Posted December 17, 200420 yr From the 12/16/04 Columbus Business First: Study puts $38M price tag on Cooper Stadium renovations Jeff Bell Business First An overhaul of Cooper Stadium would cost more than $38 million to bring it up to current standards for minor league baseball parks, a design and construction team hired by the county has concluded. That cost estimate was presented to the Franklin County commissioners Thursday. http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2004/12/13/daily23.html
April 16, 200520 yr It looks like they're looking at the Arena District. How cool would that be? From the 4/15/05 Columbus Business First: County wants look at downtown stadium site Jeff Bell Business First Two teams of community representatives will help Franklin County commissioners advance the process of building a minor league baseball park in Columbus' Arena District. The groups will be charged with securing a location for the ballpark and studying alternative uses for county-owned Cooper Stadium in Franklinton, the commissioners said at a news conference Friday. http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/04/11/daily24.html
April 16, 200520 yr If anyone tries to demolish Cooper. There will be a fight against it. Maybe from Franklinton, maybe from historic preservationists, someone(s) will want it to continue standing. :|
April 17, 200520 yr Oh come on what idiots in Franklinton! That neighborhood accounts for the opinion of like 1 percent of the city. Living near the Arena District and downtown I can say that moving the stadium is a great idea, brings more people into downtown, and will be the best way to centralize the team so others in nice areas of Columbus will maybe care more about a minor league.
April 17, 200520 yr The Dispatch had an accompanying article with reaction from the soon-to-be neighbors of the new stadium: Would-be neighbors all for Arena District stadium plan Saturday, April 16, 2005 Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A Downtown stadium for the Columbus Clippers could bring year-round professional sports to the Arena District and spark new development west of Neil Avenue. Franklin County commissioners yesterday announced that the minor-league baseball team will join the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey and Columbus Destroyers arena football teams Downtown, most likely on 7 acres on W. Nationwide Boulevard. "The importance of the commissioners’ decision today would be difficult to overstate," said Larry Fisher, president of Columbus Downtown Development Corp. "There’s no question a ballpark causes development around it." Brothers Steve and Jeff Wittmann began buying property west of Neil in 1998. Now, their commercial buildings are likely to stand in the shadow of a new Clippers stadium. "Five years from now, the look of this whole area will have changed dramatically," Steve Wittmann said. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/04/16/20050416-B1-02.html
April 17, 200520 yr Also, I found the article concerning the reaction from Franklinton to be pretty neutral for the most part. Sure, there are many that have fond memories and are sad to see the 'Coop's useful life coming to an end, but their not going to war about it. Plus the stadium and Franklinton are, for the most part, incompatable. This guy summed it up pretty well: In front of his Bellows Avenue home, Daniel Bowman said baseball hasn?t done much for his neighborhood except create traffic jams. He?s not seen people stay in Franklinton for dinner or a drink, the way officials say fans will help Downtown. Bowman said Cooper Stadium was only about a quarter-full for the last game he attended. A baseball stadium, even a renovated one, isn't going to prop up Franklinton. With the stadium cleared away, the county and private investment can come in and build on the site infrastructure that CAN help, especially with much of that area no longer considered to be floor-prone. I think, contrary to what Mr. Bowman said in his last statement from the article, that moving the Clippers downtown is, in a way, definitely concentrating on the neighborhood. I personally would like to see more affordable housing placed in the area, parkland, and dense commercial built up along W. Mound St.
April 17, 200520 yr In front of his Bellows Avenue home, Daniel Bowman said baseball hasn?t done much for his neighborhood except create traffic jams. Traffic jams? At Cooper? Every time I've gone I've been on the highway in 5 minutes.
April 18, 200520 yr In front of his Bellows Avenue home, Daniel Bowman said baseball hasn?t done much for his neighborhood except create traffic jams. Traffic jams? At Cooper? Every time I've gone I've been on the highway in 5 minutes. That's because traffic from the north, east, and south goes into I-70 WB to the Mound St. exit (and directly into Copper Stadium, for the last 7 years or so) folks from the westside have to use West Broad and Glenwood. Bellows parallels I-70/Broad St. What does he see from his house...besides the Brewer Cote factory and Mt. Carmel hospital?
