Happy 100th Birthday, Tiger Stadium

[FlyingJ]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tiger-s...n-detroit.html

[DownriverGRap]

You are very correct Fetzer was not into spending any money at all. On the other hand I chatted with a Gordon Bugby an architect/engineer around the time of the start of the Tiger Stadium fan club. He had a restoration architect come in and look at the stadium, and his was quite suprised that for all the neglect the stadium was structurally in good condition. A fact the current owners went out of their way do keep quiet.

Not to mention it stood for another 9 years with next to zero maintenance and took over a year to demo!

[Detroitnerd]

Yeah, the Ilitch organization couldn't have made money without skyboxes. Skyboxes. Remember, we had to have a special tax to pay for ... skyboxes.

As for raising ANY tax for that light rail ... <eyeroll>

[EastsideAl]

Some might argue that this has helped Corktown in the long run. A lot that neighborhod was demolished for surface parking lots for, I have to wonder given the Macdeondian Parking Cartel business practices how much more of that neighborhood would be gone. Would the Slows block have been cleared for more parking?

I think a lot of people in Corktown would argue that. They fought against the Tigers and the stadium for years.

But that fate wasn't inevitable. It would have been a matter of proper zoning and zoning enforcement.

The aforementioned areas around Fenway and Wrigley have had a ballpark in them just about as long as Corktown did, and they aren't pockmarked with vacant lots for surface parking. Where such things were once built, they have mostly been filled in with new construction now, and local zoning bans new surface parking lots.

Even new ballparks in places like Denver and San Francisco have helped revitalize once moribund semi-industrial areas that had been largely given up for dead. They did this in some large measure by banning the construction of surface parking lots nearby. In San Francisco they are now even taking the nearby area they used for a large parking lot and redeveloping it for residential and commercial use.

And Corktown has been an actual active residential neighborhood, unlike the areas around the ballparks in those cities. But you may be right, in Detroit where the prevailing planning ethos is "that schitt is old - tear that schitt down!", a saved Tiger Stadium would probably have been surrounded by even more surface parking lot desolation, and even more historic buildings would have been stupidly destroyed.

Hell, look at our 'beautiful' newish ballpark, which, instead of the promised commercial and residential development, is inexplicably surrounded by a newish parking lot wasteland. Isn't it just special what Comerica Park has done for Woodward?

This is what I mean when I constantly harp on the shocking lack of vision around here. We can't even build new things well, or seemingly with any forethought beyond "where will they park?" So despite what dozens of other cities have done, we treat our built history like crap, and treat those who want to preserve it, and see possibilities for future development in it, as cranks standing in the way of progress. A deeply anti-city version of "progress" that seems to consist mostly of hermetically sealed monolithic buildings, ugly concrete parking garages, and, above all else, more wind-blown vacant lots.

[CLAUDE G]

Does anyone have any news on the status of the sequel for the "Stranded at the Corner" documentary on Tiger stadium? I believe it was tentatively titled "Force Out" and was highlighted in one of the "Preserve Tiger Stadium" websites.

Im working on that. We had a 10 minute trailer at Tiger Stadium appreciation night last Friday.

Should have it up on You tube in a few weeks.

I figure we are a month away.

Claude G.

[mb1]

Thanks for the update and looking forward to the release. A special thanks to all of dedicated individuals who continue to keep the Corner alive. Your spirit, dedication, and perseverance is an inspiration!!!

mb1

[Campfire Girl]

The "Corner" will forever be the only Detroit ball yard for me. I envy Boston and Chicago and their commitment to the historical purity of "America's National Pasttime" by keeping, restoring, updating and treasuring the Historical National Landmarks in which they "Play Ball". I rarely missed a home game at Tiger Stadium, even without season tickets, but have maybe been to 3 at the Copa. Personal preference, goes without saying, but when i can, I spend my bball $ on a yearly trip to Boston now, just to see a game in a real ballpark and soak in the sights and sounds and Baseball!

[Wheels]

This is what I mean when I constantly harp on the shocking lack of vision around here.

And on that note can you please explain how any of that can be accomplished without mass transit. You can continue to gripe about parking forever but without transit it is a fact of life.

[Occurrence]

And on that note can you please explain how any of that can be accomplished without mass transit. You can continue to gripe about parking forever but without transit it is a fact of life.

Nobody in these parts is going to complain about mass transit until gas goes up and up. This area is going to be screwed when hits $6-7 a gallon someday.

[Detroitrobert]

The Tigers can play on a blacktop surface of broken glass and I'd still come just to watch the game but then again, I'm a baseball fan. I'm a notalgic purist and all and I hate that the flagpole is not in play right now but jesus christ on a pogo stick, get over it and enjoy the game. Except for Occurence, I hope he just stays away.