This is very old news, but I must have totally missed it. I bumped into an article that the new stadium, that will be built on the old location of Tiger Stadium/Navin Field, will have an artificial turf field. In December 2014, the city of Detroit gave the green light for the project….. This makes me very happy as the place should have never been torn down.
The site will be home to the Detroit Police Athletic League, PAL for short. The construction of the ballpark will start in April. So far PAL has raised $11 million in funds to be able to build the ballpark. Next to the $11 million, the group will get a $3 million federal grant.
Through the years the Navin Field Grounds Crew, a volunteer group, maintained the grass at the old baseball site. They are not amused that PAL has chosen for artificial turf. But according to PAL it is cheaper to maintain at it will can be used for several kinds of sport.
The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy group has advocated to keep the infield in tact and replace the outfield with artificial turf.
Anyhow, the new stadium is part of a another plan that is worth $33 million (next to the money that the stadium construction will cost). That plan contains shops and houses/apartments.
It is good to know that the old site of Tiger Stadium will have a baseball use. But still I think it is a shame that one of the cathedrals of baseball was demolished. Tiger Stadium was a gem. Perhaps the maintenance was too much for the city of Detroit to take. But as far as I am concerned, the stadium should still be there.
Navin FIeld, as Tiger Stadium was originally called, opened on the same day as Fenway Park, in 1912. The Tigers celebrated all of their four World Series wins (1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984) in Tiger Stadium. The stadium had a unique double deck bleacher area and a flag pole standing in center field. Of course there were several obstructed sight lines, but that was one of the charming parts of this cathedral of Detroit baseball.
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