Just when you thought you knew everything about your favorite team, something like this happens!
Earlier this week, @DetTiger50 on Twitter tweeted out an old news story showing the design of a domed stadium on the Detroit riverfront that had it been approved and built, would have been the home to our Detroit Tigers.
Details of the design for the domed stadium to be built on the Detroit riverfront for the #Tigers. pic.twitter.com/3Umhs91mxp
— Tigers minus 50 (@DetTiger50) January 12, 2022
From Bless You Boys:
The plan, which was all but certain in 1972, was to create a new multi-use facility for the Tigers and Lions with a retractable dome ceiling. The owners of both teams were hoping to draw in bigger crowds—up to 60,000 for football games—and also rejuvenate the Detroit downtown, but they weren’t looking to the current home of both stadiums. The suggested location, which you can see below if you expand the image, was to be an 80-acre development on the shore the Detroit River.
This version of the new Tigers/Lions stadium would be a mecca for shopping, dining, outdoor park space, and even hotels. While it sounded idyllic and actually looked very cool in the renderings, the dream of a new 1970s sports mega-space was not to be.
According to reports, the Michigan Supreme Court found out about the plans, which would have cost Michigan taxpayers $126 million, and ruled it unconstitutional.
As we know, the Lions moved to the Pontiac Silverdome and then eventually to Ford Field, while the Tigers continued to play at Tiger Stadium through the 1999 season before moving to Comerica Park, where they currently reside.
