The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy

Design Renderings

renderings by Hamilton Anderson

Contact the Conservancy

Jeff T. Wattrick; Project Manager

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy

1438 Michigan Avenue

Detroit, MI 48216

oldtigerstadium@gmail.com

FAQ

Why will some of Tiger Stadium be dismantled?

Professional sports facilities on the size and scale of Tiger Stadium are unique buildings and difficult to adaptively reuse for purposes other than major league sports.  Every vacated stadium the size and scale of Tiger Stadium has been demolished.  Right now Detroit has a unique and unprecedented opportunity to preserve and re-use a significant portion of Tiger Stadium.  It is unfortunate that some of the stadium most be torn down however it is a sacrifice that will allow Tiger Stadium to be used by generations to come.

What will happen to the land where stadium structure once stood?

The City of Detroit, which owns Tiger Stadium, will solicit proposals from interested developers to build on the property.  Once development is completed, the field will be surrounded by mixed-use buildings offering housing, offices, and retail businesses.

What will you do with the field?

Baseball was played at the Tiger Stadium site as early as 1868 and Tiger Stadium should remain a baseball venue.  The Conservancy believes Tiger Stadium can best continue its service as a youth and amateur baseball facility.  Perhaps some future Willie Horton or Hal Newhouser will get their start in baseball at Tiger Stadium.  Our research has indicated there are only five high quality 90-foot base path baseball fields available for youth baseball in the city of Detroit.

Have you considered minor league baseball?

Minor league teams, particularly the independent leagues, aren’t always economically stable.  Many go out of business or relocate after only a few seasons.  The best independents typically draw around 3000 fans to a game.  Remember most minor league teams don’t compete with the 2006 American League champions two miles down the road. 

Tiger Stadium played host to legends.  Of the Major Leaguers in the Baseball Hall of Fame, 147 out of 198 played at Tiger Stadium.  Minor League Baseball is a great institution but it isn’t the same as the Major Leagues.  The Conservancy believes the best way to honor Tiger Stadium’s heritage and the legends that once played there is to re-use the facility for amateur baseball so future generations can develop their own love of the game and hone their skills at Tiger Stadium.

What about baseball that didn’t happen at Tiger Stadium, like the old Detroit Wolverines or Detroit’s Negro Leagues teams?

Tiger Stadium will be a place where fans can learn about the complete history of baseball in Detroit.  The contributions of Charlie Bennett, Bud Fowler, Dan Brouthers, Turkey Stearnes, and Lady Baldwin are important to baseball’s history in Detroit but those names are obscure to many baseball fans.  We hope to change that.

Do you hate the Tigers for moving to Comerica Park?

No.  The Detroit Tigers are still the Detroit Tigers.  They are the only charter member of the Western League (which became the American League) to still play in their original city.  The Tigers have played in Detroit for 112 years and as a Major League franchise for 106 seasons.  We think that’s pretty special.  Without the Tigers, Detroit couldn’t lay claim to greats like Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, Alan Trammell, and Lou Whitaker.   And we are pretty high the current Tigers led by Jim Leyland.  With a roster with the likes of Magglio Ordonez, Curtis Granderson, Dontrelle Willis, and Justin Verlander what Detroit baseball fan isn’t excited about the Tigers right now?

I’ve heard Tiger Stadium is in a bad neighborhood?

Not true.  Corktown is Detroit’s oldest neighborhood and one of its most vibrant.  Home values are hight and new businesses like Slows, Ladles bookstore, and  Baile Corcaigh restaurant have been very successful.  Crime is low in Corktown and surrounding neighborhoods.  In fact Corktown is one of the few neighborhoods in Detroit to gain population in the 2000 census.  We are happy to report that trend continues not only for Corktown but for much of southwest Detroit.

What has become of other stadiums after Major League teams leave?

Complete demolition.  High rise apartments replaced Ebbets Fields.  Comiskey Park was demoed for parking.  Howard University Hospital is located on the Griffith Stadium site.  In Cincinnati, there is an industrial park where Crosley Field once stood.  The re-development of Tiger Stadium is a truly historic and precedent setting project.

About the Conservancy

From the time the Tigers announced plans for Comerica Park, the Corktown neighborhood and local stakeholders consistently expressed three conceptual goals for Tiger Stadium:  preserve the field as a recreation facility and public green space, facilitate mixed-use development surrounding the field to enhance the “Main Street” goal of Michigan Avenue’s revitalization, and preserve elements of the historic stadium’s structure. 

In the summer of 2006 the City of Detroit and the Greater Corktown Development Corporation reached consensus on a re-development plan for Tiger Stadium consistent with those goals for the Stadium.  Greater Corktown launched the Conservancy in 2006 to re-develop and program Tiger Stadium’s historic field and the facilities public spaces.  The Conservancy envisions Tiger Stadium as a town square and a park used, primarily for youth baseball.  Our plan includes preserving and re-using a historically significant portion of the stadium structure.  It is a re-development unlike anything ever tried with former Major League ballparks.

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy believes re-using Tiger Stadium’s field for amateur and youth baseball provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for Detroit’s young people to develop a lasting interest in the game.  While Greenberg, Kaline, and Whitaker may no longer roam Tiger Stadium we hope the next Hal Newhouser or Willie Horton will get their start in baseball at the old ballpark!

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy is also committed to honoring and sharing Tiger Stadium’s rich history.  Baseball was played at the site as early as 1868 and the Tigers (then a minor league team) began playing at Bennett Park in 1896.  Few ballparks anywhere can boast such a rich heritage.  Tiger Stadium and Bennett Park hosted nine World Series and three All-Star games.  Of the 196 Major League players in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, 147 took part in at least one game at Tiger Stadium.

Mission Statement

Historically, old ballparks have been demolished after Major League teams move.  The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy believes there is inherent economic development value in Tiger Stadium’s contributions to the social history of Detroit and the development of the game of baseball. 

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy’s mission is to preserve, re-develop, and program Tiger Stadium as a public park, youth sports venue, and destination for baseball fans in a practical and economically viable manner to honor both the site’s history and create value for the surrounding neighborhood and the city of Detroit.

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy Board of Directors

Daniel Varner – President

CEO; Think Detroit/PAL

David Mitchell – Vice President

President; Greater Corktown Development Corporation

Attorney; Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone; P.L.C.

Kelli Kavanaugh – Secretary

Vice-President; Greater Corktown Development Corporation

Gary Gillette – Treasurer

Editor; ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia

Co-chair; SABR Business of Baseball Committee

Ernie Harwell

Hall of Fame broadcaster and baseball historian

Michael Kirk

Preservation architect

R. Scott Martin Jr.

Former Executive Director; Greater Corktown Development Corporation

S. Gary Spicer

Attorney and agent

Kathleen Wendler

President; Southwest Detroit Business Association

left to right: Kelli Kavanaugh, Ernie Harwell, Scott Martin, Gary Spicer, Dave Mitchell, Gary Gillette; not pictured: Dan Varner, Mike Kirk, Kathy Wendler