Pretty, isn’t it?
This is the latest architectural rendering of what the exterior of Greensboro’s long neglected War Memorial Stadium will look like if our City Council approves the expenditure of the $1.3M that was earmarked a couple of years ago, via 2/3rds bonds, for the ‘renovation’ of our National Registry of Historic Places property.
But wait… there’s more. That’s not all we’ll get. The interior of one of the nation’s oldest sports facilities will undergo some slight, shall we say… alterations during its “renovation”. It will be lovingly transformed through the complete demolition of its 5500 seat capacity into the new and improved War Memorial Wall replete with seating for 500 fans who will enjoy a baseball game perched atop temporary aluminum bleachers.
Oh, I can here the echoes of the anti-naysayers still.
“No one’s talking about tearing it down”, they said. “War Memorial will become the state’s premier amateur sports facility”, they said.
Well… here you go, Greensboro.
These renderings were presented yesterday to the 325th meeting of the War Memorial Stadium Task Force that was appointed by then-mayor Keith Holiday to undertake planning for the facility. Over the years we developed many, many desirable options that would do the place proud for generations to come. But this one, known as “Scheme 6″, is where things are likely headed with the prevailing budget climate.
The preservationists on the Committee rejected “Scheme 6″ out of hand and have asked for a 6 month reprieve before the bulldozers show up. Since the taxpayers in Greensboro have rejected spending any money on the place during 2 previous bond referendums, we are going push for some sort of private/public funding to do what needs to be done to preserve the place in as close to its current form as possible.
If we fail, the pictures you see here closely resemble what we will get.