We may be on the verge of losing a little history: the Independence (Kan.) ballpark where pro baseball was first played under the lights is slated for demolition. The Independence Producers (Class C; Western Association) are important for one historic fact: they hosted the first official, regular-season pro baseball game played under the lights. On April […]
Archive | Endangered Ballparks
Harris County considers Astrodome renovation
Good news for fans of historic structures: Harris County is considering a $270-million renovation of the Astrodome that would decrease capacity and make it more attractive for midsized events. The plan, as proposed by CSL and Populous, would raise the floor of the Astrodome and make it a more intimate venue, seating 5,500 for hockey […]
Fate of Astrodome again under debate in Houston
It’s a topic that pops up every few years, as Houston decides what to do with the economically obsolete Astrodome, the indoor ballpark once hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. There had been plans floating around for domed ballparks in the 1950s and 1960s — most notably Buckminster Fuller‘s proposal for a covered […]
LA Coliseum teetering on edge of insolvency
Iconic Los Angeles Coliseum, former home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is facing insolvency and could be handed over to the University of Southern California. It’s a tough situation for the facility first built to honor World War I veterans. The state doesn’t have the money to maintain the facility, and the cash reserves for […]
Adios, Metrodome
The decision last week to build a new stadium for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings had one bittersweet side effect: the Metrodome will be torn down to make way for the new facility. The decision really wasn’t hard: though other downtown Minneapolis sites were under consideration to house the new 65,000-seat football stadium (including a site […]
Group takes another run at saving Eugene’s Civic Stadium
A group seeking to preserve Civic Stadium, the former home to PCL and NWL baseball in Eugene, Oregon, has a new game plan to save the WPA-era facility. The local school district owns the ballpark and has been seeking a use for it ever since the Eugene Emeralds (short season A; Northwest League) moved to […]
Engel Stadium now 82 years old
A milestone of sorts last week in Chattanooga, where Engel Stadium, the former home of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Class AA; Southern League), marked its 82nd birthday amid efforts for renovation. One of the great old ballparks of baseball, Engel Stadium was opened by the entrepreneurial Joe Engel in 1930, beginning with a series of exhibition […]
One anniversary not marked by MLB this year: Metrodome opening
We’ve been running plenty of anniversary stories this season, but here’s one you won’t see trumpeted by Major League Baseball: the opening of the Metrodome 30 years ago. When the Metrodome opened in 1982, indoor baseball was still a relative novelty: the Astros played in that futuristic amusement park called the Astrodome and the Seattle […]
Heritage Field opens on old Yankee Stadium site
It took a little longer than anticipated, but the promised public park and ballfields at the site of the old Yankee Stadium has opened, mostly to rave reviews from the players on the field. When New York City worked out a deal for the new Yankee Stadium, a provision called for the old ballpark site […]
Greensboro’s War Memorial Stadium lives — for now
After several attempts to find a new use for War Memorial Stadium, the Greensboro City Council is looking at tearing down most of the historic 1927 structure, preserving only the facade. The Greensboro City Council took on the issue of the old ballpark this week, debating whether to spend $1.4 million on a partial demolition […]
Remembering SPAR Stadium
Today’s ballpark of the past is SPAR Stadium, former home to pro ball in Shreveport, built in 1935 and still a working ballpark thanks to the efforts of the good folks at Galilee Baptist Church. The ballpark was the predecessor to Fair Grounds Field in Shreveport, home to various Southern Association and Texas League teams. […]
Reviving Devereux Meadows
The old Devereux Meadows ballpark site in Raleigh, N.C., home to the Raleigh Capitals and the Raleigh-Durham Triangles (Carolina League), could be revived as a city park. The former home to minor-league baseball in Raleigh — where Carl Yastrzemski, Greg Luzinski and Cliff Johnson targeted a left-field fence some 315 feet out (the same as […]
Skylands Park on block; baseball unlikely for 2012
Skylands Park, former home to affiliated and indy ball in New Jersey’s Sussex County, is on the block for $1.99 million, but so far a buyer has not emerged and baseball is unlikely to be played there in 2012. Skylands Park was home to the New Jersey Cardinals (short season A; NY-Penn League), who started […]