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.