The Tarrant Regional Water District board voted 5-0 on Wednesday to demolish the historic LaGrave Field baseball stadium because of safety concerns, but the ballpark’s spirit and history may yet live on in future developments in the Panther Island District.
The ballpark, which opened in 1926, was home to the Fort Worth Panthers and, later, the Fort Worth Cats for some four decades. Many Hall-of-Famers played on its grassy diamond over the years, including Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Jackie Robinson, as WFAA reported.
The park was abandoned in the 1960s but enjoyed a brief revival in 2002 when a new stadium was built. The Cats again played there until 2014. The Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) took over ownership of the defunct property in 2019, reportedly spending $200,000 per year since then on security and basic upkeep of the facilities.
TRWD Board President Leah King explained that the decision to demolish the 4,100-seat stadium was based on both safety and financial considerations.
“The decision made today is centered on prioritizing public health and safety,” King said, per WFAA. “The deteriorating condition of LaGrave Field presents significant safety hazards and incurs ongoing maintenance costs funded by public resources.”
However, other considerations may have also affected the board’s decision. The nearly 350-acre LaGrave Field property sits adjacent to the Panther Island District, which is currently under development.
A recommendation by HR&A Advisers noted: “The site’s location adjacent to the largest consolidated private land ownership on the island suggests that prompt resolution is warranted regarding the use of the site for development, public space, destination
entertainment, or other uses.”
In line with that recommendation, Mick Maguire, the chief administrative officer of the TRWD, wrote in a memo to the board: “Management recommends the following actions: 1. Demolish the existing structures and repurpose as many materials as possible for other functions. 2. Preserve several elements of the ballpark for potential future use or auction.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Panther Island is a mixed-use development on a man-made island north of downtown Fort Worth. Future buildings in the Panther Island District of Fort Worth may include high-rises that are 20 stories tall.
Some community members showed up at the board meeting on Tuesday to express their opposition to demolishing LaGrave Field.
“The purpose of me coming here today was to try to bring some attention to the idea that demolishing LaGrave would mean ending an opportunity to have a sports venue for Fort Worth,” resident Ben Rushings said, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“Fort Worth spends a lot of money on tourism, and I wanted to bring a voice to say that if we keep LaGrave Field around and conduct an experiment in sports, we would probably have a magnet for tourism.”
Local history buff and founder of the Fort Worth Memories Facebook group Larry O’Neal expressed sadness over the loss of a piece of history.
“We care about our history. We’ve let a lot of it go. And of course, you can’t save … everything,” he told NBC 5 DFW. “To my generation, that’s kind of a keepsake that we don’t want to lose. We lose too much of our history now anyway.”
“I know there’s not going to be another baseball stadium there, but I would like to see something that would not be apartments or glass and mirrors,” O’Neal added.
He expressed hope that whatever is constructed on the property will serve the community as LaGrave Field once did, NBC 5 reported.
TRWD board member C.B. Team recommended that the dugouts be preserved, adding that the board will keep the memories of LaGrave Field in mind as the demolition proceeds.