10/03/2010

Is the First Brooklyn Dodger Stadium Being Torn Down for a Parking Lot?

I was dismayed to see that a section of Washington Park, the original home of the Brooklyn Dodgers located at 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street has been demolished. This is the site of one of the oldest baseball stadiums in America, the Dodger's played there before moving to Ebbett's Field. It opened in 1890 and closed in 1914. George Washington camped out at that site during the Battle of Brooklyn and the stadium was named in his honor. The building is now owned by Con Edison and word on the street is that it is going to be turned into a parking lot. I blogged about this back in December and my "distraught friend" who alerted me to the goings on at the site has spoken to various NY preservation agencies. They say that they have spoken to the NYC landmarks commission and that they said that it "was really not worthy of saving" and that the NY Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation said it is "just a remnant". Aren't remnants things that need preserving? What's wrong with preserving a MAJOR remnant of baseball history? Why does it need to be turned into a PARKING LOT of all things?!This is what the now partially demolished side of the building looked like before the deed was done, along the Third Avenue side. You can see by the shape of the bricked in windows that it was a stadium at one time.This side of the stadium was the left field side.This is what it looks like now. Anyway just putting it out there. I would love it if there was a way to stop it from turning into another parking lot. Not for nothing but just who needs to park there anyway? Last time I checked there was (and always is) plenty of parking on 3rd Street between 3rd Avenue and the bridge.

2 comments:

Margaret said...

depressing and outrageous

Anonymous said...

Where is the EPA and why can't they stop this development? Did they take the summer off?