Field of Dreams?

Here at Schools Building Communities, as preservationists with a deep interest in history, we were saddened to learn that Bush Stadium, the former home of the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues, has fallen into deep decay.

More than a year ago, Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star featured the Stadium, explaining, “There are holes in the grandstand roof. A section of the left-centerfield wall has collapsed. Reinforcing steel is exposed in cracked concrete columns and beams. The concourse and the old clubhouse are littered with trash, abandoned equipment and animal droppings. Peeling paint hangs everywhere.”

That, according to a recent story in the Indianapolis Business Journal, was before the field itself became a junkyard filled with 300 scrap vehicles collected in the Cash for Clunkers program.

Owned by the City of Indianapolis for more than 40 years, the Stadium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but has also been tabbed as one of Indiana’s most endangered landmarks by the Historic Landmark Foundation. That organization concluded its writeup of the park with this:

“In 2008, an analysis funded by Historic Landmarks Foundation put renovation cost at $6.7 million. Without investment in one of these ideas, Bush Stadium will go the way of so many late, lamented ballparks — a crying shame in a city that bills itself as a national sports capital.”

Here is to hoping that the city or some benefactor — even Major League Baseball — embraces this unique piece of history just as the Indianapolis Clowns held a special role in black sports history. Serving as the Negro League’s version of the Harlem Globetrotters, the Clowns used a combination of humor, showmanship and talent to win the heart of audiences. Because of that, the team outlived the Negro Leagues, barnstorming into the 1970s and beyond.

May their old home come back to life as Bush Stadium deserves to be included in revitalization efforts in and around the city.