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...