Stadium and the City

Stadium and the City
Author: Bale John Bale
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2019-06-01
Genre: Sports facilities
ISBN: 1474464114

This well-illustrated book is the first to explore the stadium as the principal container of the modern urban crowd and a place where thousands of people gather to take part in what often appears to be modern 'religious' rituals. Is the stadium a prison, a garden or a theatre? Do new stadiums contribute economically to the places in which they are built? Drawing on examples from Europe, North America and China, this book ranges from historical studies of stadium growth to current reviews of stadium development, exposing the stadium as a major element of the modern urban scene.

City of Dreams

City of Dreams
Author: Jerald Podair
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2019-07-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 0691192790

A vivid history of the controversial building of Dodger Stadium and how it helped transform Los Angeles When Walter O’Malley moved his Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1957 with plans to construct a new ballpark, he ignited a bitter half-decade dispute over the future of a rapidly changing city. For the first time, City of Dreams tells the full story of the controversial building of Dodger Stadium and how it helped create modern Los Angeles. In a vivid narrative, Jerald Podair tells how the city was convulsed over whether, where, and how to build the stadium. Eventually, it was built on publicly owned land from which the city had uprooted a Mexican American community, raising questions about the relationship between private profit and “public purpose.” Indeed, the battle over Dodger Stadium crystallized issues with profound implications for all American cities. Filled with colorful stories, City of Dreams will fascinate anyone who is interested in the history of the Dodgers, baseball, Los Angeles, and the modern American city.

Soldier Field

Soldier Field
Author: Liam T. A. Ford
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2009-10-15
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0226257096

Sports fans nationwide know Soldier Field as the home of the Chicago Bears. For decades its signature columns provided an iconic backdrop for gridiron matches. But few realize that the stadium has been much more than that. Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City explores how this amphitheater evolved from a public war memorial into a majestic arena that helped define Chicago. Chicago Tribune staff writer Liam Ford led the reporting on the stadium’s controversial 2003 renovation—and simultaneously found himself unearthing a dramatic history. As he tells it, the tale of Soldier Field truly is the story of Chicago, filled with political intrigue and civic pride. Designed by Holabird and Roche, Soldier Field arose through a serendipitous combination of local tax dollars, City Beautiful boosterism, and the machinations of Mayor “Big Bill” Thompson. The result was a stadium that stood at the center of Chicago’s political, cultural, and sporting life for nearly sixty years before the arrival of Walter Payton and William “The Refrigerator” Perry. Ford describes it all in the voice of a seasoned reporter: the high school football games, track and field contests, rodeos, and even NASCAR races. Photographs, including many from the Chicago Park District’s own collections, capture these remarkable scenes: the swelling crowds at ethnic festivals, Catholic masses, and political rallies. Few remember that Soldier Field hosted Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr., Judy Garland and Johnny Cash—as well as Grateful Dead’s final show. Soldier Field captures the dramatic history of Chicago’s stadium on the lake and will captivate sports fans and historians alike.

Field of Schemes

Field of Schemes
Author: Neil deMause
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 479
Release: 2015-03
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 0803285485

City of Champions

City of Champions
Author: Stefan Szymanski
Publisher: The New Press
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2020-10-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1620974436

The changing fortunes of Detroit, told through the lens of the city's major sporting events, by the bestselling author of Soccernomics, and a prizewinning cultural critic From Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg to the Bad Boys, from Joe Louis and Gordie Howe to the Malice at the Palace, City of Champions explores the history of Detroit through the stories of its most gifted athletes and most celebrated teams, linking iconic events in the history of Motown sports to the city's shifting fortunes. In an era when many teams have left rustbelt cities to relocate elsewhere, Detroit has held on to its franchises, and there is currently great hope in the revival of the city focused on its downtown sports complexes—but to whose benefit? Szymanski and Weineck show how the fate of the teams in Detroit's stadiums, gyms, and fields is echoed in the rise and fall of the car industry, political upheavals ushered in by the depression, World War II, the 1967 uprising, and its recent bankruptcy and renewal. Driven by the conviction that sports not only mirror society but also have a special power to create both community and enduring narratives that help define a city's sense of self, City of Champions is a unique history of the most American of cities.

