It’s been nearly four months since we looked at the various construction (and demolition) projects taking place in and around downtown. Today we’ll look at three, included the big one (hint, it’s about sports) and tomorrow we’ll update several others.
The pictures make obvious that the stadium construction is moving rapidly. While there must have been recent weather delays, work continues apace and the heart of the outfield stands, along with the entrance ramp have become easy to spot. I’m not the most gifted person at visualizing construction before it happens, and I know I’m not alone. I heard more than a few people say that it just didn’t seem like a big enough spot for a stadium. Now it’s easier to picture.
The biggest recent news is twofold. Most importantly, the stadium construction is on schedule, with plans to pitch the first baseball in the spring of 2025. What seemed so distant when announced, now approaches rapidly. The other piece of news is the restoration of the Tennessee-shaped scoreboard. Originally included in the project, it was cut in a cost-saving measure. Apparently, the removal lingered in Mr. Boyd’s mind an he determined it must be included. He will personally foot the $1.6 million for the state-of-the-art and one-of-a-kind display.
As I photographed the site, another piece of the puzzle fell into place. I’d wondered why the construction on the residential and commercial buildings hadn’t begun. It was originally announced as being planned for simultaneous construction. Then I spotted the trailer with the “Beauford Delaney Building” stamped on the side and looked just behind it where an obvious footprint of the building is visible. I’d not been able to make the distinction before. I presume some of the construction on the far side of the stadium from my vantage is the other building. I’ll try to get a closer look at that, next time.
Denark Construction is completing the project and the website includes quite a bit of information regarding the stadium, as well as a great aerial shot. They also have a live cam (which wasn’t working when I logged on). I did find the video below that is from that live cam of a time lapse, mostly of the site preparation. Hopefully that will be updated with a time lapse of the construction (which is what they’d planned).
I also wrote recently about a planned demolition for a garage on State, backing up to the 100 block. The roof of the aging structure, as well as the walls threatened collapse and rather than attempt a risky repair, the owners opted to demolish the roof and walls, leaving a surface parking lot. They did not waste time. Less than a month after the article, the garage is gone, save for some half walls that will remain. The next step is striping for parking spaces. The owners indicated that when conditions are right, the spot will likely be the site of a new development.
Tomorrow we’ll check out several other construction or demolition sites around the city and look at the most recent photographs.