In the almost-century since, however, the fates of those parks couldn't be more different. While Red Sox fans have filled their stadium in good times and bad (even if there were periods in the 1960s when attendance was less than 500 per game), in the late 1990s, the owners of the Red Sox announced plans to tear down the park and replace it with a near-duplicate, adding such "modern" features as luxury boxes (that could be purchased by corporations).
After an uproar
from fans, the plan was finally scrapped in 2005, and today Fenway is
considered a gem, as the Sox have refurbished, renovated, and upgraded the park, adding seats in places that would have once
been thought impossible -- like on top
of the left field wall -- in an effort to increase capacity one of the smallest
stadiums in the majors. Fenway is one of the toughest tickets to get in baseball, with a sold-out streak that goes back to 2003. For all the improvements, though,
most of Fenway would be recognizable to any Boston fan from the 1910s. The
park retains its small dimensions, and such unique features as the "Green Monster,"
"Pesky’s Pole," and "Williamsburg" are intact and part of the park’s future as well as
its past.
Tiger Stadium, on the other hand, barely exists
anymore. The longtime home of the Detroit Tigers hosted six World Series
and reflected the working-class nature of its city. It was a place for major leaguers to work, not a place to admire the sights -- although the stadium
had its own unique features, such as the 125-foot tall flagpole in center field and the only double-decked bleachers in the majors. Despite Detroit's economic downturn, Tiger fans remained loyal and tens of thousands filled
the park at the intersection of Michigan Ave. and
Trumball St. for every game.
But the die was
cast; management decided it was more economical to build a new stadium than to rehabilitate the old one, and the Tigers moved out
after the 1999 season. The city of Detroit took the place over, and even though nearly $4 million was spent to maintain
it, things were too far gone
and demolition
began in July 2008. Fortunately, an agreement was reached to keep the diamond
and the portion of the grandstand between the bases intact as a museum. The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy is still raising funds for the cause, so Tiger Stadium's
future is unclear.
At this point, we should probably mention that on April 20, 1916, Weeghman Park
in Chicago opened. You probably know that stadium better as Wrigley Field
-- but that's a story of ivy-covered walls, no night games, and billy goats best left for another day.
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