Ballpark

Ballpark
Author: Paul Goldberger
Publisher: Knopf
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2019-05-14
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0307701549

An exhilarating, splendidly illustrated, entirely new look at the history of baseball: told through the stories of the vibrant and ever-changing ballparks where the game was and is staged, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic. From the earliest corrals of the mid-1800s (Union Grounds in Brooklyn was a "saloon in the open air"), to the much mourned parks of the early 1900s (Detroit's Tiger Stadium, Cincinnati's Palace of the Fans), to the stadiums we fill today, Paul Goldberger makes clear the inextricable bond between the American city and America's favorite pastime. In the changing locations and architecture of our ballparks, Goldberger reveals the manifestations of a changing society: the earliest ballparks evoked the Victorian age in their accommodations--bleachers for the riffraff, grandstands for the middle-class; the "concrete donuts" of the 1950s and '60s made plain television's grip on the public's attention; and more recent ballparks, like Baltimore's Camden Yards, signal a new way forward for stadium design and for baseball's role in urban development. Throughout, Goldberger shows us the way in which baseball's history is concurrent with our cultural history: the rise of urban parks and public transportation; the development of new building materials and engineering and design skills. And how the site details and the requirements of the game--the diamond, the outfields, the walls, the grandstands--shaped our most beloved ballparks. A fascinating, exuberant ode to the Edens at the heart of our cities--where dreams are as limitless as the outfields.

The Secret Apartment

The Secret Apartment
Author: Tom Garvey
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2020-11-20
Genre:
ISBN:

The Secret Apartment is an unintended memoir. It began as a way to amuse friends as a diversion in the early days of stress, isolation, and fear in the spring of 2020 and the Pandemic caused by the deadly Covid-19 Virus. We had no way of knowing how bad things were going to be or how long isolation and social distancing might last. It was a frightening time and my only intention was to provide friends with a momentary diversion and some entertainment in hard times. Favorable encouragement pushed me into half-forgotten memories and these stories came tumbling out. My "diversion" came to life as something I have to share with others. I began working on The Secret Apartment as a memoir to be presented as a collection of short stories Though fanciful, these are true stories based on actual events. This is not the product of my imagination. I didn't have to make anything up. I didn't have to and everything presented is both true and correct.I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I enjoyed living them.

Modern Coliseum

Modern Coliseum
Author: Benjamin D. Lisle
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 0812249224

In Modern Coliseum, Benjamin D. Lisle tracks changes in stadium design and culture since World War II. Featuring over seventy-five images documenting the transformation of the American stadium over time, Modern Coliseum will be of interest to a variety of readers, from urban and architectural historians to sports fans.

Remembering Veterans Memorial Stadium and the City Baseball Federation

Remembering Veterans Memorial Stadium and the City Baseball Federation
Author: Dick Pope
Publisher:
Total Pages: 472
Release: 2021-05-05
Genre:
ISBN: 9780578818306

This book was written for an historical account of a baseball league in Saginaw, MI that not many people remember. The league was based out of the old Veterans Memorial Stadium which was located at 20th street and Holland. The league was very popular in Saginaw. It was made up of teams sponsored by local businesses. The players were college players and people loved baseball. Some of the players went on to play baseball in the minor leagues and a few went on to play in the major leagues. Bob Buhl, Jerry Lynch, Ed Albosta, Danny Schell, Al Luplow, Jim Northrup and Vern Ruhle all played in the Major Leagues. One person, Terry Collins, went on to manage the N.Y. Mets from 2011 to 2017. The Saginaw News did a wonderful job of covering the league for the fans of Saginaw baseball. They never had official counts but on some nights it was reported that 3,000 to 3,500 watched the games. It was a wonderful place to watch baseball on a warm summer night. Many people have fond memories of Veterans Memorial Stadium.