#urban baseball

[newyorkthegoldenage]

City kids playing sandlot baseball, ca. 1933.

Photo: Aaron Siskind via the Jewish Museum

[postismaps]

Root River Ballpark

After a decade and half of living in Seattle, Italy, and England, I recently moved back to my hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. I love Racine, but my hometown has fallen upon hard times. Like many Rustbelt cities manufacturing moved out years ago and today unemployment is high. The thing about Racine is it’s a really nice place; scenic, friendly, historic, right on Lake Michigan, and near two major metro areas without being swallowed by either. I want to help Racine and here is my idea to enliven our charming town: build a scenic baseball field along the banks of the Root River. This could be used to lure a Northwoods League team to Racine as well as create opportunities for local youths to learn the game and excel.

Site Plan: tear down an abandoned warehouse and build a ballpark along the river bank.

Home runs hit over the center field wall would splash in the Root River ala AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Ballpark would seat roughly 3000-5000 with scenic sight lines of the riverbank and wooded hillside.

Building the ballpark would double as a pretext to revitalize the area by adding public river access and pathway along the river.

With proper funding an urban youth baseball academy or the Racine Baseball Cooperative could move in to the former church adjacent to property.

My goal is to create a “neighborhood ballpark” where most fans can walk, cycle, or take transit to games ala Wrigley Field. 

Ballpark would have a catchment area of over 100,000 residents.

All I need is $4,000,000...

[apfelstrudels]

Urban Baseball