Tiger Stadium activists: Bing can halt planned demolition

The remains of' Tiger Stadium sit in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, near the abandoned Michigan Central Station, which looms in the background. (Photo by Hayroob via Flickr)

Updated, June 5, 4:50 p.m.

DETROIT — Mayor Dave Bing, who sits on the board of a quasi-public commission that controls Tiger Stadium didn’t vote in Tuesday’s decision to raze the remainder of the historic baseball stadium in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. But his word as city’s chief executive with help from Detroit business heavyweight Mike Ilitch could cancel the board’s decision, according to stadium preservation supporters.

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) board members voted 6-1 Tuesday to demolish the structure which has served as home of professional baseball from 1896 until 1999 when the Detroit Tigers moved to Comerica Park downtown.

The vote is a final decision and demolition could begin as early as Monday, according to DEGC spokesman Robert Rossbach.

But according to Peter Riley, producer of the documentary “Stranded At the Corner: The Battle to Save Historic Tiger Stadium,” the DEGC vote doesn’t have to be final.

Riley said Bing could stop the wrecking with an executive order. “Bing can save it,” he told Michigan Messenger in a interview. “He’s a reasonable gentleman and a smart businessman. There are other issues in the city he should be concerned with.”

He said Tiger Stadium is well worth keeping because it “defines the heart and soul” of Michigan’s largest city.

Riley criticized Mike Ilitch, the powerful Detroit businessman who owns the Red Wings and the Tigers, for his silence on the issue. “Ilitch could place a call and things could change overnight,” Riley said. “But he doesn’t want to be involved. He only cares about himself. Only a dummy would ignore such an outstanding opportunity.”

The decision to demolish the stadium also comes as a blow to the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, a nonprofit preservation group that had plans to convert the aged stadium into a museum and athletic field. The conservancy had an agreement with the [DEGC] that if they met funding goals for their development plans the structure would remain. But due to lack of funding they failed to meet the goals set in the agreement despite a three-month unofficial extension. Although U.S. Sen. Carl Levin’s earmarked $3.8 million in federal stimulus dollars for the stadium, and the Conservancy had identified $22 million in possible funding opportunities, the non-profit only had $4 million in cash on hand on Tuesday when the vote came. The funding goal for the project was estimated at $27 million, and the DEGC was looking for the non-profit to have this cash on hand as part of the agreement.

Due to the slow influx of funding for the century-old stadium’s preservation, the DEGC decided to ax the project.

“It was the [DEGC board’s] determination that the Conservancy was not reasonably going to make its milestones,” Rossbach told Michigan Messenger in an interview.

Rossbach said the Conservancy’s agreement with the DEGC has kept other, more reliable developers, at bay. “What developer would propose something when the Conservancy has the site locked up?” he asked.

He questioned the conservancy’s claims that there is a large support for the stadium’s redevelopment efforts. “I have not seen any outpouring of donor support … in two years,” he said. “I wonder how come that ‘broad based support’ has never come to any dollars.”

Rossbach dismissed the economic times as a reason for low funding noting that the Conservancy was raising money before the housing bubble burst.

Today, what remains of Tiger Stadium is just a fraction of what it was like when the Tigers left in 1999. Most of the stadium was demolished in 2008, but what remains still carries historical significance, according to one Conservancy board member, Gary Gillette.

“You’re looking at 100 percent of the old Navin Field,” Gillette told Michigan Messenger at a demolition protest in front of the Old Tiger Stadium Wednesday night. Gillette was referring to the 1912 version on Tiger Stadium, named after former Tigers owner Frank Navin. He noted that what remains of Tiger Stadium is actually the full model of Navin Field before extensions were added in 1935. Gillette also said he believed Bing could halt demolition efforts.

While some Detroit residents are showing outrage about the decision to raze the historic structure, others seem indifferent to the stadium’s demolition. “I’m not worried about another empty building on the corner,” Detroit resident Angela Johnson told Michigan Messenger. “This city is full of empty buildings.”

Bing’s office had not returned calls seeking comment on Thursday. A representative for Mike Ilitch declined to comment, noting that he has not yet released a statement.

UPDATE, JUNE 5, 4:50 p.m.: Demolition has started.