Demolition has begun at Tiger Stadium

Though I won't shed tears when Comerica is torn down in 30 years or so

Tigers should have built a new Tigers Stadium like the Yankees are building a new Yankees Stadium

got a cool billion?

I wish


Though I think a good portion of that money went towards land purchase


NYC one of the most expensive cites in America

Drove by Yesterday; Left Field seats are all gone


Big pile of rubble in its place

You gotta grab something outta there, GS!

or do we got shot at if we try?

It is guarded like a Prison


They even boarded up the Tiger Plaza gates so fans can't take bricks along the gate anymore

I would think they would be glad people are taking souvenirs...less for them to clean up!

But they are recycling the debris for scrap; That is their payoff

The City is not paying a dime towards demolition


The City is 200 million in debt

What is another 1 mil or 2

At least fans could take stuff home



As usual; The City Wins Contractors win, Fans lose

Think how much money people would be glad to pay for some of those seats they are just destroying!

I should try if there is anything left by the 14th

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Think how much money people would be glad to pay for some of those seats they are just destroying!

And there were plenty of people that paid 300 bucks for a pair of plastic seats that were not even the original ones

laprimamirala wrote:

I should try if there is anything left by the 14th

Security is tight as a Drum

There is a lot of debris; One might get hurt trying to salvage

07/28/2008 9:24 PM ET
Tiger Stadium may avoid full demolition
City Council committee advocates partial preservation
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

While demolition continues along the outfield of Tiger Stadium, the effort to save part of the old ballpark took a turn in favor of preservation on Monday, when a Detroit City Council committee removed its recommendation to tear down the entire ballpark.

The city's Economic Development Corporation recommended last week that the Council vote to demolish the whole facility. That vote is scheduled for Tuesday, but the committee is now recommending to save part of the park.

That decision came to the surprise to members of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, which took it as a victory in its effort to preserve part of the stadium. The group has been working toward an Aug. 1 deadline set by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to raise approximately $369,000 for maintaining part of the field, providing security and paying the demolition company for lost scrap revenue.

The conservancy had been working towards presenting the City Council with proof of funds on Tuesday to stave off a demolition vote. Though it apparently has the Council's support, the Friday deadline for submitting the funds to avoid full demolition still stands.

"Obviously, our position looks a lot stronger today at 5 p.m. than it did yesterday and the day before," Gary Gillette, a member of the conservancy's board of directors, said on Monday.

The conservancy has been trying to raise money for the past several weeks, including earmarks for approximately $4 million submitted for the Federal budget and loans from other organizations. The group received another victory on Monday when it was granted a Federal tax exemption, allowing it to solicit charitable donations.

The group also has received approximately $400,000 in funds raised by the Ernie Harwell Foundation. The Hall of Fame broadcaster is a member of the conservancy's board, and the organization's plan for redeveloping the stadium is expected to center on a museum that will house Harwell's collection of baseball artifacts.

"We have gotten a lot more interest in the last month, and particularly the last two weeks," Gillette said.

Tiger Stadium last hosted the Tigers in 1999 and has sat mostly vacant since 2001, save for a party on the playing field prior to the 2005 Super Bowl. Demolition of the ballpark began last month and has thus far focused on the structure beyond left field, most of which has been torn down.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

What was the 2005 Super Bowl? Lions weren't in it...why was there a party there?

It was the Bud Bowl Party held at Tiger Stadium Super Bowl 40 Weekend in Feb 2006



It was a private party sponsored by Budweiser



They had huge heated tents on the Tiger Stadium Field



Could never figure out why MLB couldn't do anything when the All Star Game was in Detroit in 2005


They could have had an Old Timers Game or Fanfest there

New plan hatched to save portion of Tiger Stadium
BY BEN SCHMITT AND ZACHARY GORCHOW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • July 29, 2008

Detroit City Council saved a portion of Tiger Stadium Tuesday without even voting.

After about two hours of haggling between preservationists and the Detroit Economic Growth Corp, Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. sent both groups into a private room and asked them to work something out.

The result was a new agreement in which preservationists must create escrow accounts of $300,000 and $69,000 by Aug. 8, when the issue will be brought back to council.

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, a preservation group, also must get complete funding for a museum in place by March 1, 2009, under the agreement. The amount needed is about $15.6 million.

The plan includes preserving the baseball diamond and 3,000 seats, and building a museum.

"We are following the direction of the Detroit City Council and have entered negotiations with the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy to extend their deadline for raising funds to preserve and restore a portion of Tiger Stadium," said Waymon Guillebeaux, of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. "Our primary concern is to move the project forward toward full development of the site and to minimize the burden on the City to maintain and secure a vacant facility."

State Rep. Steve Tobocman, D-Detroit, who is working with preservationists, said tremendous progress was made today. Preservationists needed some assurance that they would not lose all the money if the project failed.

Tobocman said all he hears from residents in his southwest Detroit district is to preserve part of the stadium. He said the conservancy has raised $430,000.

"I have yet to hear a constituent in the Corktown neighborhood say 'let's demolish it,'" he said.

Under the plan, part of the stadium between dugouts will be retained and turned into a sports museum with memorabilia from famed Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell.

Demolition of the ballpark began last month.

The agreement came several hours after news that Lulu Harwell, wife of legendary Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell, was taken to the hospital with chest pains.

Harwell visited council chambers Monday to urge a council committee to save part of the stadium, but could not attend today because of his wife's hospitalization.

Most People in Corktown love Tiger Stadium

Chunk of Tiger Stadium falls on truck

By Tammy Stables Battaglia • Free Press Staff Writer • August 7, 2008

Call it stadium revenge: a refrigerator-sized piece of Tiger’s Stadium crashed into a passing pick-up truck this morning and closed Trumbull Avenue.

Hank Shemanski, 47, an editorial aide at the Detroit Free Press, was driving to work from his home on the city’s west side at about 9:25 a.m. when he saw the piece crash into the street. The section of concrete and corrugated metal fell from a demolition crane perched above the stadium’s right field wall.

“Parts of it hit the truck: it hit the tires and pulled the bed of the truck down, but he kept going,” Shemanski said about a small, dark-colored older pick-up truck driving on Trumbull between the I-75 service drive and Michigan Avenue. Immediately, road workers diverted traffic onto the service drive to avoid the debris blocking Trumbull.

“You couldn’t get through,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Detroit Police said the department had not received any information on the incident as of 10 a.m.

Half the stadium is gone

Tiger Stadium strikes back!!!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Tiger Stadium strikes back!!!

GO TIGER STADIUM!!!

HEAR THE SONG
Songwriter pens ode to Tiger Stadium

BY BILL MCGRAW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • August 19, 2008

“They Used to Play Baseball Here” is an ode to Tiger Stadium, which is approaching 50% demolished.


The song is written and performed by Matt Watroba, a familiar name on the local folk music scene. In addition to being a musician himself, he has hosted the “Folks Like Us” folk music program on WDET-FM (101.9) since 1986, and also hosts a syndicated radio show, “The Sing Out Radio Magazine,” on XM Satellite Channel 15, which also appears on about 30 public radio stations across the country.

Watroba, 47, performed his song June 27 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.. he sang in front of an exhibit on stadiums.

On the CD, Watroba plays guitar, and he was assisted by David Mosher, who played mandolin, fiddle, bass and provided backing vocals.
Listen to the song

”They Used to Play Baseball Here” by Matt Watroba

*sniff*
don't let Tigersaint hear that!

laprimamirala wrote:

*sniff*
don't let Tigersaint hear that!

Why Not?

Sad but true song!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Sad but true song!

Oh