Posted June 9, 200718 yr City pushes League Park renovation plan Cleveland plans to pump $5 million into the renovation of League Park, the historic ballpark in the Hough neighborhood where Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run. The renovation will cost $8.5 million, city officials said, and they hope to raise the rest of the money through private donations. The public money will come from the sale of bonds in 2008 and 2009 as part of Mayor Frank Jackson's five-year capital plan. It would pay to restore the ballfield with home plate in its original spot and a replica of the outfield wall. Plans also call for renovating the ticket house, the underground tunnel that ran from the clubhouse to the dugout and the original brick wall along East 66th Street, just north of Lexington Avenue.
June 9, 200718 yr I'd really like to see some more info on this. Isn't there something else that would give us a better return on our money than this? Its a cool idea, but I'm not sold on it.
June 9, 200718 yr I agree.. I'm not even disagreeing with the location for the money, just the use. And I love baseball.. ha
June 9, 200718 yr personally, I like the idea of this site being reused. Neighborhood ball clubs, CSU and the High Schools could use this site. Could be a good use for OHSAA to hold tourneys. However, as stated above. I need so see the whole financial package.
June 9, 200718 yr I think this a great need for one of the absolute worst areas in the city. This could help the neighborhood a lot. A hit for League Park Saturday, June 09, 2007 Susan Vinella Plain Dealer Reporter Cleveland plans to pump $5 million into the renovation of League Park, the historic ballpark in the Hough neighborhood where Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run. The renovation will cost $8.5 million, city officials said, and they hope to raise the rest of the money through private donations. The public money will come from the sale of bonds in 2008 and 2009 as part of Mayor Frank Jackson's five-year capital plan. It would pay to restore the ballfield with home plate in its original spot and a replica of the outfield wall. more at: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/06/city_pushes_league_park_renova.html
June 9, 200718 yr Good the initial package is what I like. This could be a great counterpart to the african american sports museum and the velodrome.
June 9, 200718 yr Could be a good use for OHSAA to hold tourneys. Doubtful they'd hold tournies there, I think you're forgeting the neighborhood it's located in, not exactly where schools like Hudson or Solon are going to want to play, as bad as that sounds, they'd simply want another location.
June 9, 200718 yr Could be a good use for OHSAA to hold tourneys. Doubtful they'd hold tournies there, I think you're forgeting the neighborhood it's located in, not exactly where schools like Hudson or Solon are going to want to play, as bad as that sounds, they'd simply want another location. Individual schools do not have a say as to where/what the OHSAA names as a tournament site. However, schools can lobby to be a site. If the equipment, the facility and its available, it can be eligible. Until Case Western and CSU started to upgrade their campuses & facilities, OHSAA tournes were played there. Collinwood and South High, Jane Addams until recently were host to many tourneys. There are schools and facilities all over this state that "aren't in the best of neighborhoods" that host high school tourneys. So I don't buy or buy into your theory. I hear you, but don't buy into it.
June 9, 200718 yr I never said individual schools should have the right to pick locations.. however.. I know for a fact that Division II this year for the Cleveland region was in Hudson.. I don't think that's a coincidence.
June 9, 200718 yr We heard this before, hopefully this time it will become a reality. 1936 photo "Ladies Day at League Park"
June 9, 200718 yr I know for a fact that Division II this year for the Cleveland region was in Hudson.. I don't think that's a coincidence. That is one Regional game out of 32 (including softball). Not to mention the section/district games. But anyway, I just hope this project goes forward with a league park museum.
June 10, 200718 yr I agree though, it does deserve a museum.. so many historic events occurred there.
June 10, 200718 yr No that was the regional finals, 1 out of 4.. all of Cleveland area. Incorrect. For Baseball and Softball, there are FOUR divisions in Ohio, Division 1, Division 2, Division 3 & Division 4. Each division has four regionals for baseball and softball. Once again, the Hudson regional was ONE regional site out of 32 throught Ohio.
