You could never replace...Ivor Wynne

Zontar You Forgetting Team who Respect there Past

The Red socks The Bears The Packers The Chiefs.
All These have Rebuild the Stadiums Into wounderfull Places and Kept there old Charm.

Just Because Somthing is old Dose not mean you throw it away

I hear you Onknight. But Red Sox will be moving soon and the Bears have only been at Soldier Field since the early 70s and Arrowhead is still relatively modern.

It's not throwing anything away it is moving on. Moving on out of necessity.

What about Green bay ???
also Part of IWS where also Rebuilt in the 1970’s
so the Argument about Bears is Valid

Sure, there are exceptions but not many ,in fact, barely any.

If IWS was already in an attractive area for large amounts of people and vehicles to move and park or even have room to expand then a refurb. would make sense.....

but the reality is it does not.

If they do have to rebuild. they should rebuild it right where it is. I dont think the area is inacessible. A couple years back we were averaging 26 000 a game. I know parking is a hassle. but Im sure they could come up with a solution for better parking. Why not build a multi level parking area or 2.

Yes the history and the nostalgia, the memories are nice. And they will always be there. Making necessary changes doesn’t mean you’re disrespecting the history of the team.

All of this sentiment being expressed by older folks misses the point that the younger generations of Ticat fans don’t have those memories and affection for an old crumbling building. Like it or not, the younger fans, the future of the team as it’s been said, want modern facilities that are worthy of professional sports. In it’s day Ivor Wynne was probably modern. How would you feel if they decided to just put up a bunch of bleachers and call it Civic stadium back then? You’d say that it’s not a professional sports stadium, most likely.

Even building a new facility on site still leaves parking problems. Most people probably didn’t even drive back when the stadium was constructed so it wasn’t built to accomodate cars. The skinny downtown streets are evidence of that. The gameday congestion is horrible even without a big crowd. If it could be done then i’m not opposed to it. Probably we won’t get a new stadium. It’s a tall order for a CFL team. But history and good feelings are not a reason to not pursue it.

The city of Hamilton is slowly slipping into a crumbling shell of its former self because of the refusal to move on; still pretending that the steel industry can keep the city viable even after bankruptcies and lay-offs galore at formerly proud steel giants. The downtown northside has become a slum, but there is a lot of history there. Most store fronts are originals. Check out Barton street for example.

I really don’t think a new stadium would happen. However, I would support it wholeheartedly, either in it’s current location or in a more accomodating area.

sorry zontar, forgive my shmaltz…(wasnt he a linebacker with boboy kuntz?
Ya I guess you new 'uns are right …
it sure is nice to see the current business way of doing things with the ticats… what is it 14 wins and 45 losses but hold on- forget about wehat happens on the field… we have the best web site and most hits in the country…
course us old codgers, we can be forgiven if we reminisce… the 50s and 60s lets see? how many first place finishes… how many grey cups…

pardon me while i fix my spectacles…

oh and while we build this new stadium… with the price of gas.?.. how are we going to get there and back… guess whose suburban SUVs are gathering cobwebs?
But maybe we can rebuild on that huge land area that includes scott park… and create a true mass transit loop (zontar with the issue of land value you are definitely right on the money… it dont get more inexpensive that in old ward 3 and ward 4…

im not nostalgic for the past boys and girls- but then neither was vince lombardi

back to basics football also means back to basics designs in a stadium.

keep it simple/ functional and where it is.

and forget the silliness about replicating Orchard Park…and half a dozen american white elephants that are thrust upon the exhausted taxpayer
pardon me while i fix my hearing aid…I think I can hear the Fat Lady singing

:D

Ivor Wynn is a great old stadium but it's just that, a great old stadium. I can really appreciate those who wish to hang on to parts of their childhoods, memories of the great yesteryears, etc. but time has been good to the old gal and it comes to the point when more cannot be done to improve the present conditions. I always enjoyed my visits to the stadium and most of all it was because of the people, the fans, which are the real reason that made football in Hamilton fun. Some mention was made to installing a track around the field. I might suggest that that would make the fans too not feel a part of the game. It would be a barrier that would seperate the fans from their present intimate contact with the players, and the site plan would be effected drastically.
There should be consideration to the needs of the fans and the players and whether the present complex would be worth the price to fix or replace.

Moving from or improving an outdated and insufficient facility is the "current business way of doing things" ???

So when the city tore down the old north stands 37 years ago because it was too old and too small what did you say then?

Damn hippies and these newfangled ideas? :roll:

Everyone who gets to see a game at Ivor Wynne should take them in and remember them. One day we will be sitting in a dull ,bad sight lines stadium that could never match what Ivor wynne delivers!

I have a shirt like that…

from the 99 grey cup, its going NO WHERE! lol

but ya, part of what makes IWS so great is that it is so old, and sometimes, run down.

fixing it up would be nice, but so would a new stadium… say one with parking perhaps…

sightlines and ambiance wouldn’t be the same but, then again, nothing ever stays the same

This is the problem with the city of Hamilton. The majority of you don’t want or can’t handle progressive change. I don’t tink you’ll find one person who dislikes IWS. However in order for this franchise to move forward and become a profitable business they need a new stadium.

