Thursday, May 29, 2008

Recapping the last month...

Tomorrow I will be giving my terminal project presentation (basically a thesis defense). The scope of the project has changed so much that, as I prepare, I find myself surprised at all of the things I still don't know, as well as the new things I have learned.

The Save Civic Stadium campaign is gaining momentum, and I am proud to say that the first public meeting to promote the organization and its mission went very well. A representative group also attended a city council meeting on Tuesday evening, and the 9 speakers eloquently plead the case for the preservation of Civic Stadium.

I feel that my three minutes really sum up the last month and my associated research, so I am reproducing it here. It goes a little something like this...

"Good evening, my name is Natalie Perrin and I am a graduate student at the University of Oregon. In June of 2007 I submitted a National Register nomination for Eugene Civic Stadium, which unanimously passed state and local review before being forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C. The 4J Public School District had a concern about the proposed boundary line, which has since been clarified. The nomination will be re-reviewed by the Oregon State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (O-SACHP) at their meeting on June 5th, 2008. With the clarifications that have been made the nomination should be passed [fingers crossed] by the end of the summer, 2008.

I also wrote my thesis on the Stadium, and would like to take this opportunity to discuss the benefits to the City of Eugene by preserving Civic. First, Goal 5 of the Oregon Statewide Planning Goals and Guidelines states that local governments shall adopt programs that will protect and conserve scenic and historic resources for present and future generations. They promote a healthy environment that contributes to Oregon's livability. In addition to it being our Civic duty under these stated planning goals, saving Civic Stadium makes viable financial sense as well.

The overall goals of sustainability and green urbanism that Eugene purports to embrace are best represented in preservation. The embodied energy of the structure of the grandstand - the old growth Douglas fir, the WPA labor - are immeasurable. By preserving the stadium we reduse construction waste and the pressures on our landfills. The stadium, after all, is in good condition and has repeatedly been found to be structurally sound through reports commissioned by 4J.

Heritage Tourism is also a factor, and the increase in revenues that the city could see from successful promotion of this historic site as a tourist destination could be exceptionally beneficial to the community. Heritage tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry in the US, and one Eugene should capitalize on. For example, Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama has brought more than 20,000 visitors per year, and acted as a catalyst for reinvestment and redevelopment of the surrounding area.

There is no doubt that the 6+ acres that surround our beloved Grandstand and Field are currently underutilized. Preservation of this rare historic resource does not have to restrict progress, nor should it. Preservation of Civic Stadium in conjunction with redevelopment of the site could serve to put Eugene on the map as a model city committed to preservation and progress. It is my hope that as the City of Eugene moves forward we remember that existing buildings can house extraordinary learning spaces while providing a link to the past for the community.

Thank You."

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A bit of a rant...

It's been a while, my apologies. The best I can say is it hasn't gotten any easier to be a grad student. Too many commitments, projects, papers, programs, lectures... you get the idea.

I am in the process of writing the literature review for my research on Civic, a combination of research that is convoluted at best. I have looked at sustainability, downtown development, green urbanism, other stadiums (both extant and long gone), and municipal plans for the restoration of historic schools and public facilities. All of this information has mushed together in my head to form a dense cake of ideas and hopeful wishes for the future.

I am sure that there is a solid solution for the preservation of the stadium - heck, I could list 3 viable, financially solid, culturally stimulating suggestions here and now. The problem I am facing is not with finding a system that will work, but employing the support from the public to make it happen.

Only YOU can save Civic Stadium!

Why am I saying this? Because I learned a valuable lesson this month. I have been reading the University of Oregon school paper, The Oregon Daily Emerald, and have noticed a trend in recent articles. Comments on the new baseball stadium being financially insoluble, the new basketball arena unable to yield a profit, the Rec Center is in debt... One article actually proposed an ostrich approach - bury our heads in the sand and find a solution in 10 - 15 years when it becomes a real problem.

Okay - I'm not a financial expert by any means, but something ain't right here. If I were to approach any bank in America and say "I have this great design for a new So-and-So and if we build it it will cost $100 million dollars, and will not turn a profit ever because we can not make the numbers pencil" I'd be laughed out of the office fast than you can say financial feasibility.

Here I am working like mad to find a viable, valuable solution in which not only the cultural and built heritage can benefit but also the financial outlook of Eugene, and I could have just said "Awww, we'll worry about that pesky financial business later."