June 10, 200718 yr My apologies, would you happen to know the site nearest to League Park used this year?
June 10, 200718 yr wow that is quite a commitment of cash by the city. good news. long overdue, loooong over due. i hope it works out.
June 12, 200718 yr hopefully, this will give the nearby housing development a boost. I'm happy to hear this...
June 12, 200718 yr league park is on my route to work. I ride my bike through hough everyday. it is rough, but not that bad. I think it is important to actually put your foot in a neighborhood at least a couple times before you pass judgement on it. there are certainly problems there, but things like this could do alot. being upset by placement of money is such a tricky issue. historical preservation money rarely comes from the same place as other community investments. it is a win for cleveland to finally get something to fix this long forgotten site.
June 12, 200718 yr well yes and a new stadium was built in its place. much like league park, just a much smaller scale but "right" sized. now we just need to tear down the red cross so we can build a basketball court where the cleveland arena once stood!
June 12, 200718 yr I think in theory this is a good idea...but not sure where this money is coming from..there are rumbles of more layoffs in the fire department again...I would rather see the money used for things that we need...not want
June 12, 200718 yr I think in theory this is a good idea...but not sure where this money is coming from..there are rumbles of more layoffs in the fire department again...I would rather see the money used for things that we need...not want I think this is a "need" but I guess that answer depends on who you ask.
June 13, 200718 yr A need? Besides people who were born prior to 1936.. that would make them 10 when League Park closed in 1946, I'm sorry, but to the average person in Cleveland, this money is a waste..
June 13, 200718 yr Does that mean we shouldn't use public funds for any historic structures, memorials, monuments and other structures or facilities that celebrate or memorialize something that happened before many of us were born? You sound like you're suggesting that when a place which notes a point in history older than the average age of people, then we should no longer support it? No wonder why many people in the rest of the world say Americans are rich in the wallet but poor in the soul. Many also say we lack a sense of our own history. So I guess if it doesn't pass muster in a cost-benefit analysis, then we should no longer support it? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 13, 200718 yr I would rebuild as a simple complex and prep it so when the jake is old 15 years from now,get the indians to move to league park. In the mean time,push development east ward full speed ahead It should not take long to go from the E12 to E55.
June 13, 200718 yr ^that sounds sensible to me, but oh no do we really have to start thinking about the next jake already???
June 13, 200718 yr It's hardly much of a structure anymore.. it's a baseball field with a small portion of the grandstand/ticket office left.. lets not make this out like we're saving Terminal Tower from the wrecking ball.. I don't appreciate that poor in the soul comment either buddy, I have a great sense of history and have taken part in campaigns to save historical buildings, so know who you're talking to KJP before you going slamming me.
June 13, 200718 yr I judged you by your silly comment. I didn't see a name or your credentials included. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 14, 200718 yr Yes we do... ^that sounds sensible to me, but oh no do we really have to start thinking about the next jake already???
June 14, 200718 yr The way I see it, this is a public investment in a public facility... a park that also happens to be a historic site worthy of saving and desperately in need of renovation. Not only will this facility serve an underserved neighborhood as a community gathering place, but it will (ideally) spur other neighborhood reinvestment from private parties, home and property owners, banks (lenders), etc. Hough needs this attention and I full support it!
June 16, 200717 yr Cool I agree, a well planned investment and additional development could do wonders for that area.
June 17, 200717 yr The site is nowhere near large enough to house an MLB stadium. Prepping the site for that would include either tearing down Linwood Ave (at least, possibly Lawnview and 66th or 70th as well) and all the houses on those streets and leaving them vacant for the 20-30 years, and/or making sure no development happens around there that you wouldn't feel bad about tearing down once you decide to build. This is a pet project of mine, as a baseball fan and a fan of old ballparks I would love to see League Park rebuilt legitimately, perhaps as a minor league stadium, once the city makes a miraculous turnaround and can support another team.