May 14, 200520 yr Stadium land-use proposals piling up Business campus, motorcycle center among possibilities By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A panel formed last month by Franklin County commissioners to find a new use for Cooper Stadium met for the first time this week, and as members get down to business, they’ll have proposals waiting for them. One developer wants to turn the stadium’s 47 acres into a recreation center with ball diamonds, basketball courts and swimming pools. Another wants to create a motorcycling center, with a Harley dealership, riding academy and other attractions. Even before commissioners decided to build a new stadium Downtown for the countyowned Columbus Clippers, others had quietly proposed a water park and a racetrack. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/05/14/20050514-E1-00.html
May 15, 200520 yr Ball fields? Aren't there enough of those just down the street in Berliner Park? Those are Softball fields. Apparently, there is a difference. :-) Thinking about the (now?) ineverable destruction of Cooper, I hope the new owner saves the original outfield wall (not the current one that has been used since baseball returned in 1977). Something from the original stadium needs to be left standing there.
July 4, 200519 yr Sounds like a great plan to me. Anything that will add jobs and be a regional attraction would be nice. Franklinton embraces plan for motorcycles at the Coop By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A Franklinton business group has endorsed a plan to turn Cooper Stadium’s 47 acres into a motorcycling megaplex that would include a hotel, restaurant and dealership, as well as a racetrack on the field where the Columbus Clippers now play. In the proposal by A.D. Farrow Co. Harley-Davidson, Farrow would leave the stadium’s seating largely in place, but spectators would watch races from grandstands that first offered views of minor-league baseball in 1932. It’s one of four plans submitted to a panel that Franklin County commissioners formed in April to study new uses for the county-owned stadium and grounds. The park will be vacated when the Clippers move to a new ballpark in the Arena District by 2008. A member of the committee said a recommendation could be made to commissioners by year’s end if not sooner. The idea already has won a letter of endorsement from the Franklinton Board of Trade, a group of West Side business owners. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/07/42/20050704-E1-03.html
July 4, 200519 yr interesting proposal... fitting for franklinton too, as they have america's oldest harley davidson shop too.
July 4, 200519 yr Interesting, but who is going to want to live anywhere near this thing? Motorcycles are LOUD.
July 5, 200519 yr How many old stadiums offer as little nostaglia as Cooper Stadium? It's really one of the worst places I've ever seen a baseball game. The reserved seating has poor sight lines, uncomfortable seats and the metal amplifies every obnoxious sound the mutitudes of children can make. THe seats on the left field line are a joke. The ballpark dimensions are deeper down the lines than any major league stadium I can think of. The walkway to the sky boxes looks like the hallway of a prison. The only redeeming factor is the Cemetary which is at least unique. The parking is also atrocious and theres nothing to do in that area before or after a game. I cannot wait until they build the new ballpark in the Arena District. Of course for those of you with memories of Mattingly, Jeter etc. it probably feels like Yankee Stadium (another awful mid 70s rebuild). I will gladly dance on the rubble of the Coop.
July 5, 200519 yr So the executive director of the Franklinton Board of Trade is named Dick Bangs. LOL. Think that guy was ever teased?
August 1, 200519 yr More on the man and the motorcycles from the 7/25/05 Columbus Business First: Althoff bids to take passion to Cooper Kathy Showalter Business First Bill Althoff built his Wall Street career in Columbus, first as a stock broker with the Ohio Co. and later as a broker and manager of Merrill Lynch & Company Inc.'s office at Easton. But Althoff gave up his job security three years ago to marry his career with a 40-year passion for motorcycling. At 54 and just years from a comfortable retirement, Althoff bought Columbus-based A.D. Farrow Co., a Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycle dealership. "I loved what I did," Althoff said. "I left (Merrill Lynch) 20 minutes before I closed on this deal." Now Althoff wants to close on another. For two years, he has searched the city for a place to expand A.D. Farrow from the two buildings it occupies in Franklinton. He thinks he's found it at the 47-acre Cooper Stadium complex, property that could become available if Franklin County builds a baseball stadium for the Triple A Columbus Clippers. Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/07/25/story4.html?from_rss=1
August 23, 200519 yr Coop site draws more proposals Soccer school, biz park on list Jeff Bell, Business First Two more organizations have made pitches to take over the Cooper Stadium site and at least one more proposal may be on the way. One group, headed by former Columbus Crew player Thomas Dooley, wants to turn the 47-acre ballpark property off Mound Street in Columbus into a youth soccer academy. The other suitor, Columbus Urban Growth Corp., would like to extend its adjoining West Edge Business Park to the site, adding more light industry and offices. Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/08/22/story3.html?from_rss=1