Okay, in all sincerity I find this to be shameful. By creating a falsely inflated financial market that a city can in no way support, you are not doing anybody any favors. When you are doing it at the sacrifice of heritage, culture, and untapped, TRUE financial potential... I just don't know how anyone can justify that.

So, I continue to struggle with finding REAL solutions for the future of Civic Stadium that does not burden the tax payer, the city, or the future of Eugene financially. My solution, I hope, will do just the opposite - benefit the people, the local economy, and the cultural heritage of our built environment.

It's wacky, I know, but it's the best I can do.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Research is Key

I have a great idea!

Truth be told I have a new "great idea" about every thirty seconds. It's fantastic really, and fully attributable to all of the wonderful people I have had occasion to speak with regarding Civic over the past few weeks.

I had a great meeting with The Friends of Civic Stadium, specifically Dennis Hebert and Tom Halferty, a couple of weeks back. We discussed the possibility of city stewardship of the site. I've had conversations with people who love the site because they used to sling sodas and hot dogs there when they were kids; people who can't imagine baseball with cold metal bleachers and jumbo-trons; people who know that this grandstand is vital to the recreational needs of Eugene, and has played a significant part in the cultural growth of the city.

At the same time, I have been doing a LOT of reading, researching other parks, other municipal preservation projects, incentives for the preservation of publicly funded historic structures, etc. In this, the news and mood are mixed. For those of you who may be interested in pursuing your own studies, I recommend starting with a wonderful book:

Preserve and Play: Preserving Historic Recreation and Entertainment Sites
By Sharon Park, FAIA, and David N. Fixler, AIA

This book contains numerous articles on various recreational projects and activities around the country, and even some international examples. The vibe, as I said, is mixed - a collection of excellent success stories sometimes contrasting harshly with the reality of demolition. One article I specifically want to discuss here regarded Detroit's former Tiger Stadium. For those of you who are not familiar with the site, Wikipedia has this to say:

"
Tiger Stadium is located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. It hosted the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team for nearly a century before that franchise moved into the new Comerica Park in 2000. It also hosted the Detroit Lions of the National Football League for many years. It was declared a State of Michigan Historic Site in 1975 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989. It is scheduled for demolition in 2008."

Why am I telling you this? Because it is important to understand that, while many excellent and creative ideas have come forward to attempt to save and reuse Tiger Stadium, all have been refused by the city. Why? Good question. Politics is the most likely answer, and unfortunate given the public outcry to save the site. Mainly I want to note that my earlier post - "all we need is a good idea" - well, apparently I was wrong. Sometime even a great idea is not enough in the face of overwhelming political disinclination.

What can we learn from this? That it is exceptionally important that any attempts to save Civic Stadium be conducted in a positive and non-confrontational manner, and directly take the financial and development needs of the city of Eugene into account. It also means that our city officials need to be willing to listen, give credence to, and approve well developed plans that protect the stadium while incorporating solid ideas for financial and community growth. If we bring them, they won't necessarily approve them - unless we have the support of the community and city from the beginning.

This does not mean that saving the stadium and benefiting the city are mutually exclusive - in fact they can only be tied together! Evolution of the cultural community CAN and SHOULD be directly linked to the evolution of the city of Eugene as we go forward into the 21st Century. But the citizens of Eugene MUST express the desire to save Civic, and be willing to follow up.

How do we do this? Well, looking at other models has been a key starting place for me in my research. It is wonderful to live in the modern world of email and mass production, because it means we all have access to the tools to learn from other peoples mistakes and successes. Again, I encourage anyone to read Preserve and Play, and take note of David Brewer's article on the preservation of Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Rickwood also has a fantastic interactive website, full of historic photos and information:

rickwood.com

Rickwood Field is a marked example of a success story, with a public/private partnership. To quote David Brewer:

"Rickwood is owned by the city of Birmingham, and is leased to the Friends of Rickwood. We are the 501-c-3 organization responsible for the preservation, restoration, and revitalization of the park. We have enjoyed [being] here since 1992, a mutually beneficial relationship with the city, and the Birmingham Board of Education's athletic department, who has its offices located at the park. Our funding comes from a number of sources, both public and private."

So, what all this rambling means is that hope is not lost, and Eugene Civic Stadium can and should continue to serve the community in exactly the fashion for which it was built - as a multi-purpose municipal athletic facility.

Just some stuff to think about...

Friday, February 8, 2008

3 Minutes...

It has been a hectic week, to say the very least. The Ems are (90% sure) headed to the new UO baseball stadium, and some feel that Civic is doomed. It doesn't help that this morning's Register-Guard suggested the Civic site as a possibility for a new hospital.

