The Construction of Durham Bulls Athletic Park and its effect on the Revitalization of Downtown Durham By Ross Sylvester
Mar 21, 2016
The Construction of Durham Bulls Athletic Park and its effect on the Revitalization of
Downtown Durham
By Ross Sylvester
The Durham Bulls: A Quick History
•Durham Tobacconists•Name change•Durham Athletic Park
1902 – 1939•Joined Carolina League•Merged with Raleigh club•Eventual folded
1945 – 1971
•Restarted by Miles Wolff for $2,500•Bull Durham•Sale to Capitol Broadcasting
1980 – 1992
A New Ballpark
• Wanted new park immediately– Capitalize on popularity– Draw a Triple-A club
• Proposed RTP Sports Complex
• 2nd chance subsequent approval
• Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls Athletic Park
West Village
• Previous attempts
• Blue Devil Ventures
• Set two major precedents
Triple-A & Diamond View
• Renovations
• Diamond View I
• Diamond View II
American Tobacco Complex• Literal “elephant-in-the-room”
since its closure in 1987
• Various attempts to purchase failed in the ‘90’s
• Capitol Broadcasting
• Present Day
• DPAC
Influence
Influence
Future
• Downtown Durham Master Plan
• Private – Public partnerships
• Desire for residential growth
• ATC Renovations, Chesterfield Building, etc.