August 31, 200519 yr RetroMetro had the link for a story on the slow progress of the stadium project, which was in the 8/29/05 Columbus Dispatch. I don't have an account, so here's the link: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/08/29/20050829-B1-01.html
November 8, 200519 yr This is what happens when you put a government entity in charge of what should be a private investment: Timetable in doubt to finish stadium for Clippers by ’08 County seeks consultant to oversee plans By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A 2008 opening is "dangerously close’’ to slipping away for a new Columbus Clippers baseball stadium, but Franklin County is seeking outside help to get the project on track. The county is inviting about 30 companies to compete for a contract overseeing planning for the stadium. Officials called the move a step forward for the proposed minor-league ballpark, announced in April but slow to take shape since. Like the Clippers and their current home in Franklinton, a new stadium — likely to be built in the Arena District — would be owned by the county. But county commissioners want to build it largely with money from corporate sponsors who have been slow to commit their cash. "It’s been a very complicated process to get some consensus developed here,’’ said county Administrator Don L. Brown. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/11/07/20051107B1-01.html
November 8, 200519 yr Auto mall? That had better not happen. The original concept of a motorcycle-dealership, race course, restaruant and hotel sounded great, what it's become sounds horrendous. Car sales at the Coop floated as reuse idea Jeff Bell, Business First An auto mall has emerged as one of two early ideas in the race to find new uses for the 46-acre stadium site off West Mound Street in Columbus. A vehicle sales center or an office and industrial park received the highest marks in a draft report by the Cooper Alternative Plan committee, a 16-member panel created in April by Franklin County Commissioners to come up with new uses for the ballpark site. The committee is expected to discuss and possibly vote on one of the proposals at its Nov. 9 meeting. Its final recommendation will go to commissioners before the end of the year, said Doug Ward, the panel's chairman. Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/11/07/story2.html?from_rss=1
December 13, 200519 yr From the 12/7/05 Suburban News Publications: Motorcycles might replace baseball at Cooper Stadium By JENNIFER WRAY Motorcycles could drive the future of Cooper Stadium, said the group responsible for finding an alternative use for the ballpark. Motor sales and office-industrial uses were the top two choices for the 47-acre site owned by Franklin County, according to a study submitted Nov. 29. County officials are studying uses for the aging Mound Street stadium because the Columbus Clippers of AAA baseball are expected to move to a Downtown site in a couple of years. The committee, appointed last spring to study options for the site, said serious consideration should be given to A.D. Farrow's proposal that the stadium site be used for motorcycle sales and a race track. Members evaluated the site for five possible uses: recreation, commercial-industrial office, housing, motor sales and retail. A variety of factors were considered, including development potential, job creation, neighborhood services, recreational opportunities, regional drawing power, public cost, stadium reuse, environmental impact, feasibility and timeline. Read more at http://www.snponline.com/NEWS12-7/12-7_allfcstadium.htm
February 22, 200619 yr Check out what became of Toledo's old stadium after the Mudhens moved to the new downtown stadium. Article published February 22, 2006 Ballpark gets new lease Roy Hobbs league to stay at Skeldon Stadium When the Toledo Mud Hens left for greener grass in 2001, Ned Skeldon Stadium at the Lucas County Recreation Center fell into the hands of a bunch of local guys who love baseball. They cultivated the outfield, eradicated the weeds from the infield, and replaced outfield walls that were rotting and falling down. They had plenty of love for the field, but until now no permanent ties. Yesterday, the county made their relationship more secure. Commissioners approved a five-year agreement with the Mid American Master's Baseball League to rent the stadium. The group, an affiliate of the Roy Hobbs Adult Men's Baseball League, agreed to pay $30,000 over the first five years and has an option to renew the contract for another five years at a cost of $10,000 a year. Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060222/NEWS18/602220438/-1/NEWS
