Industry Axis

Shulthis Stadium in Independence, Kansas is lays claim to be the location of the first night game in organized baseball under permanent lights. The game was played on April 28, 1930 between Independence KS and Muskogee OK teams in the Western Association League.

Originally constructed in 1918, the grandstand at the park was in dire need of rehabilitation for years. Citing the amount of deterioration and the cost of restoration, the Unified School District moved forward with a plan to replace the grandstand with a new structure that would be a close replica of the original building. It would once again become a functional structure for athletic events held at the school while honoring the grandstand’s historical significance.

In a May 26, 2015 The New York Times article titled “A House of Worship, Converted",  Andrew Keh describes the resurgence of minor league baseball in South Bend, Indiana.  The focus of the article is the conversion of a Jewish Synagogue into the South Bend Cubs team store.  It is a fun article and a great example of repurposing an existing building.

Contained in the article is another story, the construction of the team training facility that is behind right field in the articles' photos.  This typical looking building is not really typical at all.  It took the creative engineering skill of the Needham DBS staff in Fort Wayne to "pull one out" in the bottom of the ninth.  When a major pre-engineered building company had to back out the contract for this building due to their delivery problems, Ancon Construction of Goshen, Indiana, called on Needham DBS in the ninth to "pitch hit".   And boy did they!