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Why Philadelphia Needs Liberty Yards
A commentary from BASEBALLPARKS.COM
Update on 11/14/00: Philadelphia Mayor John Street announced that
the City has decided to back a site in South Philadelphia near Veterans Stadium
for new stadiums for the Eagles and Phillies. Regarding the baseball
facility, the Mayor backed down on his strongly held preference for a site in
the Chinatown area near downtown, and instead went with a location that the
Phillies appear to be unenthused about and that the local neighborhood
associations do not support. In addition, final financing has not been
worked out, so the South-Philadelphia package is not guaranteed -- although it
looks quite likely. Before it's too late, Philadelphia should shift gears
and go with a site that would create a truly special baseball environment.
That site is in the Northern Liberties neighborhood. Read on.
On February 3, 1999, the
Pennsylvania state legislature passed a funding bill for new stadium
construction. The two chief beneficiaries of this were the Pirates and
Phillies. Well, the Pirates will be moving into brand-new PNC Park on
Opening Day 2001. Philadelphia, though, is looking a little foolish and
keystone-cop-ish, in that they can’t even pin down a site for the new
ballpark, much less start construction.
 Counting the Mayor’s ill-fated
Chinatown proposal, there have now been three "official" sites
proclaimed for the park: the original downtown site; the (ridiculous)
Veterans Stadium-parking-lot site and now Chinatown – the last of which lacks
any backing from the City Council or the Phillies themselves. All three of
the "official" sites were very bad ideas. Finally, now, the City of
Brotherly Love has a chance to do the right thing before it’s too late. The
site of the now-abandoned (and currently being demolished) Schmidt's Brewery near downtown Philadelphia is
backed by the folks in that very neighborhood (unlike the other sites).
The backers even have a wonderful name for the proposed stadium: Liberty
Yards. This proposal should receive an endorsement from both the Mayor and
the City Council before the City ends up looking even worse.
I was fortunate to be able to
scrutinize this site first-hand. In fact, local community leaders showed
me how the overall plans (where the new ballpark would be the centerpiece) for
this neighborhood would address quite a few ills in the immediate area.
Also, a "retro" looking ballpark -- with an exterior reminiscent of
Camden Yards or Coors Field -- would blend in beautifully with the surrounding
buildings. Not only that, one of the Schmidt's buildings on this site has
particularly exquisite architecture, and it is located very close to what would
be the main entrance to the stadium . . . making this building a perfect home
for a baseball museum (and the long history of the National Pastime in
Philadelphia would form the basis of a great museum!).
These community leaders have even
commissioned elaborate site plans and architectural drawings so the citizens of
Philadelphia will have a better idea of what Liberty Yards will look like at
this location. As the drawing shows, the downtown skyline is off to the
right of the park, and the stunning and historic Ben Franklin Bridge is directly
beyond center field. Note the proximity of two key means of transportation
-- the highway jutting toward the bottom left-hand corner is I-95. The
railroad tracks just to the left of the ballpark site is the elevated train --
and a station already exists just two blocks from what would be the main entry
plaza for the park. Shades of Wrigley Field!
 Make no mistake about it, we at
BASEBALLPARKS.COM love the Schmidt’s Brewery site because: the location offers a
"neighborhood" setting (and it's a neighborhood with tremendous
potential, if things are planned appropriately); it's close
to major highways; it’s near a body of water, as the Delaware River is just a
few blocks away, providing tremendous potential for entertainment venues close
by; mass
transit serves the location beautifully; a ballpark there would offer tremendous
views; the price is lower than for the other proposed
sites; and most of all, because of its proximity to downtown.
This photo shows the Don Quixote
statue across the street from the former Schmidt's Brewery site in the Northern
Liberties neighborhood. The locals here are continuing to dream the
impossible dream.
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