April 1, 200817 yr I thought they'd given up on this: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . ? League Park still on hold this year Monday, March 31, 2008 What happened to the renovation of League Park? Cleveland still hopes to make more memories at a fabled ballpark, but the long-awaited revival of League Park will have to wait another baseball season at least. "Whatever happened to . . ." is a weekly series updating some of the most newsworthy and interesting stories covered in The Plain Dealer. Have a suggestion on a story we should update? Send it to John Kuehner at [email protected], or call 216-999-5325. © 2008 The Plain Dealer © 2008 cleveland.com All Rights Reserved.
April 3, 200817 yr Honestly holding off on this probably isn't a bad idea...Good to see there is still interest though... For the record, probably the only thing I enjoy in the PD is the "what's the deal with" ; "what ever happened to" series...Though I would prefer an UO version...
April 3, 200817 yr For the record, probably the only thing I enjoy in the PD is the "what's the deal with" ; "what ever happened to" series...Though I would prefer an UO version... I like that series as well. I wish they'd do more of it.
June 4, 200817 yr I always wanted to see League Park, but I never did. Today I was in the Clinic area so on my way back I was determined to find League Park. It is a Skeleton of the Grandstand/ticket office and a grassy field. Does anyone know what the restoration plans are? Are they going to try to turn this into a Baseball Field for actual games or will this be a museum. By the way does anyone know the seating capacity of league park? This park sits exactly on the corner of the street.
June 4, 200817 yr The ticket office is actually in the right field corner area of the park. It seated around 22,000. A 60 foot high right field fence actually ran down Lexington. From past pics ive seen it was one beautiful neighborhood ballpark.
June 4, 200817 yr The park was also discussed at another thread on Hough (the park's neighborhood). Here's a post with photos I took of the park eight years ago........ http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2047.msg18490.html#msg18490 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 4, 200817 yr ^That's absolutely beautiful! It would be nice to see this thing take off again some day.
June 4, 200817 yr Thanks that was a nice ballpark. Hopefully they can get this restored and use it for something like CSU baseball or even Independent Minor League baseball.
June 6, 200817 yr Any project like this, particualrly if partially funded by private or even MLB dollars, is a good thing for that neighborhood. Could spark a further housing renewal at least in the surrounding blocks.
June 6, 200817 yr I would love to see CSU play inside city limits, but isn't part of the master plan for CSU to have the team play right on campus eventually?
June 11, 200817 yr What we've been waiting to hear! (with hopefully more news to come...but this is definitely a start.) http://www.newsnet5.com/sports/16561096/detail.html Congress Secures Money To Restore Cleveland's League Park POSTED: 3:21 pm EDT June 10, 2008 UPDATED: 3:28 pm EDT June 10, 2008 CLEVELAND -- The Ohio House of Representatives approved $150,000 for the restoration of Cleveland's historic League Park. The ballpark, most of which was demolished in the 1950s, was the former home of the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland's Negro League teams. All that remains of the park today is the ticket booth and part of a wall. The goal is to rebuild the park as a sports facility and a museum. It would also be a Hough neighborhood center. The Ohio Senate must first approve the bill before it goes before Gov. Ted Strickland.
June 11, 200817 yr Great news!! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 11, 200817 yr Good News But what are they planning for 150,000 Don't they need millions. Are they planning to put in seats.
June 11, 200817 yr That money will only be able to cover cleaning up the area and doing some rehab on the remaining structures.. $150k won't go very far.
June 11, 200817 yr Alot of 150K will need to be spent on site plans and architectural plans. Maybe they are planning on donations for the rest. You would think the Indians/Dolans/Shapiro's would pony up some cash.
June 11, 200817 yr You would think the Indians/Dolans/Shapiro's would pony up some cash. They'll make the standard, for show, PR donation that won't really contribute that much to the project, but it'll get their names/the team name on the plaque. That's my guess at least.
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