Ballpark Digest Awards Kingfish 2014 Best Ballpark Renovation Under $2M

November 11, 2014 - Northwoods League (Northwoods) Kenosha Kingfish Kenosha, Wis. - Ballparkdigest.com has selected the restoration of Simmons Field, home of the Kenosha Kingfish, as their 2014 Best Ballpark Renovation Under $2 Million. The Kingfish and City of Kenosha partnered to invest nearly $1.5 million into the renovation of Simmons Field. The 84 year-old facility was refurbished for the inaugural 2014 season and although improvements were made, the history of the ballpark was preserved. The "Bambino," a 43-foot-long 80 year-old fishing boat installed in the left-field wall, was one of the many notable improvements made to Simmons Field. "It was a project with a lot of moving parts and resulted in a great product because of the good relationship between the City of Kenosha and Big Top Baseball. It certainly exceeded my expectations and I'm ready for 2015," said City of Kenosha Mayor Keith Bosman. Ballparkdigest.com is the industry standard online publication tracking the business of baseball for over 350 teams across the United States. For more details please see the attached press release from Ballparkdigest.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Simmons Field Upgrades Cited as Ballpark Digest's Best Ballpark Renovation of the Year

The center of pro and amateur baseball in Kenosha since 1920, Simmons Field received a long overdue renovation for 2014, bringing new life to a classic ballpark.

If there is a model for a historic and fun renovation for a ballpark, it's the 2014 makeover of Simmons Field, which was transformed into the home of the Kenosha Kingfish (summer collegiate; Northwoods League). Preserving the historic grandstand and playing field while adding some whimsical touches led to a renaissance of baseball in the city, resulting in an award of Best Ballpark Renovation Under $2 Million from Ballpark Digest.

There is a long history at Simmons Field, where baseball was first played in 1920, when the Simmons Mattress Company built a ballpark to host a factory baseball team, the Simmons Bedmakers. The present grandstand was built in 1930, and in 1947 it was converted to the home of the Kenosha Comets of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, who played there through 1951. Over the years it hosted barnstorming major leaguers like Satchel Paige, Bob Feller and Warren Spahn, as well as Class A Midwest League ball and independent baseball.

"Simmons Field is why summer-collegiate leagues are great for ballpark fans: smart operators will fix up historic old facilities and bring new life to an old ballpark," said Kevin Reichard, Ballpark Digest publisher. "The historic Simmons Field grandstand was spruced up, and the rest of the ballpark was upgraded to make it more fan-friendly and accessible."

"Simmons Field provided a compelling combination of both history and the infrastructure to build a spectacular facility on a relatively tight budget," Kingfish President Vern Stenman and COO Conor Caloia said. "It would be a challenge to build a new facility from scratch comparable to Simmons for less than $7 to $8 million. However, even if you built a ballpark, there is no way you could evoke the history, nostalgia and stories that came built into Simmons Field.

The $1.4 million renovation kept the historic grandstand, the playing field and a newer office/team store/restroom building intact, with the city paying $750,000 and the rest from team owner Big Top Baseball. All seating down each line was torn up, replaced by concrete risers installed with seats recycled from Oriole Park at Camden Yards and backed with a signage displaying a timeline of the ballpark's history. Two multilevel suites were installed on each side of the grandstand. The grandstand wall was moved in, and 25 four-top tables were installed, providing a birds' eye view of the playing field. A kid's area with bouncy houses, games and a sandbox was installed down the first-base line, along with a berm. Group areas were installed in the left-field corner. Various concessions, including a frozen-custard stand, were installed behind the grandstand.

If you want to be close to the action, 25 custom-built four-top tables were placed on what used to be the playing field at Simmons Field. These tables were just 43 feet from home plate and offered wait service and VIP amenities. All 25 tables were sold out on a season-ticket basis, at $6,000 per table.

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Ballpark Digest Awards Kingfish 2014 Best Ballpark Renovation Under $2M