The location of IWS isnt condusive to that. As much as some would like to think. THose of you that talk about the nostalgia and memories need to realize one thing. You will always have those. Stop living in the past. Just because the team could IMO “hopefully” move to a new stadium doenst mean all your memories are taken away. Likewise honouring the heritage of the team doesn’t mean you have to stay in a run down, almost unsafe aging stadium.

I for one like to think this team deserves a NEW stadium. As stated you can design a stadium to resemble whatever you want. The new Yankee Stadium is going to resemble the original more than the one today. It’s called architecture.

And for all those who just simply cant let go of IWS. It’s called progression and evolution. Things keep moving forward. IF we want this team and more so this city to become relevant again a stadium tied to a pan am games bid is the best way to do it.

scotty_dog, those of us who talk about nostalgia and memories are not necessarily living in the past.Yes, we will always have our memories, at least until senility sets in.
And we are not against progress. We have lived with progress for longer that most of you kids have been alive.

What we are usually doing is pointing out that there have been good things happening in the past, things that are forgotten at the risk of losing touch with the foundation of today's society.

You want to see a new stadium? No objection here! All we are saying is "Retain some respect for the past. Look for lessons that may be learned."

I know that I prefer the old stadium, where it is but I would never object to progress. If the city does intend to build a new stadium a few years from now, and they put it in another location. Where it would be more accessible and therefore attract more fans. Also, retaining Ivor Wynnes sightlines and originality. I`m all for it

You could probably replace IWS with a giant "Mechano" set. Those old enough to remember them will know what I mean. All bare steel and nuts and bolts.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why any fan would not want our club playing in a brand new stadium with modern facilities. Good access to the area, good parking, good seating, good washrooms and concessions alone would be wonderful. Modern dressing room and training areas for the teams, visiting and home alike. A wonderful view of the city below or of the harbour would be a bonus.

No one respects history and tradition more than I do, believe me. But the stadium is old, rundown, and just plain tired.

The biggest concern seems to be sight lines. Surely somewhere in this country we could find an Architect who can draw a straight line parallel with the sidelines and say, "let's put the seats along here"!

I have seen the stadium in every phase. As close to being as built as Civic Stadium (Not like Wilf did though), new south stands, tearing down of wooden bleachers, new north stands, first astro turf and on and on. But when I am looking for my seat by looking at numbers drawn on with a magic marker, give me a break.

I figure have seen 300 or so games over those years, but more and more I look around and want something new and exciting. I new layer of brown paint and flowers in the johns doesn't do it. What a feather in the cap for the city and the team if it ever comes to pass.

I would like to be a little more specific about the points I was trying to make.

smokeystover and I were making this point. Civic Stadium, and the associated sports facilities, did not create a community, but they did foster a community spirit.

Contrast that with the Copps Coliseum. It is a good facility, serving its purpose, but does nothing to create a 'community'.

So what we are saying is this. When discussing a new site, maybe it's not enough to find just a convenient site. Maybe there is some merit in finding an area where it can be combined with commercial outlets, schools, housing, and other sports facilities, to foster the growth of a 'community'.

Too many stadia are built in isolation, becoming stand-alone buildings, and eventually becoming those dreaded white elephants. That has not happened to IWS for the very reason that it has always been part of a larger community.

Wilf, on that I agree. A lot of thought will have to go into every aspect of the project. Alas I never see it happening anyway, so just a moot point of discussion I guess.

I think a lot of people would miss the wooden bench seats complete with the splinters, the knees in the back. How do you duplicate the smell of urine from the Mens washrooms, not only inside but a 10 yard radius.

Mikem, actually you can buy "Eau de Latrine" at the concourse on the northside to take home and enjoy whenever you have company over for a BBQ. They have one with a slight hint of pumpkin for Grey Cup day.

thanks for the compliment Wilf...
but i think i only reflected the gut feelings of a few generations of fans as evidenced by the conversation... and they shouldnt be dismissed blithely,,,,

i keep seeing the buzzword progess and the need to change because, well, change is in and of itself good (not).

for example... lets look at the home side in tonights game in TO

for them

rosedale park begat varsity stadium begat the CNE begat... skydome/rogers centre (yuch)

and as a consequence of all those begottens what do we see?

skydome rogers is ---and we can all agree in this - probably the WORST stadium for a football game in North America hence the talk about moving the A..os to where?

well first it was Varsity (nixed for political reasons

and now there serious talk of the A...s going to BMO field at where?

the CNE

Rosedale was not chosen for obvious reasons... the on-lawn parking was estimated at $200.00 per car..valet parking extra..

:D

trust me, I asked the ratepayers.

the morale of my story... location/ location/ location

I agree with the progressive wing of this post..
tear it down because Civic/ Never Wynn is assuredly decrepit

but then build something better right there in its place.

Parking.. shmarking.. the way gas prices are going it really wont matter

get the HSR to do its thing and use the transit system in support like it was intended...

build a nice after game lounge/restaurant as an adjunct or across the street from the stadium... call it the Tigers Paw or some such thing...
fill it with Tiger memorabilia
make it a place where people can eat decent food at reasonable prices...before or after the game

invest in the neighbourhood and it will pay off dividends.

and if you dont think you can keep the stadium wherre it is ... .look west people...
Mosaic Field... aka Taylor Field... the Riders have been there in that same location since 1926! upgrade, retrofit and all

and it doesnt seem to have hurt them

i see inexpensive land... under utilised spaces around the existing field and the potential to make a real paw print in the community.