March 2, 200619 yr An excellent column about another alternative for Cooper Stadium... Don’t cut a diamond from future of the city Thursday, March 02, 2006 MIKE HARDEN, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A couple of years from now the Columbus Clippers will pack their bags, leaving behind a ball yard that has been home to one or another team’s version of the Great American Pastime since the year FDR was elected president. I was born in the era of the Columbus Red Birds, grew up with the Columbus Jets and reared my children on Clippers baseball. One of my greatest thrills in baseball transpired at Cooper Stadium a quarter-century ago, when I had the pleasure of taking in a Clippers game with Clarence Bernard "C.B." Griffin, an outfielder with the old Columbus Bluebirds of the Negro National League, who has since died. Griffin was never permitted to play at Red Bird Stadium. He viewed the field with a mixture of rue and awe and, in the final analysis, reverence. It was, after all, a real American ball yard. Sadly, after the Clippers fly the Coop, it might no longer be that. The Cooper Alternative Plans committee is considering a proposal that would install a motorcycling megaplex at the site, a complex that would include both a large Harley-Davidson dealership and a racetrack or some sort of motocross course where the ball diamond now sits. The sentimentalist in me believes that there is something sacred about ballparks. A host of Major League greats, including the St. Louis Cardinals’ Enos Slaughter and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Willie "Pops" Stargell, cut their teeth on that diamond. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/03/02/20060302-E1-00.html
July 16, 200717 yr Annexation question slips Cooper reuse plan into idle Business First of Columbus - July 13, 2007 by Jeff BellBusiness First Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealer Bob Althoff wants to know who's on first when it comes to making a decision on the future of Cooper Stadium. The owner of A.D. Farrow Co. hasn't given up on his hopes of converting the 75-year-old baseball stadium into a motorcycle complex after the Columbus Clippers move to a new ballpark in the Arena District in 2009. But Althoff is left to wonder whether Franklin County or Columbus city officials will make the call on how the 47-acre site off West Mound Street is redeveloped. The county owns Cooper Stadium, and Althoff has been trying to move his proposal through county channels since spring 2005. That was when county commissioners confirmed they would build a ballpark downtown and find a new use for the Coop site. Now, Althoff said county officials have told him he needs to start working through Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman's office because the county plans to have the stadium site annexed into the city. The land sits on an island of Franklin Township surrounded by Columbus. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/07/16/story3.html
July 16, 200717 yr I say hold on to the property. It's not too often that you get a hold of this much contiguous land...wait it out and get the best possible deal/product for the site. I agree with the Cbus leaders that they could potentially get more out of this property.
July 16, 200717 yr It borders a large cemetary, ran-down neighborhood, a blighted shopping center full of pawn shops and dollar stores and theres a huge landfill nearby. I have a hard time envisioning a viable future for this site but it is easily accessible! Im not such a big fan of the motorcycle proposal, they're already occupying a space in the same neighborhood so it's not adding much to the community. What ever happend to Sullivant Gardens; the housing projects right in front of it? Do they own that portion as well?
July 17, 200717 yr Sullivant Gardens was torn down and I beleieve the City retains ownership. Much of what was once was one of the city's most run-down and crime-ridden public housing projects is now an industrial park that has attracted some decent light industry and jobs. This area would also benefit from any kind of fix to the 70-71 Split.... which you can see at the top of the above photo.
July 17, 200717 yr Looks like there was an autocross in the parking lot on the right a few days before the picture was snapped.
July 17, 200717 yr I've always been suprised that Buckeye fans didn't push through a name change during the late 90s. :wink2:
September 7, 200717 yr Sale of Cooper Stadium falls through Motorcycle dealer backs out; county's top priority is using space to create jobs Friday, September 7, 2007 3:35 AM By Barbara Carmen, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Plans for a motorcycle Mecca at Cooper Stadium have collapsed, so Franklin County is once again on the market for a buyer with big dreams -- and preferably, jobs. "For Sale" ads have started running in local trade journals and over the Internet, praising the ballpark's features. The 46-acre site comes with a historic building, a breathtaking view of the skyline and quiet neighbors. Three cemeteries edge the park. Two caveats: The property is valued at $3.25 million to $3.7 million. The county, however, is being flexible. The ad hints that grants, loans, tax incentives or other public financing would be considered. And the buyer must be patient. Huntington Park won't open in the Arena District until 2009. Cooper needs to stay intact through the last pitch of 2008. "We can't dig up home plate right now," said James Schimmer, the county's economic development and planning director. But for the right buyer, Schimmer said, "It will be one of those things with opportunity stamped all over it." But it wasn't the right opportunity for Bob Althoff. The owner of A.D. Farrow Harley-Davidson has told the county he's no longer interested. "Turns out, it just wasn't in the cards," said Althoff, who invested more than two years and $250,000 in the project. Read more at http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/09/07/BUYME.ART_ART_09-07-07_B5_U87R5AM.html?sid=101
September 7, 200717 yr Thanks for posting this. Quick work, I just read this article in this morning's Dispatch. Here's a copy of the County's ad that's referenced in the story. It was in the classified ad section of last Friday's Business First.
