History
Old Photos
Photos
Demolition Photos
Postcards
The history of Tiger Stadium is gathered from many internet and text sources. Though every attempt is made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. All rights reserved.
| Tiger Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2121 Trumbull Ave., Detroit |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Status: | Under Demolition | AKA: | Navin Field, Briggs Stadium, The Corner | ||||||||||||||||
| Style(s): | Arena | Architect : | Osborn Engineering | ||||||||||||||||
| Owner: | City of Detroit | Architectural Firm: | Unknown | ||||||||||||||||
Professional baseball was first played on the site, at a 5,000-seat ballpark known as Bennett Park, on April 28, 1896 — three years before Detroit even had an auto plant. The field, named after fan favorite Charlie Bennett, was built on the former site of a municipal hay market. The park was razed after the 1911 season and replaced with 23,000-seat Navin Field. The ballpark as we know it today opened April 20, 1912, the same day as Fenway Park in Boston - and six days after the RMS Titanic sank. Tiger Stadium was designed by the father and son team of Frank C. Osborn and Kenneth H. Osborn. Frank Osborn founded Osborn Engineering in Cleveland in 1892. The company pioneered in the use of reinforced concrete and built municipal and industrial facilities throughout the country. The firm designed more than 100 sports stadiums, including Fenway Park in Boston and Yankee Stadium in New York. Bernard Green of the same firm also designed Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The yard was expanded several times and had its name changed to Briggs Stadium in 1938 - the same year it was expanded to a capacity of 53,000 - before finally becoming Tiger Stadium in 1961. For many Detroiters, however, the place was known simply as The Corner. More than 11,000 home runs were creamed at the Corner. Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle hit the longest dingers of their careers at the stadium. Detroit outfielder George Stallings smacked the first round-tripper at the site on April 28, 1896, and Tiger Robert Fick clobbered the last: a grand slam in the final game that nearly cleared the right field roof. Thirty-six moon shots literally left the park since the upper deck was added in 1938. Tiger great Norm Cash did it four times; Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle accomplished the feat three times. In his farewell remarks following the final game, Ernie Harwell noted that the Corner hosted 6,873 regular season games, 35 postseason contests and three All-Star Games — in 1941, 1951 and 1971. The location was unique because, as a charter member of the American League, every American League starting player from 1900-1999 — from Babe Ruth to Ted Williams to Alvaro Espinoza — played at Michigan and Trumbull. There also were 10 no-hitters pitched at Tiger Stadium, but only two were by Tigers: Virgil Trucks in 1952 and George Mullin in 1910. Baseball wasn’t the only sport played at the ballpark. The first football game was held there on Oct. 9, 1921, when Detroit (also called the Tigers) squeaked by Dayton, 10-7. The Detroit Panthers would roam the Corner from 1925 to 1926 before the Lions set up shop at Briggs Stadium in 1938. Except for 1940, the Lions called the Corner home until Nov. 28, 1974, when they lost, 31-27 to Denver. Athletes weren’t the only stars to roam the Corner: Pat Boone, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Rod Stewart, Kiss and the Eagles were among the musical stars who performed there. On June 28, 1990, South African leader Nelson Mandela thrilled 49,000 listeners at Tiger Stadium by retelling his life during apartheid. The Three Tenors — Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti — sang before more than 31,000 there on July 17, 1999. The park closed two months later. There were many attempts to save and renovate the ballpark, but owner Mike Ilitch never seriously considered any of them, wanting a new park with nicer facilities and luxury boxes- which he said was necessary to make the team competitive. This was despite the fact that equally old ballparks, such as Fenway in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago, continue to draw huge crowds. The stadium became a State of Michigan Historic Site in 1975 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. An effort is under way to save a corner of the ballpark for future generations and donations are being accepted at SaveTigerStadium.org. For ongoing video updates of the demolition, go to our YouTube page. Subscribe to our channel to be alerted when new videos are added. Official Website: www.savetigerstadium.org |
|||||||||||||||||||
