the plan, the ballpark’s stone facade would be restored, the press box would be renovated, 1,798 new seats would be installed, and restrooms and three clubhouses would be overhauled, among other things.
A vote was delayed last night after aldermen decided to tour the ballpark this Saturday to get a first-hand account of problems and solutions. If the $4 million bonding measure is approved, renovation would could begin this spring and be completed by the end of the year. In any case, no baseball will be played at Municipal Stadium this year. Though historically important and architecturally interesting, the ballpark was not a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project; the WPA didn’t start until some five years after the ballpark opened in 1930.
Photo: Municipal Stadium in 1959.
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