October 20, 200717 yr City has eyes on Cooper Stadium Columbus seeks to annex 47 acres from township Saturday, October 20, 2007 - 3:29 AM By Robert Vitale, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH As the Columbus Clippers prepare to move out of Cooper Stadium, their old home might move into Columbus. The City Council will take up legislation Monday to annex the 47 acres of ballpark, work buildings and parking lots, which have been part of Franklin Township since before the stadium opened in 1932. Annexation also needs approval from Franklin County, which owns the land. County commissioners put the stadium site up for sale last month, hoping it gets snatched up by private developers with big plans. A proposal backed by Franklinton business leaders, to turn the site into a Harley-Davidson dealership and tourist attraction, fell through this year. In a statement yesterday, Mayor Michael B. Coleman said city government already is involved in projects around the old stadium on W. Mound Street, including the West Edge Business Park and improvements to housing in Franklinton. "We want to see Cooper Stadium reborn as an asset to the entire community, whether as a site for recreation and tourism or jobs and business development," Coleman said. Read more at http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/10/20/cooper.ART_ART_10-20-07_B5_T8882GD.html?sid=101
November 14, 200717 yr Cooper Stadium officially part of Columbus Wednesday, November 14, 2007 - 3:46 AM By Barb Carmen, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Clippers won't leave for their new ballpark until 2009, but Cooper Stadium moved into the city of Columbus yesterday. Franklin County commissioners annexed the 47 acres of township land that includes the old ballpark to the city. The county owns the Franklinton property, which is up for sale and is valued at more than $3.25 million. The deal -- brokered among county, city and township officials -- will lend Columbus' economic muscle and national profile to luring development. And in exchange for letting Cooper go to Columbus, Franklin Township will get to keep other choice properties in its taxing district. Once the property is sold to a private developer, it will go on the tax rolls and benefit Columbus City Schools. "This is another real victory for us," Commissioner Paula Brooks said. "A couple years back, the county, city and township weren't always talking to each other." The Clippers will finish their 2008 season in Cooper before leaving for Huntington Park, a $55 million stadium being built in the Arena District. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/11/14/coop.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101
May 1, 200817 yr Plan envisions race track at Cooper Stadium Thursday, May 1, 2008 11:39 AM By Barbara Carmen, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Race cars could replace baseball bats at Cooper Stadium, but the deal is far from done. Franklin County’s proposed $3.325 million sale to Arshot Investment Corp. (profile) could take 17 months to close. And the deal, County Commissioner Marilyn Brown said, has “a series of developmental contingencies.” But Brown and fellow Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy both said they are excited about the possibilities that a speedway could bring to Franklinton, including good jobs tourists and restaurants to Franklinton. Commissioners said they will do their “due diligence” and consider noise, neighborhood reaction, city tax breaks, and a rezoning application before closing the deal. William J. Schottenstein of Arshot said developers will also be checking the stadium’s structure – part would be kept for seating – and other issues before they’re ready to sign. Franklin County, which owns the stadium and the Clippers baseball team, plans to move the team into the new Huntington Park in the Arena District in 2009. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/05/01/coop.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101
May 2, 200817 yr Finally, all those auto part stores across the street from the stadium will make sense!
May 2, 200817 yr Auto races already happen at Cooper Stadium in the parking lot. It's called autocross and involves a timed competition though a temporary course made with traffic cones. Many of the cars are race cars, so there is already this type of noise going on on a regular basis. Though, if they build a drag strip, Top Fuelers are going to be way louder than anything the area has ever heard (though I doubt they will run Top Fuelers there).
May 3, 200817 yr I'm not opposed to the plan. This could really pump some money into franklinton and spur growth in the area.Although the noise factor could be a hinderence in attracting people to live in a close proximity to a racetrack.I definately think this is the best plan so far for the coop and for the areas economy.
May 4, 200817 yr Buckeye what makes you think it will spur development in Franklinton? Cooper Stadium is a dump. Have they even done anything with Sullivant Gardens? Central Pointe? That neighborhood hasn't changed one bit since I grew up there. They have always talked about how development will creep into the bottoms from downtown but I've seen hardly any sign of it. Also, I don't particularly want to hear race cars and screaming fans when I visit my grandma's grave at Greenlawn. That's just weird.
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