Fan Experience, Tiger History

Group Project: Preserving Tiger Stadium

25 Comments

Okay, so we’re not going to all start a campaign to save the old girl before she gets it from the wrecking ball. What I’m talking about is preserving some of Tiger Stadium’s history and charm. Moving some of Michigan and Trumbull to Montcalm and Witherall.

A couple weeks ago I flashed back to the overwhelming sense of green when entering a stadium. The comments went down the road of remembering Tiger Stadium. A commentor named Ed left the following:

I wish parts of Tiger Stadium had been integrated into Comerica. Sometime in July or August I wrote Dave Dombrowski about that very thing. He wrote back…personally!…to say that they have been thinking about that very thing. His letter stated too that they would be considering what they might do and thanked me for my suggestions.

So I thought maybe we could come up with a list of ideas. I’d love the rightfield overhang to make the journey, but that may be a little too hard to pull off. Something simpler might be to the have flags from the other American League teams ringing the top of the stadium.

What would you like to see brought from the old place to Comerica Park?

25 thoughts on “Group Project: Preserving Tiger Stadium”

  1. Bring the electric box next to the lighttower Reggie hit in the 71 All Star game and put it on the PepsiPorch. Maybe right where the longest of Abreu’s HR’s landed in the 2005 ASG HR Derby. We already have history lessons in LF, we could use some in RF.

  3. I like the electric box/flag idea. On the lighter side, how about taking the urinal troughs and sticking those in the Men’s Rooms?

  4. How about an audio animatronic figure of one of those grumpy old ushers that used to hover by the box seats behind home plate. We would try to sneak down there and get a good seat and they would always say, ” Hey, you kids get out of there, you need a ticket to sit there, go on now”. Maybe the folks at Disney could build it to respond just like the real guys did….motion sensors could set it off. It would be funny and very nostalgic.

  5. I fear Bilfer’s not getting the serious suggestions he was hoping for.

    I’d like to find some way to incorporate the old blue and orange seats into Copa. Not sure what the best way to do that is, since they don’t match at all with the current green models.

  6. How about using the sreeen that lined the outfield as a barrier/railing somewhere in Comerica? Tiger stadium felt a bit like a cage.

    I like SJC’s idea though — it has a background story.

  7. Here are the suggestions I made in my letter:

    1.) Erect the Tiger Stadium outfield wall in Comerica.
    2.) Somehow incorporate the bleachers. (I think they could be located in sections 101-106 nicely.)
    3.) Put in some of the old chairs. Take out some of the existing chairs and put in Tiger Stadium ones. Then have a little promotion thing. Someone sitting in one of the the seats gets a free pizza or something.

  8. Since I already blogged about it once, I guess I’ll stick with my desire for the ol’ right-field overhang. Like Billfer, I acknowledge that such a project probably isn’t feasible.

    Unfortunately, I don’t think Comerica Park will ever be able to emulate how close you actually were to the field. And you’ll never have that contrast between dark, concrete concourses and bright, green grass again. So those points are moot.

    That brings me to another less-than-serious suggestion then: How about putting the road bullpen in one of those underground cages along the right field line?

  9. One obstructing post placed randomly each year in a different section of Comerica.

    Seriously, I think maybe the best way to honor the old “grey battleship” and all of Tiger history would be an annex museum with rotating exhibits, video of classic games, and staffed by people in retro uniforms – players, ushers, entertainers, etc. The annex should be free to the public – even those without tickets.

    I also like the previous comment about bringing in a couple rows of seats for promotional purposes.

  10. I like the seat idea. Its visable and tangable. To do more than that would be either very dificult and / or expensive.

    The best this to do may be to make like Greg O described, a “living memorial” to Tiger Stadium. Make an area at Comerica that has memoribilia from the stadium with a combo of color and black and white back ground pictures with small portions of the stadium / concession stands / ticket offices etc rebuilt there. The whole retro scheme may go well here. Maybe have group diners in there before games………………………

    Another thing to do may be to let the grass grow long and go to seed at the park and sell the seedlings to us so we all can have a little Tiger stadium grass in our yards (I know a little sappy here).

    Ok Im done

  11. steve has a good idea there about the seed/grass. Let me take it a step further: how feasable would it be to bring in some of the Tiger Stadium sod and lay it down in Comerica? Maybe bring enough to outline Comerica’s field???

