Tinker Field History Plaza Opens for Residents to Reflect

Last updated on May 07, 2018

Tinker Field History Plaza Opens for Residents to Reflect and Honor Orlando History

ORLANDO, Fla. (May 7, 2018) – Last week, Tinker Field History Plaza officially opened for residents, recognizing 100 years of Orlando baseball and Civil Rights history in the City of Orlando. As the spring training home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins dating all the way back to 1923, Tinker Field hosted some of baseball history’s most influential legends, including Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson as well as Civil Rights leader Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

“We are excited to officially open this Plaza, a place for our community to learn about and celebrate Orlando’s baseball and Civil Rights history,” said Mayor Buddy Dyer. “I am thankful for the community involvement from the public and our dedicated volunteers who helped to shape and develop this project.”

A key part of the city’s plan for strategic growth is recognizing, preserving and celebrating the past and honoring history, which makes this ribbon cutting particularly impactful during Historic Preservation Month in May. The Plaza incorporates elements such as a historical timeline, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and Baseball Hall of Famer Clark Griffith monuments, refurbished original stadium seats and signature gateway entrance, replica covered pavilion, vintage-style lighting and State of Florida Historical Marker.

With the leadership of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and District 5 City Commissioner Regina I. Hill and the community, this site is now a space for people to gather, learn, reflect and honor the history in Orlando as well as the local and national heroes of the Civil Rights Movement who integrated professional sports in the city.

“The official opening of Tinker Field History Plaza is a significant moment for our community and we couldn’t have achieved this without our residents and committee team who worked tirelessly to ensure this project was completed while appropriately paying tribute to the site’s history,” said Commissioner Hill. “We look forward to this landmark continuing to be used as a place for reflection and historical significance for all.”

For more information about Tinker Field History Plaza, visit www.cityoforlando.net/venues/tinkerfield/.

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