Pittsfield Says Goodbye to Wahconah Park Grandstand
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people bid farewell to the Wahconah Park grandstand on Saturday with a round of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," hot dogs, and stories about the ballpark.
"Sometimes you felt like you were at Fenway Park, but mostly it just felt like home," Parks Commissioner Clifford Nilan said.
"How lucky the players were to be playing in this park, and how lucky we were to be able to watch."
Wahconah Park's 75-year-old grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022, and planners have determined that starting from square one is the best option; a $15 million rebuild is on the table. Demolition is expected to begin soon, and the city planned the "Farewell to the Grandstand" event to celebrate its past and look forward to the future.
The old grandstand also had to be redrafted when estimates for construction came in at more than $200,000. It would be built at about half the length of the wooden structure it replaced for a sum of $115,000.
"In the early 1900s, Wahconah Park went from concept on paper to construction. The grandstand was built between the 1949 and 1950 seasons. It was designed to seat about 2,000 fans. A few decades later, in 2005, Wahconah Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.
"That longevity matters because it connects today's games, school events, and community gatherings to more than a century of shared memories."
Marchetti and "Banjo Joe" Ryan led a verse of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," adding "Root, root, root for the Suns, if they don't win it's a shame." Pittsfield and its longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns, have signed a negotiating rights agreement, solidifying that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated.
Artifacts of the ballpark were displayed in cases outside of the grandstand for the event, along with banners depicting the park's history and a roped-off area for community members to see the structure one last time.
"This grandstand is such a special place for so many members of this community, and we're really pleased that you could be here with us today to say goodbye to this grand old building," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath said.
Baseball in the Berkshires Director Larry Moore explained that George Burbank aimed to build the field in one month in 1892, and in a month, he had a grandstand, ballpark, and pristine field.
"However, they did say the outfielders may want to wear bathing suits. Please remember that the water problem that you see to your right, we've had here for quite some time," he said, motioning to the parking lot that is known to flood and is included in site work plans.
The park was donated to Pittsfield in 1919, and the first night game was played in 1930.
While the city will be saying goodbye to the grandstand, Moore pointed out that the Pittsfield Suns, Babe Ruth League, and other teams will continue to enjoy the field.
"Just remember that you came for the people that are on the field and for the baseball field," he said.
Marchetti pointed out that Pittsfield cares deeply about sports and that it is the "home of baseball," dating back the Sept. 5, 1791, broken-window bylaw that is recognized as the first written mention of the game of baseball in North America.
"Some of you may know I grew up four blocks from here, so I could hear a baseball game from my backyard," he said, reflecting on hearing baseball games in his back yard as a kid, and talking with friends in the beer garden as an adult.
"… Let's also remember why we need to fight for a future at Wahconah Park. Let's remember several years ago when we all gathered here in a stadium that was jam-packed and overflowed so that we could watch our own beloved Taconic High School baseball team become the state champions. If there is no future at Wahconah Park, there are no future opportunities for our sports teams to move forward, so as we say goodbye, let's be hopeful for the potential ahead."
Nilan's memories of Wahconah Park began at the age of 10, when he and dozens of his friends would crawl under the maintenance fence and hit baseballs from the second base into the grandstand. He described it as a "field of dreams" where kids could watch their heroes, and field like heroes when they are on it.
"This place played host to hundreds of future Major Leaguers in the heyday, spanning from '65 to '88, when minor leaguers of the Double-A Eastern league affiliated with the Red Sox, Rangers, Brewers, and finally, the Cubs played here," he said.
"City kids could rub elbows with future Major Leaguers who lived with local families and were thrilled to sign autographs for their fans.
The park also hosted Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson concerts.
"Over the years, people sitting in these grandstands witnessed stars from every walk of life. Most of the changes this old place has undergone have been basic: new lights, paint, dugouts, bathrooms, a sprinkler system, and even a beer garden. But the shell of the place, its vibe, has stayed basically the same," Nilan added.
"For me, the park remains as beautiful as it was when I first crawled under that fence so many years ago."
The grandstand's new, cost-saving design decouples the bathrooms and concessions into smaller buildings elevated about five feet to meet the 100-year floodplain. An accessible ramp and porch would lead to the structures, and the grandstand would have a slightly narrower footprint.
Nilan said the old grandstand will no longer be there, "But the dreams and the memories will continue within all of us, and the sun will always shine in center field."
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