Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium [Renovation Completed]

[Boomer136]

I liked the earlier posted photos of Tinker in the old days when it was the queen of the block. But for as long as I remember it was this baseball park jammed up awkwardly next to the Citrus Bowl. Most events I've seen happen there have nothing to do with baseball and I think the fan experience tents, activities and traveling carnivals would work better on the wide lawn envisioned for the completed bowl (presumably laced with power tie ins). As much as people want to save it, you really can't and it still have use and it is only going to be a money pit if they did. Well, worse really, the Venue folks don't seem very hip on maintenance so would just continue to deteriorate until condemned.

 

Honor Tinker best I think by rebuilding over on the unfortunately named McCracken Field, but name it Tinker Stadium. Put a nice plaque flush in a suitably sized concrete pad over in the new lawn where the pitching mound was. Keep the name of that lawn Tinker Field. Have a nice space devoted to history, run by the Orange County Regional History Center perhaps, with gift shop. Make the new stadium feel like the original, bring some 1920s' nostalgia and charm to it. And if a baseball game is ever played in it again, so much the better.

[JFW657]

^ Good ideas all. But I don't think the people pushing for saving & restoring it will be happy with anything less than what they want. 

[truebluecfl]

If they would actually rebuild it to look original, I would be fine with that also, but they wont. They'll end up popping up two or three bleachers like they have at a high school, put a cheap little roof over it and stick a plaque in the ground then say they've honored history. The original stadium was 1500 seats and wooden, not 500 seats and aluminum.

 

[spenser1058]

A lot of the pushback is happening is because this administration has no credibility. As the Sentinel noted in its editorial, "...But presenting this plan as a virtual done deal was asking for trouble."

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-dyer-tinker-field-20140207,0,3806884.story

 

"Bulldozer" Buddy has been pulling these stunts almost since he was elected, when the bulldozers leveled the Jaymont Block in the middle of the night with no warning. We saw the same approach to the "Eola 5". It's certainly possible to make the case that the results were worthwhile, but the approach has been abysmal from day one. After his arrest in "Absentee-gate", Buddy resumed office saying he had been chastened by the experience (the background on that whole episode was that Buddy tried to slam an annexation down the county's throat and Darth Crotty and his Empire Struck Back), but this is just the latest example that nothing has changed.

 

You'll not see Buddy making the sort of pitch for Orlando's neighborhoods that he makes for his big-ticket items, which always seem to enrich some developers, speculators or in the case of the Citrus Bowl, the old-boy network of FCS (look and see how much FCS had to raise for Citrus Bowl expansion, when public polling showed DPAC was what mattered.) Little things matter as mayor, not only the neighborhoods but also the deplorable shape of many of the City's streets (I've seen more potholes here since Buddy became mayor than in all previous administrations combined.)

 

It's gotten so bad, Buddy's worst enemies are now those from his own political party. I walked precincts for Buddy, contributed to the campaigns, and defended some of the earlier episodes. No more. Let's remember Tinker isn't worth saving at the moment because the City let it get in this condition, just as it did with the Jaymont Block. What parts of the historic core will be next? Have you seen one peep out of this administration in 11 years about plans for the buildings along Orange Avenue, many of which badly need some attention before they too are deemed "too far gone?" No, you haven't. 

 

We've seen this movie before, of course. Robert Moses played the same game in New York City for decades until, finally, Jane Jacobs gathered the coalition that said STOP. Before it was over, so much was lost, that even Jackie Kennedy attempted to save great pieces of history like Penn Station.

 

Tinker Field is just the tipping point of an arrogance that has possessed this City Hall for over a decade. Has Buddy made substantial contributions to improving Orlando in that time? Yes. However, some of us feel his "cure" is coming perilously close to killing the patient.

[Boomer136]

Perhaps not too original I guess truebluecfl, that first pick of the extra bleachers looks a bit too scary. Ah our brave, non-litigious fore-fathers!

 

And I would hope it'd be north of 3000 seats, else what's the point? And how much is it the Mayor's office just letting the Venues, except the arena, be run into the ground because they just trust the job is being done? Not offering an sort of defense, just wondering how things work in our town.

[John Hargrove]

Perhaps not too original I guess truebluecfl, that first pick of the extra bleachers looks a bit too scary. Ah our brave, non-litigious fore-fathers!

 

And I would hope it'd be north of 3000 seats, else what's the point? And how much is it the Mayor's office just letting the Venues, except the arena, be run into the ground because they just trust the job is being done? Not offering an sort of defense, just wondering how things work in our town.

 

The bleachers also caught my eye. Pretty amusing.

