Credit: Eric Sandy / Scene
League Park, the site of the 1920 Cleveland Indians’ World Series victory — and Babe Ruth’s 500th home run nine years later — will officially open to the public on Saturday as a rehabilitated testament to the power of baseball.

Here’s our April 2013 feature on the ballpark and the restoration plans. At right is a photo of the old ticketing office, worn down amid a neighborhood that similarly fell by Cleveland’s wayside over the past 50-plus years. 

This proposition comes up every five years or so. “League Park! How about it?” Even as far back as 1979, not too long after the original stadium was demolished, developers were seen scouting the property for signs of future baseball-themed profits.

City Architecture is behind the $6.3-million plans. That money will be released via the city’s general-obligation bond proceeds and Ohio Cultural Facilities and ward allocation funds.

Groundbreaking took place Oct. 27, 2012. “People will come to Cleveland,” Mayor Frank Jackson said at the time, evoking, perhaps unintentionally, James Earl Jones’ soliloquy toward the end of Field of Dreams. City leaders are banking on League Park acting as a destination totem for the near east side.

From the city of Cleveland: The opening ceremony, set for 1 p.m. Aug. 23, will include the unveiling of the Fannie M. Lewis sculpture, the official League Park ribbon cutting, an appearance by the Cleveland Blues vintage baseball team, a Home Run Derby and much more.
Right field as it looks today. Credit: Photo by Russ Haslage

The ticketing office mid-rehab earlier this year. Credit: Eric Sandy / Scene

This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2014.

Eric Sandy is an award-winning Cleveland-based journalist. For a while, he was the managing editor of Scene. He now contributes jam band features every now and then.

5 replies on “Historic League Park Will Officially Open on Saturday”

  2. Lazy reporting with that picture. The place is all renovated yet Cleveland Scene shows a smashed window office.. CMON.. seriously.. get it your car and go take a REAL picture. A lot of people worked hard on that project to renovate it and this is what you publish?

  3. Agree with West Park John. They must be saving updated photos until Doug Brown can go there and complain about how “tacky” the renovations are.

  4. Here are a few post-rebuild pics: leaguepark.org. I wouldn’t call it a restoration. It is a pretty generic design. :-/ It would have been spectacular if they had really restored the old facade. But then, I’m one of those weirdos who wishes they had saved Municipal Stadium by gutting and updating it. It was such a beautiful example of art deco architecture.

  5. The picture does not represent all the time and effort (and millions of dollars) that went into the renovations at League Park. I’m sure Scene will have one of their famous slideshows of the opening coming soon.

    Really disappointed, though, to hear that if you want to rent out the field it will cost you $1,000 for 6 hours of time there. So much for that idea.

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