Tiger Stadium
For over 85 years, the unique sounds of sports have echoed from within the confines of Tiger Stadium. Propelled by the aggressive and talented Ty Cobb, the Detroit Tigers reached the World Series (but didn't win) in 1907, 1908, and 1909. Attendance increased repeatedly, and owner Frank Navin paid for the $300,000 construction of a new "modern" concrete-and-steel park in 1911 that alleviated the constant threat of fire presented by wooden grandstands. In 1923, growing attendance led Navin to double-deck the ballpark's stands from first to third base and add a press box to the stadium's roof. The team's first World Series victory over the Chicago Cubs in 1935 paid for additions that enclosed and double-decked the entire park in 1936, bringing seating capacity up to 53,000.
The Tigers have been World Series Champions three times since World War II: in 1945 carried by the heavy hitting of Hank Greenberg, in 1968 with a powerful team led by Al Kaline, and again in 1984, when Sparky Anderson managed a dominant Tiger team. In 1938, the Detroit Lions football team began playing in Tiger Stadium and stayed until 1975, when the team moved to the Pontiac Silverdome. Today, Tiger Stadium is among the last of the once numerous 1910s and 1920s concrete-and-steel ballparks.
On September 27, 1999, the Detroit Tigers played their last game at the historic field and moved to the Comerica Park in 2000. The new ball park houses a “Walking Hall of Fame” that exhibits the history of the Detroit Tigers. Since the departure of the Tigers, the stadium has been managed by the city of Detroit.
The other two historic concrete-and-steel parks -- Boston's Fenway Park and Chicago's Wrigley Field -- remain active. Tiger Stadium and its collected history have joined the ranks of the always remembered, but no longer able to be experienced ballparks of baseball history.
Tiger Stadium is located at 2121 Trumbull Avenue directly north of Michigan Avenue, and directly south of U.S. Highway 75. Tiger Stadium is currently not open to the public.
Information and photos courtesy of the National Register for Historic Places Detroit, MI Travel Itinerary, a subsidiary of the National Park Service.
