Tiger Stadium to be razed

Detroit plans to tear down vacant Tiger Stadium, but preserve parts of the classic American ballpark, including the playing field.

The city will demolish the former home of the Detroit Tigers and build housing and shops on the land, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Friday.

The playing field, however,will be kept as a non-profit park and youth baseball diamond. A small part of the stadium will also be preserved and used as a gateway to the residential and retail development.

"I think it's something everybody will enjoy and love," Kilpatrick said.

Plans to demolish the stadium come after years of debate over what to do with the decaying park and the surrounding land.

"Nobody was interested in the site with a stadium on it," Kilpatrick said.

Baseball was played in Tiger Stadium from 1912 to 1999. The park has been rarely used since the Tigers moved to Comerica Park at the start of the 2000 Major League Baseball season.