The slow demise of Cooper Stadium

As stadium proposals develop to keep the Crew SC in Columbus, it seems like a good time to look back at one of Columbus' original ballfields, Cooper Stadium. Built in 1932, Cooper Stadium was home to the Columbus Clippers until they moved in 2009 to the new Huntington Park in the Arena District.

More than five years ago, plans were announced that the site would be transformed into a racetrack and automotive research center. And while half of the grandstands were torn down in 2014, no further development has occurred at the West Side site.
City leaders and neighborhood residents are frustrated by the lack of activity, and they still hold out hope the area will one day blossom again with jobs and a new life.