Courtesy of Cameron Weidenthaler, Wayne State Assistant Media Relations Director
DETROIT -- The Wayne State University Department of Athletics announced today that it has reached its 1.4 million dollar goal to construct the Ernie and Lula Harwell Baseball Stadium. The project will move forward for Board of Governors approval before construction can begin in the spring of 2016.
Lula Harwell on Nov. 30, 2015."We are grateful to the many donors who have enthusiastically supported this initiative," said WSU Director of Athletics Rob Fournier. "We have always been dependent on supporters whose contributions might not be as recognizable as those who provide six figure gifts, but like Mr. Harwell, we know well the "blue collar" nature of Detroit and how many working together can effectuate change. This stadium is a tribute to that spirit which is reflected in
its design and in those who contributed. It will be a lasting tribute to the Harwells and serve various outreach initiatives and our baseball program."
The Harwell Field replicas the original Ebbets Field in Brooklyn and captures its historical reference.
"The Harwell Field will be a lasting legacy to the Hall of Fame career of Ernie," said S. Gary Spicer, Sr. (long-time friend and attorney of Ernie and Lula Harwell and co-chairman of the campaign).
The Harwell Field will provide grandstands, press box and a foyer to house baseball artifacts and memorabilia that traces baseball history nearly a century.
The current field has many historical baseball remnants significant to Mr. Harwell, including a replica Fenway Park outfield wall, the old Tiger stadium scoreboard and the new stadium will be located adjacent to Brooklyn Street which coincidentally happened to be one of his early professional broadcasting stops with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The project will have the amenities of today with a nostalgic acknowledgment of the past in a stadium that will mirror the outdoor facade of Ebbets Field.
The project is an outreach effort in building a baseball stadium as a tribute to that long partnership between the famed Tiger broadcaster and his wife Lula "Lulu". Ernie and Lulu Harwell were married for 62 years and this endeavor is as much an acknowledgment of his legendary career as it is her work "behind the scenes" to build a marriage for which all of Michigan benefited. Probably more than any single individual Ernie Harwell brought national recognition to the City, the region and his beloved Tigers.
To view architectural drawings of the field, or to contribute to the endeavor, click here.
