Today, a Detroit judge will listen as the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy pleads its case, asking for more time to acquire the funds necessary to carry out its plans to preserve the remaining, decaying corner of the Old Tiger Stadium.

Call me maudlin, overly sentimental — you wouldn’t be wrong — but I think this judge should hear them out.

As it stands, the city has no plans for the space.  No strip mall or shopping center will be erected on the hallowed grounds of this historic field.  If this weren’t the case, perhaps it would make the whole initiative to raze it a bit more palatable.  No one wants to see a piece of history replaced by a Nordstrom or a Chili’s.  However, in times such as these, it would be challenging to refute a solid economic argument or a plan to revive the bedraggled neighborhood.

But there are no such plans being formulated.  Go to Detroit and listen carefully.  You’ll hear very little discussion of new structures and community revitalization. At the moment, Detroit is a city crumbling to the ground.  What better way to punctuate this idea than to needlessly tear down this old stadium, which for so many years served as a beacon of hope to the people of Detroit in even its darkest hours.

During the 1930′s, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Tiger Stadium became the lone bright spot for a city more or less enshrouded in darkness for the better part of a decade.  In 1934, with the unemployment rate rising at staggering rates, the people of Detroit watched on, glued to their seats,  as their beloved Tigers clinched the pennant.  And it gave the city hope. The following year, the Tigers went on to win the World Series.  Again, the city could hope.  In 1937, second baseman Charlie Gehringer earned the batting championship and the AL MVP.   In 1938, my grandfather, Hank Greenberg, slugged his way towards Babe Ruth’s home run record — narrowly missing the target — keeping the city on its toes all the while.  Tiger Stadium — then Navin Field — was the site for these victories. And these are only a few.

Later, in 1967, with racial and economic tensions mounting to a fever pitch, the riots broke out.  With the city in flames, the Tigers battled their way through the season — pennant contenders all the time. It was a time of chaos and questioning, and the Tigers served as the city’s anchor yet again. The following year, they returned to win it all.

Since the new stadium has gone up, the old one has been more or less left to rot. Most of it has been torn down already and what remains is a sorry reminder of a storied past that no longer exists.  So why leave it there to languish?  Why not just put it out of its misery once and for all?

There is, in fact, a reason.

While the city may not have a vision for the stadium beyond its destruction, there are those who do.  The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy has been plugging away at raising funds for a plan that would use the old stadium as “a public park for recreational and cultural programs, primarily youth and amateur baseball.” Additionally, the building itself would be transformed into a banquet hall, museum and offices. The conservancy includes such notables as Senator Carl Levin and former Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell.  The plan costs upwards of 30 million dollars. As it stands, the groups has a 3.8 million dollar federal earmark.  On Tuesday, Detroit’s Economic Development Corporation voted 7-1 to proceed with plans to demolish what is left of the old ballpark, claiming that the conservancy had failed to meet the required fundraising deadlines.  Repeatedly.  Members of the conservancy came in with an eleventh hour injunction.  They assert that with their newly established historic designation, they may have access to $20 million in tax credits and that it’s only fair that they be allowed the time to try.

Detroit is a city that has been badly beaten down.  A city that appears to be generating little good news of late.  To tear down the stadium at this juncture in Detroit’s history in order to make space for yet another vacant lot sends a strong message to the city.  Not necessarily the right one.  According to the Economic Development Corporation, the only real reason to rush demolition is anxiety about a rise in the cost of demolition.  This seems  insufficient grounds to discontinue the efforts of a group that has worked relentlessly for years on a project that has great potential to revitalize a neighborhood.

Old Tiger Stadium has the opportunity to serve as Detroit’s symbol of hope yet again.   If the efforts of the conservancy are successful, the rising cost of demolition will have been a moot point.