FORT WORTH -- A city commission granted its highest historic designation to LaGrave Field on Monday, which will allow for property tax breaks if the minor-league ballpark is ever improved.
The Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission voted 8-0 to approve owner Carl Bell's request for the "highly significant endangered" designation, which has typically been granted to much older properties.The current LaGrave Field, where the Fort Worth Cats play, opened in 2002.Should Bell want to develop or renovate the stadium, the project would be eligible to receive an exemption on the city's portion of the property taxes. The value of the improvements would have to be at least 30 percent greater than the value of the entire property.A city report said the property met the "cultural significance" criteria for the designation.The original LaGrave Field was built at the current site at North Seventh and Calhoun streets in 1926 and rebuilt in 1949 after a fire. The Fort Worth Cats ceased to exit in 1965, and the stadium was torn down by the adjacent Texas Refinery Corp., which bought the property for an expansion.Babe Ruth, Bobby Bragan, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams and scores of other famous baseball players once played at LaGrave Field.The current stadium was rebuilt on the same location and includes the re-use of the 1926 dugouts.Bell, who has struggled financially in recent years and has been seeking a buyer for the stadium, said he wanted the designation to make the tax break available, but that he also wants the field to be "preserved forever." The stadium, he said, "is a vital and integral part of the community."Bell has wanted the city to take over ownership of LaGrave and said Monday he still hopes that can happen. He is still working on permanent financing for the stadium.Bell bought a tract of land around LaGrave from the city of Fort Worth in 2007 and once planned a multimillion-dollar residential and retail development. But by last summer he faced foreclosure on the 38-acre property. Bell renegotiated bank notes to keep the stadium, and was released from other notes after the property was sold to the Tarrant Regional Water District.Bell owes more than $195,000 in property taxes and penalties for 2010, according to county tax records.About three dozen properties have received the historic designation since the city put it in place in 1995. Some of those buildings include the T&P Lofts and T&P Warehouse buildings on Lancaster Avenue and the Ridglea Theater on Camp Bowie Boulevard.Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727