  12. il ike Greg’s idea of a little museum the best. If we can’t have the overhang.

    The best thing would to be have the closeness of the seats in the upper deck infield. Watching from those first few rows hanging over the infield was an experience I’ve never had in another park. I guess Ebbetts in Brooklyn was like that too.

    Unfortunately it is the posts that made that possible. I always thought that Tiger Stadium had 20,000 of the best seats in baseball and 30,000 of the worst. Comeica has 40,000 good but not great seats and no bad ones.

  13. I’ve always felt that the poles up and down the concourses of Comerica Park do not do justice to an organization with as rich a history as the Detroit Tigers.

    I think that in some of the space that designated for retail/bars that isn’t filled, there should be some sort of Tiger Museum/Hall of Fame. I think this would give a place for a great deal of Tiger Stadium paraphernalia.

    In terms of incorporating one of the unique aspects from Tiger Stadium into Comerica Park, I like the light tower idea and of course, the overhang. Putting a row of seats is idea that is incredibly practical.

    The Flag pole being “in play” was the one design element they did bring to Comerica Park. Since they brought the fences in, it is no longer a part of the playing field. Wouldn’t putting it back onto the field be a relatively easy improvement to make?

  14. Why not put the flag pole in left center field, it was the only flag pole that was in play. Also I would love if they had a day or weekend before it gets demo’ed to have an open house to walk around tiger stadium. They could probably sell $5.00 tickets and make a good amount of money. I would love to take a whole bunch of pictures again before it goes down. Someone write Dave Dom. and ask if they plan on having one last open house. I would but dont know how.

  15. I do like the museum idea. It prompted me to think that short of that, they could at least transfer a lot of Tiger Stadium stuff and redecorate the Beer Hall in Comerica Park. Like taking the padding from the walls and put that on the Beer Hall walls and just go with a whole blue theme.

    I’ll leave this open a couple more days and then we’ll ship it off to the Tigers.

    Ronnie – a Tiger Stadium Open House is a great idea, but it’s not up to Dombrowski/Tigers. It’s owned by the city so it’s Kwame’s call.

  17. I vaguely remember stories as a child, that after the 5th inning you could get into the bleachers for free. Was this true?
    I would love to see the Tigers do something with the parking deck which is located in Right Center field, a la Wrigley Field. I know they may not own it, and it would gobble up precious parking spots, but I think it would ad to the character of the overall game day experience. Perhaps some of the old center field bleachers/huge bilboards could be moved up there. I don’t know if anyone is nostalgic over the old Budweiser sign, but still.

  18. The flag pole. Put it back in play, and get the actual pole (if it still stands) from the Corner.

    I’d also love to have the overhang transplanted — not necessarily as a new overhang, but at least the seats and perhaps, it at all possible (but only if the stadium is facing a wrecking ball), the concrete, beams, and girders, too. It sould be installed somwhere cool in Copa. “The Overhang” seats could even acquire the same type of (marketing) cache that the “Monster Seats” have at Fenway.

  19. I like all of the above ideas. They could put the seats in a certain area and give it a special name. Adding the bleacher seats would be wonderful, the electric box and definitely a Tiger Stadium Room in the CoPa. I love the new park but anything that will make it feel cozier and bring back the warm fuzziy feelings that Tiger Stadium gave us would be great!

  20. The flag pole, put the flag pole back in play, that would be interesting. No, good riddance to Tiger Stadium, hopefully Comerica Park marks the end of Tigers futility and the beginning of a strong successful franchise

  21. Let’s put the old tiger logo up somewhere – the one with a realistic looking tiger peering through the blue circle.

  23. Personally if you want to see a great way to preserve Tiger STadium, you need to take a look at this webpage. http://www.wowappeal.com/michigan.

    There have been other plans too, but this a good one. I also am aware of one group who would like to take the sections that are deemed to be torn down and transfer to them another location as a museum to architecture and also be part of a living museum field. Sort of like a Field of Dreams. I’d support something like that for sure.

  24. What they should do is remove the tigers bullpen out of their, they have way to much space anyways. Convert it into a monument park like at Yankee Stadium displaying all past history of the old B.P. And Tigers warmup area would be next to third base line like the old days. And don’t forget the flagpole and the old baseball cage during batting practice they used to use.

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