Dr. Janice Rutherford told me today that "it's hard to be a grad student and an activist," and I couldn't agree more. I never set out to be an activist - the work load is a nightmare! But in the 3 minutes I have now, I want to say something positive and upbeat that will make myself and others believe that there is still help for the future...

So here is my profoundly dry positive reinforcement:

Civic Stadium is not doomed. All we need is a great idea.

Friday, February 1, 2008

The Long and Winding Road

I never meant to take it this far.

It was supposed to have been a class project, a term of research and The End. But short term interests often balloon into long term obsessions. And so here I am, a year after I began researching Eugene Civic Stadium, realizing that I have only just begun.

It began with a hypothetical scenario. Nominating a property for the National Register of Historic Places is complicated at best, and a 10-week class on the topic barely scratches the surface of the process. As a graduate student in Historic Preservation at the University of Oregon, I began the class during the Winter, 2007, and chose a site out of a list of potentially eligible properties here in Eugene.

I choose Civic Stadium because it was unique, but having never been to the site I hardly had a personal investment in the property. In truth it's all my boyfriend's fault, Ryan and his obsession with baseball kindling a here-to-for unknown interest. We attended Braves games back in Atlanta before I moved to Eugene in the Fall of 2006, and the beautiful ballet of baseball was suddenly a subject of reverence. The national past-time, the sport of America... it all seemed so poetic through Ryan's eyes.

So I chose Civic Stadium, perhaps mostly as a way to kindle conversation with the man I loved who was still in Atlanta. By day I waded through old photos, tax records, and National Register bulletins, quagmired with studies which I excitedly shared with Ryan during our evening phone calls. "You should see this park, it's beautiful. You would love it."

I found a picture of the opening day celebration, an old and faded microfilm from the Eugene Register-Guard. The local band marched on the field, making giant letters to mark the camaraderie between area schools. And suddenly this was more than a research project. This stadium, continuously used as a multi-purpose athletic facility for the community since it was dedicated in 1938, is special.

Not only was Civic eligible for the National Register, it was eligible on multiple counts. The more research, the more I realized that this stadium was exceptional - one of the few wooden ballparks left in the Pacific Northwest, one of the few left in the US. Everyone I spoke to showed marked reverence when speaking of the old ballpark. This was no longer a hypothetical for me - this Stadium was eligible, extraordinary, and should be recognized as such.

In the Spring of 2007 I spoke with my teacher, Liz Carter, who had been invaluable in helping me wade through the process of Nomination for the class project and was now willing to help me for real. I often say that I do not know how a lay person could complete the process of nominating a structure to the Register - it's really complicated. But more research, more paperwork, and several hours spent hand labeling black-and-white archival prints in pencil (have you ever tried to write on a photo in pencil? how about 2 sets of 34 photos? it takes FOREVER!)...

And, wallah! A nomination. That was politically charged and still required more edits, 2 public hearings, and still more edits. But as of today, the nomination has been sent to the Keeper in Washington, DC, for final approval. Come early March, 2008, we should know for sure.

In the meantime, those public hearings enabled me to get to know the key players in the game - not just the owners (4J Public School District) or the primary lease holders (The Eugene Emeralds, a minor league baseball team), but also the public who have such a vested interest in the site. And I was getting to know Civic Stadium well, attending ball games and growing more fond of this beautiful stadium by the minute.

But nomination of the site does not solve the major issue of preservation - and this ball park needs maintenance. Since 4J declared the site surplus in 2003, almost nothing has been invested in the upkeep of Civic Stadium. And declaring the site a national register property does not alleviate financial concerns...

Okay, maybe I'm an overachiever, but I couldn't just walk away. So the site is listed, so what? It still needs money and restoration and maintenance - and how exactly does a Public School on a tight budget balance their mission of education with thousands of dollars of needed upgrades and repairs to a facility that is surplus?

Good question.

So here I am, and this quick research project has become my terminal project - the BIG one, so to speak, that will determine when and if I graduate. I am currently writing a comprehensive History, Historic Structures Report, and Preservation Plan for Eugene Civic Stadium, specifically focusing on the financial incentives for the preservation of publicly owned historic sites.

This blog will serve as a forum for me to bounce ideas out into the public, and I welcome suggestions and comments on anything I post here. Sometimes, I may babel on about research, sometimes I may sum-up meetings I have had.

Always I am working to find a way to save Eugene Civic Stadium.