EXCERPT FROM STADIUM JOURNEY
Source: https://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/parkview-field-s205
By Marc Viquez
FANFARE Score: 4.71
Parkview Field is the home of the Ft. Wayne TinCaps and attracted well over 4,000,000 people to their beautiful downtown facility. The stadium opened in 2009 and spearheaded redeveloped the surrounding area from apartments, office buildings, restaurants, and new hotels. In a little over a decade, the ballpark has become a fan favorite of ballpark hunters and travelers, along with the Ft. Wayne community.
The TinCaps began their existence in 1993 as a Single-A Midwest League affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team was relocated from Kenosha after the support of a new ballpark never materialized. The franchise dates back to 1947 when based in Mattoon, Illinois. The city had been without a minor league baseball club since 1948 and constructed the $6 million Memorial Stadium in the parking lot across from the Allen County Memorial Coliseum.
However, the times changed dramatically in ballpark aesthetics, and Memorial Stadium became obsolete and a relic. A planned downtown ballpark known as Harrison Square would be built for $30 million and include a hotel and parking deck. The effort was to redevelop downtown and was met with mixed reactions from many ballpark fans. That quickly dissipated when Parkview Field opened its doors in 2009.
Today, the ballpark and area attract thousands of people to games, new businesses have relocated downtown, and abandoned buildings have been repurposed for entertainment usage. Ft. Wayne is now a happening place to be for many in the area. The team also went to the TinCaps and its clever apple logo with a tin pot for a hat, an homage to local legend Johnny Appleseed.