[truebluecfl]

Hah, obviously they wouldn't build those. Bleachers like that were always added on the side of smaller ballparks. My guess is those lasted two or three seasons. You can see in the third picture the grandstands are still the same but the bleachers are new. 

 

I would also hope it would be more than 3000 seats but the city seems pretty intent on making it as little league as possible. And as for keeping up the arena, there are multiple "minor" issue's I've seen that have gone unfixed for two years, and the place is barely four years old. So I don't think its preferential treatment, just the city not wanting to put anymore money into it...or somebody's not doing their job.

[JFW657]

Much ado about nothing.

[truebluecfl]

To some people.

[JFW657]

Ya can't save everything.

[truebluecfl]

True, but I feel this is one thing worth saving. We disagree on this subject, as several of my other friends do too, and its okay. That's what makes America great.

[prahaboheme]

Functionally it doesn't seem that Tinker was worth saving, but I do hope the historic elements that remained were preserved and that the rebuilt Tinker pays homage to it's beginnings. 

[spenser1058]

Dyer halts demolition of Tinker Field, for now

 

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-tinker-field-grandstands-dyer-20140210,0,2627048.story

 

 '"I can't support the demolition of Tinker Field….We get more public input on speed humps on a street than this process involving millions of dollars and the destruction of a historic asset, and I feel that is wrong," said Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who went on to blister the Dyer administration for a lack of transparency.'

Amen.

Edited February 11, 2014 by spenser1058

[Bungalower-MattBroffman]

Transcribed all of Commissioner Sheehan's comments from the meeting plus included a video of them. It's great to have her speak out on the topic.

[Pete C]

Why did they leave that 1 ramp up to the upper deck on the east end zone. You can see it on Camera 2 on the construction cam site. It looks like they took the other 3 down, but left that one standing.

[spenser1058]

Why Tinker Field Is Worth Saving

 

http://orlandoretro.com/2014/02/13/why-tinker-field-is-worth-saving/

 

Another look at the history of this storied field and why we may not wish to lose it from the always fascinating Orlando Retro blog.

[truebluecfl]

Why did they leave that 1 ramp up to the upper deck on the east end zone. You can see it on Camera 2 on the construction cam site. It looks like they took the other 3 down, but left that one standing.

 

Probably something to do with the debris possibly falling onto Church street.

[Jernigan]

Since its days as a baseball field are 100 percent over, an out of box idea - enclose the whole thing into a sports hall of fame/museum with office space and a big event room that includes the preserves the restored seating like an auditorium?

Sort of like how the History Center still has the court room

[sunshine]

I like the museum idea. Create a museum with conference center. They can extend the building on this side of the citrus bowl to incorporate that. I think new phase to creata a cultural city is to build plenty of museums and this will be a good start. Since MLK spoke there, this can also be corporated into the museum. They can raise money for this.

 

If not, a memorial park would be good too. But knowing this is Orlando, neither will happend.

[jack]

Why Tinker Field Is Worth Saving

 

http://orlandoretro.com/2014/02/13/why-tinker-field-is-worth-saving/

 

Another look at the history of this storied field and why we may not wish to lose it from the always fascinating Orlando Retro blog.

 

Okay, I am convinced. Lets save Tinker Field. The question now is how? 

[Boomer136]

Or if they demolish and rebuild the stands in line where the gates are now, more towards Tampa Av, that would move home plate around 75' away from the Citrus Bowl making a game possible again.

[sunshine]

Keep the seats builing for outdoor community performance space. Build the new tinker field for baseball.

[truebluecfl]

Since its days as a baseball field are 100 percent over, an out of box idea - enclose the whole thing into a sports hall of fame/museum with office space and a big event room that includes the preserves the restored seating like an auditorium?

Sort of like how the History Center still has the court room

 

That would be great, has been my thought even before they announced the demo. You only have to look 2 hours north of here too see what can be done to save history, although JP Small Park is still used for baseball they made the interior buildings into a museum. And need I remind you that JACKSONVILLE saved this park and they have a brand new minor league stadium downtown. So since Tinker cant be used for pro baseball anymore, build the new field to hold baseball and keep most of Tinker intact for a museum.

 

Some Pictures of how they utilize James P Small Park in Jax, a much smaller ballpark with much less history than Tinker Field.

 

Source: http://deadballbaseball.com/?tag=james-p-small

 

 

And here's their new ballpark only several miles away.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_Grounds_of_Jacksonville

 

[sunshine]

Dare I said...build a MLB stadium and get a real team...

[truebluecfl]

Dare I said...build a MLB stadium and get a real team...

 

If Tampa doesn't build the Rays a real stadium in downtown TAMPA, then Orlando could. It would be worth it to keep them in central Florida, But the Sternberg's have made it clear they want to stay in the Bay. MLS is our deal.