Tiger Stadium

In 1895, Detroit Tigers owner George Vanderbeck had a new stadium built at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull avenues called Bennett Park, which featured a wooden grandstand with a wooden peaked roof in the outfield. The Tigers played at Bennett Park from 1896 to 1911, including their first World Series appearance in 1907. In 1911, Tigers owner Frank Navin decided to replace the wooden Bennett Park with a modern steel and concrete structure. Designed by Osborn Engineering Company, the new stadium opened on April 20, 1912, as Navin Field, the same week as Fenway Park in Boston and just days after the Titanic sank. The original Navin Field seated 23,000 and was considered one of the finest ballparks of its era. The stadium was expanded multiple times over the decades. In 1938, under new owner Walter Briggs Sr., the stadium was significantly renovated and renamed Briggs Stadium, with capacity expanded to over 52,000. The stadium was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961. The stadium hosted the World Series in 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968, and 1984, with the Tigers winning championships in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984. Tiger Stadium was the site of many historic moments in baseball. Ty Cobb played there, as did Hank Greenberg, who in 1938 chased Babe Ruth's single-season home run record, hitting 58 home runs. On July 8, 1941, the stadium hosted the MLB All-Star Game, won by the American League 7-5. On October 10, 1968, the Tigers clinched the World Series at Tiger Stadium, with Mickey Lolich winning his third game of the Series. On October 14, 1984, the Tigers clinched the World Series at Tiger Stadium, with Kirk Gibson hitting a famous three-run home run off Goose Gossage. The stadium also hosted the Detroit Lions of the NFL from 1938 to 1974, including the 1939 and 1940 NFL Championship Games. The Lions won the NFL Championship at Tiger Stadium in 1939. The stadium was also home to the Detroit Cougars of the NASL in 1967-1968. By the 1990s, the aging stadium was showing its age, and Tigers owner Mike Ilitch began pushing for a new ballpark. The last Tigers game at Tiger Stadium was played on September 27, 1999, with the Tigers defeating the Kansas City Royals 8-2, and 63-year-old legend Al Kaline throwing out the first pitch. The stadium was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, but this did not prevent its eventual demolition. After the Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 2000, several redevelopment and preservation efforts were proposed but ultimately failed. Demolition began on June 30, 2008, and was completed on September 21, 2009. The former playing field remained until 2018, when the site was redeveloped for youth sports as the Corner Ballpark, preserving the historic intersection of Michigan and Trumbull as a baseball destination.

Tiger Stadium was nicknamed 'The Corner' for its iconic location at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood. The stadium opened on April 20, 1912, the same week as Fenway Park in Boston and just five days after the sinking of the Titanic. It was originally called Navin Field, named after Tigers owner Frank Navin, and was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938 after owner Walter Briggs Sr., before finally becoming Tiger Stadium in 1961. The stadium hosted the World Series five times, with the Tigers winning championships in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984. Ty Cobb, one of the greatest players in baseball history, played at the stadium in its early years. Hank Greenberg chased Babe Ruth's single-season home run record at the stadium in 1938, hitting 58 home runs, just two short of Ruth's record. The stadium was the site of Kirk Gibson's famous three-run home run off Goose Gossage to clinch the 1984 World Series, one of the most iconic moments in Tigers history. The stadium's center field was one of the deepest in baseball at 440 feet, with a distinctive overhang in the upper deck that created unique sightlines and home run territory. The Detroit Lions of the NFL played at Tiger Stadium from 1938 to 1974 and won the NFL Championship there in 1939. The stadium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, but this designation did not prevent its demolition. The last Tigers game at the stadium on September 27, 1999, was an 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, with Tigers legend Al Kaline throwing out the first pitch. Demolition took over a year to complete, beginning on June 30, 2008, and finishing on September 21, 2009. The site is now the Corner Ballpark, a youth sports facility that preserves the historic playing field and the legacy of The Corner.