The site of Tinker Field, former spring home of the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Senators, could be memorialized under a plan to be considered by Orlando’s Historic Preservation Board at a November 2 meeting.
The plan for a Tinker Field History Plaza at Camping World Stadium, as it stands now, would commemorate the many important events in the ballpark’s history. That would include, according to the city, historic timeline and plaques, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and Clark Griffith monuments, refurbished original stadium seats and gateway entrance, a replica covered pavilion, vintage-style lighting and a State of Florida Historical Marker. (Besides baseball, the ballpark hosted many other important events in Orlando history, including a groundbreaking and memorable speech from King in 1964.)
Though the field was used for baseball as far back as 1914, Tinker Field opened in 1923 and the grandstand was rebuilt in 1963. The Cincinnati Reds trained there in 1923-1930, the Brooklyn Dodgers trained there in 1934-1935, and the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins trained there between 1936 and 1990, save the three wartime years when the team trained in College Park, Md.; this franchise is most closely associated with the facility. It was named for former Chicago Cubs infielder Joe Tinker — he of Tinker to Evers to Chance fame — who retired in Orlando.
More coverage, including more information on the tribune and a fuller history of the former MLB spring-training location, is at our sister site, Spring Training Online.
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