Alex Box Stadium
January 12, 2010
Behold, the remains of the original Alex Box baseball stadium, which was built in 1938 as a WPA project. (Click here for a series of recent "before" shots.)
The LSU Tigers played their final game here in 2008, and now this stadium is on deck to enter the great hall of fame in the sky. The replacement stadium has already opened just down the way.
A NO TRESPASSING sign is posted, but the chain-link fence only goes about 3/4 of the way around the field. Sooo... some of the photos taken from within were shot by a very trustworthy hobo who didn't mind bending the rules to help a blog, which I explained to him is like a magazine I write on the television typewriter. I paid him with a sandwich. He was too scared to go all the way up into the risers. I told him he'll never hop a boxcar that way.
A prominent feature of Alex Box was The Intimidator, a billboard on the below framework on the right, depicting a colossal snarling Mike the Tiger head.
Back to the left behind the seating area, with a slice of Tiger Stadium in the background...
A windfall of benches fills one of the entryways.
In the apocalyptic view below, I can't help imagining a pack of zombies running in through this flame-colored entryway. Play ball!
Some seats, benches, field dirt, and other souvenirs of the stadium are for sale and auction at Alex Box Auctions for a limited time only! Hurry! The auction for the box office ticket window grate ends January 14! What will you do if you miss out? You would have to wait for the next scrap they pull out of this pile:
From the description copy for the ticket window grate auction: "has a great old-school look to it and will be a great conversation starter." I can imagine the conversations!
HOBEAUX: You mean you bought that piece of scrap metal for $150?
AUCTION WINNER: Yeah--Isn't it "grate"? Geaux Tigers!
[Hobo throws himself from top riser of stadium, dies.]
-fin-
Thanks to Dave of Baton Rouge Today--he wasn't the first to suggest this ruin, but finally got me to go last night--and of course, thanks to the hobo (R.I.P. 1900-2010).
Oh my! I had no idea this had been allowed to happen. What's wrong with us people? Guess I just don't understand ... progress?
Posted by: P Buckman | January 12, 2010 at 11:15 AM
kane, you have outdone yourself with this one...absolutely superb reporting!!!
bravo zulu (squid talk for "well done")
Posted by: vl100butch | January 12, 2010 at 11:17 AM
Tremendous piece, and yes, I immediately added you to my Facebook page. Enjoy the new camera!
Posted by: Joey | January 16, 2010 at 10:57 AM
RIP Alex Box. I went to baseball camp as a kid there with Skip Bertman and learned a lot. Your pictures here are beautiful here no doubt but if your intention was to capture gloomy you got that too.
Posted by: Jerry Odom | May 12, 2010 at 03:44 PM
oh what happened? sorry to hear this. but i like the way you capture this scenarios.
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Posted by: red cross cna classes | July 17, 2010 at 02:48 AM
OMG! This post breaks my heart. I used to see dozens of baseball games with my dad here growing up. He passed away 2 years ago. Just reeling from the pictures of this site!
Posted by: Becky Johnson | August 10, 2010 at 04:48 PM
It might take 10 minutes or 20, but that mess won’t be there for the next person to have to deal with.
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I am glad it was appropriately punished. I don't work in a big agency, i am an independent, so I don't have any insight into how agencies bill, but I know how I do it, and there is no padding there, so for others to muddy that up is pretty irritating indee
Posted by: Air Max 2010 | May 24, 2011 at 05:29 AM
Man I miss the old Alex Box even though the new one is so incredible. You really should reopen this blog and post some more. You take great pics and I always stumble in here.
Posted by: Signs in a Day | April 03, 2012 at 05:00 PM