A Diamond in the Heart of Downtown: Stadium-Driven Urban Renewal, 1955-2000
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
A DIAMOND IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN: STADIUM-DRIVEN URBAN RENEWAL, 1955-2000 By Jesse James Draper A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of History—Doctor of Philosophy 2014 ABSTRACT A DIAMOND IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN: STADIUM-DRIVEN URBAN RENEWAL, 1955-2000 By Jesse James Draper This dissertation analyzes the processes behind post-World War II stadium-driven urban renewal in three major American cities: Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit. The historical and political contexts varied dramatically within these cities, allowing for an analysis of similarities and reoccurring trends in the processes of stadium-driven urban renewal that transcend the limitations inherent in an analysis of one particular place or time in history. This historical analysis of stadium construction provides a lens through which we can better understand the processes behind postwar urban renewal over the second half of the twentieth century. Previous scholarship on stadium construction, as discussed in the introduction, has demonstrated the well- documented motives of Major League Baseball owners who see publicly-funded stadiums as a means to dramatically increase revenues while catering to an increasingly upper-class clientele. And yet, even with more than three decades of scholarship that has definitively shown stadium construction to be a poor investment of public dollars, public officials all over the country continue to find ways to invest public money into private enterprise with little, if any, tangible return on investment for taxpayers. American cities are complex organisms made up of multiple clusters of associated people whose reasons for association vary as widely as kinship, race, gender, community, faith, employment, commercial partnership, or political affiliation. These clusters, which yield very different levels of influence and power, have competing visions and interests regarding the development of the city. And when it comes to stadium construction, or any other form of urban redevelopment, there are varying levels of personal impact; some clusters have more at stake. Losing a baseball team is extremely painful for local fans. The loss of local homes, businesses, and entire communities in the process of stadium development has adversely impacted the lives of local citizens. Major League Baseball owners always profit from the construction of a new stadium. But for this unequal return on investment to have continued successfully for so long, there must be clusters of association within the urban power structures that also, as they say, “make a killing” in these deals. This dissertation examines the clusters, or the connected associated interests, involved in the process of stadium construction. The term coalition is often used in public discussion and scholarship in the field, but there are some associated interests involved in these processes that are not overtly named (often intentionally) in the public presentation of these clusters. Moreover, one often finds “stadium coalitions” working with “pro-growth coalitions” with connections to “political coalitions” all simultaneously involved in these processes. This dissertation will first identify, and then articulate, the general processes and interests that form and influence those larger clusters of urban power and demonstrate that urban power nexuses continue to be shaped primarily by race, political connections and ultimately, and the will of the private sector. The history of postwar stadium-driven urban renewal demonstrates that the American city has been, and continues to be, refashioned for those willing to spend their discretionary income in rising urban tourist economies, often to the detriment of a once proud and increasingly displaced urban working class. Copyright by JESSE JAMES DRAPER 2014 This dissertation is dedicated to my incredibly supportive lover, Natalie, and to our three beautiful children, Harley, Jack and Wesley. I love you all. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank the members of my doctoral committee, Maureen Flanagan, Sayuri Shimizu, Michael Stamm, and Douglas Noverr. This would not be possible without their tireless faith in me as a scholar and their commitment to my success. I would also like to thank Professors Malcolm Magee, Peter Knupfer, Pero Dagbovie, David Bailey, John Bratzel, and David Stowe. Special thanks to my colleagues in graduate school who offered sage advice and great friendship: Morgan Shipley, Jack Taylor, Darren Brown, Ernesto Mireles, Mike Spencer, Tony Kolenic, Adam Capitanio, Ben Philips, Aaron McCullough, Ben Dettmar and many others. Thank you to Susan Matheson for editing the final dissertation for submission. I especially want to thank my mom and dad, Jim and Janna Draper, my brother Jason and the rest of my family and friends for their love and support throughout the years. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................................ix INTRODUCTION Stadium-Driven Urban Development..............................................................................................1 Building the Monopoly......................................................................................................14 Maintaining the Cartel: Managing the Economic Structure..............................................18 Los Angeles.......................................................................................................................27 Chicago..............................................................................................................................30 Detroit................................................................................................................................33 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................35 CHAPTER 1 Conquerors of the West: Julian Chavez, Walter O'Malley and the Construction of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.........38 Julian Chavez: The Conquest of Los Angeles (Last of the Conquistadors)......................42 The Immigrant Californio: A Member of Early Los Angeles' Urban Elite.......................48 We Already Have Baseball in California...........................................................................54 The Battle of Chavez Ravine: It Was Over Before the Century Began.............................59 Walter O'Malley: "An heir to both the Wigwam political tradition and the Irish American practice of blarney and charm.".........................................................................................62 Postwar Urban Development: Cities/Suburbs, Transportation Infrastructure and Land Use.....................................................................................................................................65 In Search of the Taj O'Malley............................................................................................73 The Battle of Chavez Ravine and the Significance of Dodger Stadium............................76 Conclusions........................................................................................................................78 CHAPTER 2 Building Community: Bringing the Suburbs to Chicago's South Side..............................................................................83 Baseball and Building Community....................................................................................85 Mechanism's of Entrenchment: Public/Private Partnership in the Development of Chicago..............................................................................................................................89 The Corporate-Center Strategy..........................................................................................95 Exploring the Options: Finding a Politically Feasible and Mutually Agreeable Site...................................................................................................................................101 Urban Planning by Concession: The Tempo and the Tone of Negotiations Driven by the Team...........................................................................................................................104 Building Community in the South Loop..........................................................................109 Community Makeover: The White Sox Begin Courting the Suburbs.............................116 Suburbs and Suburban Stadiums.....................................................................................118 White-Collar Communities..............................................................................................121 He's No O'Malley.............................................................................................................124 Mayor Washington Gets His Team?................................................................................126 vii The Dignity of Resistance: The Battle for South Armour Square...................................129 Mechanisms of Entrenchment: Disinvestment and Isolation...........................................131 Conclusions......................................................................................................................137 CHAPTER 3 Little Caesar Brings the Coliseums to Detroit.............................................................................141 In Detroit They Call it Urban Crisis................................................................................142