Nagl: Historic Hamtramck Stadium gets $20,000 boost
From Kurt Nagl at Crain’s Detroit Business on June 8, 2018, with mention of SABR member Gary Gillette:
Plans to renovate historic Hamtramck Stadium took a step forward Friday as Comerica Bank became the first corporate sponsors of the project.
The Dallas-based bank presented a $20,000 check to Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium — the nonprofit spearheading the renovations — during the Negro Leagues Legacy luncheon on Friday at Comerica Park.
Hamtramck Stadium is one of five remaining locations in the country where Negro League teams once played. It was home to the Negro National League Detroit Stars, according to a news release.
Built in 1930, the ballpark was purchased by the city of Hamtramck in 1940 and renovated by the Wayne County Road Commission the following year. It has fallen into disrepair since. The diamond has been overgrown and the bleachers have been closed, while the field is used for casual soccer and cricket play.
“As a field that’s welcomed at least 18 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Hamtramck Stadium deserves the preservation efforts and attention it’s beginning to receive,” Gary Gillette, president of the Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium, said in a news release.
Read the full article here: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20180608/news/663161/historic-hamtramck-stadium-renovation-scores-20000-boost
Originally published: June 11, 2018. Last Updated: June 11, 2018.