Concerns raised about proposal to demolish Engel Stadium
The exterior of Engel Stadium, showing signs of damage.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A report that Engel Stadium may soon be demolished is prompting some backlash.
The list of stars that have played at the ballpark reads like a list of baseball royalty.
From Lou Gehrig to Hank Aaron, Engel Stadium is one of the most historic places here in the Scenic City.
However, a report that this stadium may soon go away, is leaving some concern about Chattanooga’s commitment to historic places.
Grace Allen says she just graduated as a history major in May from UTC.
She says while working next door for the school, she became fascinated with the history and state of Engel Stadium.
Allen said, “After storms, I’ve seen pieces of the roof and certain construction materials like nails fall off into the parking lot.”
UTC has confirmed they eventually plan to demolish the stadium to its poor condition.
They plan to build new women’s sports facilities including a beach volleyball and soccer stadium, while the Hamilton County Health Department plans to move their building to the site.
At the Health Department’s announcement last October, former Chancellor Dr. Steve Angle described the deteriorating condition of the stadium.
Dr. Angle said, “We’ve tried to look at what to do, it’s falling in disrepair. It’s crumbling. There’s grass growing up through the carpet. It’s about what is structurally sound and can be reused, and what cannot.”
He added at the time that, “We have had engineers look at what part of…it’s a crumbling facility, Engel Stadium is. So what part of that can we reuse, and adapt. Can we save the entryway? We had a football stadium on our campus, Chamberlain Field, and we have a pavillon that really honors that history when you come on to Chamberlain Field on our campus, and so we’re hoping to do the same thing with Engel Stadium.”
UTC has owned the stadium since 2011 after purchasing it from the Engel Foundation, as the property has not seen much action since the filming of the Jackie Robinson biopic “42”.
Allen said, “When the movie was filmed here, the stadium was restored to its former glory.”
The state of the stadium frustrates Allen.
Allen said, “It feels that when the university acquired the stadium, they just let it go.”
She hopes the administration through her letter, cosigned by several community members, and through a petition, will reconsider their decision, as Chattanooga faces losing another historic building.
Allen said, “I think that it is important now to save the stadium because our region is growing at a very quick pace and I think while our region is changing and growing, it’s important to remember what was here.”
UTC tells News 12 that there is no formal timeline on when it could be demolished at this time.
