Demolition is underway at Fort Worth’s historic LaGrave Field. Here’s what it looks like
Demolition on the historic LaGrave Field has begun.
Before tearing down the stands, contractors started by removing restrooms and portions of the stadium, Tarrant Regional Water District spokesperson Chad Lorance told the Report Tuesday. Contractors will proceed by tearing down the awning before demolishing the main structure.
The water district could not provide a specific timeline as to when the stands would be torn down. The agency plans to spend $200,000 on the demolition, according to its 2025 budget.
The demolition comes after the water district held an auction last year to salvage and sell the stadium’s memorabilia, including bleachers and signs that reflected the name of the city’s historic minor league baseball team: the Fort Worth Cats.
The auction, which ran from Oct. 22 to Nov. 5, also listed 15 handrails, 219 rows of stadium seats, and pavers that were placed in and around the stadium.
The water district board made the decision to tear down the stadium in a June 2024 vote after a consultant, HR&A Advisors — tapped by city officials to revamp the economic development strategy for the $1.6 billion Central City/Panther Island flood control project — recommended the demolition. The company cited “skepticism” about the stadium’s ability to attract a financially sustainable sports team that would put LaGrave to use year-round.
The original LaGrave stadium opened in 1926 for the Fort Worth Panthers and became a place where baseball legends Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio played exhibition games. In 1932 the team was renamed the Fort Worth Cats. Following refurbishments in 1950 and its first demolition in 1967, the stadium was rebuilt in 2001 after businessman Carl Bell brought the team back. After falling into disrepair and the Cats’ terminated the contract in 2014, the water district took ownership of LaGrave in 2019.
A third-party investor initially agreed to restore the stadium and bring the team back, but the deal fell through in 2020 after the investor failed to meet certain requirements, such as heightened security to prevent vandalism, which currently engulfs LaGrave.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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