Terry Park Baseball Field Grandstand - Fort Myers, Florida, USA - Photos Then and Now on Waymarking.com

The Terry Park baseball field grandstand has undergone a number of rebuilds and renovations over the years.

The first baseball field and grandstand was built in 1923-25 to entice the Philadelphia Athletics (A’s) to Fort Myers from Montgomery, Alabama. Connie Mack owner and manager of the A’s designed the field and stadium. The wooden grandstand seated 1,500.

The Philadelphia Athletics conducted spring training in Fort Myers from 1925-36.

Next to utilize the original ball field and grandstand for spring training were the Cleveland Indians. They used it from 1940-41.

In 1943 fire destroyed the wooden grandstand during an amateur baseball game. Until a new grandstand was built fans would sit in their cars in foul territory near the base paths to watch games.

It wasn't until 1954 when construction began for a new 2,500 seat V shaped grandstand using steel beams and trusses to replace the original wooden grandstand. A large press box is built on the roof of this structure.

With construction completed in 1955 the next major league team to utilize the facility was the Pittsburgh Pirates who leave Fort Pierce to come to Fort Myers to conduct spring training. They trained here from 1955-68.

With the departure of the Pirates the next team to come to the area is the Kansas City Royals. They trained here from 1969-87 and during that time renovations and expansion to the grandstand area was undertaken. During this time new covered bleachers were added down the foul lines and the seating capacity was now increased to 5,100. Also renovations were made to the rooftop press box expanding it.

In 1972 the main baseball field and grandstand area was dedicated to Park Pigott who had died earlier that year, and renamed the "Park T. Pigott Memorial Stadium". Park Pigott was the construction manager for the second Terry Park stadium. He laid out the fields, designed the dugouts and practice fields. He then maintained the facilities and oversaw improvements and renovations over the years. It's interesting to note that in that same year the Royals requested that Tartan Turf be installed in the infield (the outfield remained natural grass). It is the first county operated ballpark in the nation to have a synthetic playing surface.

In 1985 the Lee County Commissioners approved half a million dollars to further improve and refurbish the stadium and grandstand area along with restrooms and field irrigation system. Two years later the Kansas City Royals would leave.

1995 Terry Park ball field was listed on the US Department of Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places. Terry Park is added to this prestigious list as a historic sports facility and the second oldest spring training ball field in Florida.

2004-05 The stadium undergoes a major $ 1 million renovation to be done in two phases because of safety and liability concerns. The new grandstand will seat 1,000 spectators and new dugouts replace the 1954 structures built for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This will be the fourth grandstand in Terry Park history.

NOTE: Due to the 2005 renovation the grandstand that was submitted in the 1995 NRHP application was demolished. Technically the current grandstand bears no resemblance to the one in the original application.

Year photo was taken: 1955

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/24/2019 BoomersOTR visited it