25 replies to this topic

[kayman]

rtkenmore, on Aug 5 2008, 12:39 AM, said:

I didn't realize there was a Bham Barons thread already but I mentioned in the BJCC thread how great it would be to see the Barons return downtown.  It'd be awesome to see a quaint, old style park build in conjunction with the BJCC so it could feed off of the entertainment district.  With the right size park to host the Barons, it could also compete for the SEC Champsionshp games that are played at Hoover Met.  And I'm just going to go ahead and throw this idea out there as well...  As UAB sports mature and grow, the Baseball team could even use a downtown stadium once they need more space than their current field provides for spectators.  That would free valuable land up for the university to continue it's growth and building projects.

A stadium even at the Titusville site would be cool as it would be easily accessible to I-65 and would certainly help in revitalizing the area.  Not so sure about Avondale simply because of the access issues that could be downfalls.  There's no real easy interstate access directly into Avondale except by way of 280/31 from 3rd/4th Avenue and by way of 1st Avenue from 20/59.

Yeah, I'm more of a proponent of a Titusville or Northside site adjacent to the BJCC.  It would an awesome catalyst to get more nightlife in the City Center just look at Bricktown in OKC, since its a similar metropolitan in size and scale and it has done wonders for OKC's nightlife scene.

[dfwtiger]

rtkenmore, on Aug 5 2008, 12:39 AM, said:

I didn't realize there was a Bham Barons thread already but I mentioned in the BJCC thread how great it would be to see the Barons return downtown.  It'd be awesome to see a quaint, old style park build in conjunction with the BJCC so it could feed off of the entertainment district.  With the right size park to host the Barons, it could also compete for the SEC Champsionshp games that are played at Hoover Met.  And I'm just going to go ahead and throw this idea out there as well...  As UAB sports mature and grow, the Baseball team could even use a downtown stadium once they need more space than their current field provides for spectators.  That would free valuable land up for the university to continue it's growth and building projects.

A stadium even at the Titusville site would be cool as it would be easily accessible to I-65 and would certainly help in revitalizing the area.  Not so sure about Avondale simply because of the access issues that could be downfalls.  There's no real easy interstate access directly into Avondale except by way of 280/31 from 3rd/4th Avenue and by way of 1st Avenue from 20/59.

I think that it could work near the RR reservation park....closer to the interstate....How much space is used by Autozone park in Memphis?  I think....combined with structured parking and residential....you could make it work on a few acres.

[The Memphian]

dfwtiger, on Aug 13 2008, 08:13 AM, said:

I think that it could work near the RR reservation park....closer to the interstate....How much space is used by Autozone park in Memphis?  I think....combined with structured parking and residential....you could make it work on a few acres.

Here are the #s for AZP

http://www.memphis-r...tozone-park.php

Edited by The Memphian, 14 August 2008 - 07:19 PM.

[rolltider]

rolltider, on 07 June 2006 - 07:40 PM, said:

The Hoover Met is now about 20 years old.  In the 80's I lived in North Alabama and I would come to Bham two or three times a season to watch the Barons play at Rickwood and genuinely enjoyed the old ballpark.  

I remember when the Hoover Met was built it was one of the best in all of minor league baseball and I was happy to see a new modern stadium in Birmingham.

Since then the Met has lost its appeal.  It has no character and it sits in a secluded area at the end of a street with only one way in and one way out.  

Now I live close enough to the Met to see the lights and hear the fireworks when the Barons play at night and I have been to two Barons games in 7 years.

I would love to see a new 12,000 to 15,000 seat stadium in the Downtown area positioned so the skyline can be seen over the outfield fence.  A downtown stadium would allow workers to hang around downtown after work and watch a game and there would be things to do before and after the game besides walk across the parking lot.

Now that downtown is going through a renaissance it is time to start this discussion.  City's like Buffalo, Memphis, Nashville, Columbus, Ohio have built or are building stadiums in the central city to add to the downtown experiance.  

It is time for Birmingham to do the same.

The above was my post on June 7, 2006.  Tonight I just learned that the Barons have agreed to move to a new downtown baseball stadium much as described above.  Thank you Mayor Bell and I honestly believe this will be a huge success for the city and the Barons.

[Southron]

rolltider, on 04 November 2010 - 05:47 PM, said:

The above was my post on June 7, 2006.  Tonight I just learned that the Barons have agreed to move to a new downtown baseball stadium much as described above.  Thank you Mayor Bell and I honestly believe this will be a huge success for the city and the Barons.

Fantastic news!  I hope it does as much for downtown Birmingham as similar ballparks have done for downtowns around the country.

[Southron]

Mayor Bell will present a plan next week to build a new minor league baseball park on 1st Avenue South between 14th and 16th streets, near the Railroad Park.  The city will swap land with UAB to put the site together.

Plan calls for new Birmingham Barons park on First Avenue South


Edit: The Barons expect to move into the new ballpark by April 2013, but assembling the land may not be as easy as suggested in the article above. I guess we'll find out more next week.

Site set for downtown Birmingham ball park