History
Frank Navin opened Navin Field at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull on April 20, 1912. Osborn Engineering designed it, and it cost about $300,000.
Walter Briggs expanded the park in 1937–38 to about 53,000 seats and renamed it Briggs Stadium. John Fetzer renamed it Tiger Stadium in 1961. Lou Gehrig ended his playing streak there in 1939, and the Lions played there for most seasons from 1938 to 1974.
The Tigers played their last game there on September 27, 1999, and moved to Comerica Park in 2000.
Demolition ran from June 2008 to September 2009, but the field was left in place. In 2018 the Detroit Police Athletic League opened the Corner Ballpark on the old diamond.
Why it matters: It was the Tigers' home for 88 seasons, and its preserved field still hosts baseball at Michigan and Trumbull.
Timeline
- April 20, 1912
The first game was played after a rainout on April 18.
- 1938
After an expansion to about 53,000 seats, the park took owner Walter Briggs' name.
- May 2, 1939Gehrig's streak ends[1]
Lou Gehrig took himself out of the Yankees' lineup in Detroit, ending his consecutive-games streak.
- 1961
New owner John Fetzer renamed the park after the team.
- September 27, 1999
Detroit beat Kansas City 8–2 in the last major league game at the corner.
- June 30, 2008
Wreckers started taking down the grandstands; the playing field was kept.
- September 21, 2009
The last of the stadium structure came down.
- March 24, 2018Corner Ballpark public opening[3]
Detroit PAL held the public grand opening of its new field and headquarters on the old diamond.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | The Corner Ballpark, a youth sports field on the preserved playing surface, plus Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL) headquarters; opened in 2018[1,3] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Detroit Tigers | American League · 1912–1999 |
|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | NFL · 1938–1974 |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | Navin Field (1912–1937); Briggs Stadium (1938–1960); The Corner |
|---|---|
| Location | 2121 Trumbull Ave. at Michigan Ave., Corktown; block bounded by Michigan Ave., Trumbull Ave., National Ave. and Cherry St., Detroit, Michigan[1,2] |
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball, Football |
| Level | MLB, NFL |
| Opened | April 20, 1912[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | September 27, 1999[1,2] |
| Demolished | 2008–2009[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 23,000[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 46,945[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | 23,000 in 1912; about 53,000 after the 1937–38 expansion (SABR). Final baseball capacity 46,945 (1997–1999); peak football capacity 54,418 (1971–1974). |
| Architect | Osborn Engineering[1,2] |
| Construction cost | $300,000 (1912)[1,2] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Owner / operator | Detroit Tigers |
| Closure | The Tigers moved to the new downtown Comerica Park in 2000. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- Tiger Stadium (Detroit), Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, teams
- Tiger Stadium (Detroit), Society for American Baseball Research (Scott Ferkovich). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, demolished, opened
- Detroit PAL Corner Ballpark is now open!, FOX 2 Detroit. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: current land use
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (2)
- The Wikipedia infobox closing date is 2001-07-24 (a collegiate summer-league game); this record uses the last Tigers game, 1999-09-27.
- Demolition: Wikipedia gives exact dates (2008-06-30 to 2009-09-21); SABR gives June 2008 and September 2009.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.