Please be respectful of the No Trespassing signs posted around the building. After pouring, the fresh concrete was covered with black polyethylene plastic sheets to conserve moisture as well as to simulate steam curing methods. Demolition of the grandstand was announced in May 2017 [29], and commenced in September 2017. Back in 1964, the Trotting Park was located far outside the edge of town. West Valley View photo by Casey Pritchard. The New York Times. Goodyear residents and leaders hoped for an entertainment destination where the iconic Phoenix Trotting Park once stood, but are more likely to see light industrial at the site off Interstate 10 in the West Valley. description and a spaghetti-like tangle of interstate overpasses looms over the shell of the old track. Thanks for the tip! Phoenix Trotting Park, An Architectural Paragon, Has Set Out To Win The West! Growth in the "Valley of the Sun" is rebounding from the economic downturn which started in 2008. Named the Goodyear Innovation Centre, plans have been approved by Goodyear City Council as of December 2020.[33]. June 17, 2018 - With the Phoenix Trotting Park now demolished, the land has been listed again with Colliers, this time for $24 million. It made me realize there could not have been a squatter settlement anywhere inside the building or I'd have definitely heard them during the several hours I was there. Though it has weathered the past 52 years, the grandstand's reinforced concrete construction is no match for the heavy equipment that appeared on site earlier this week. Photo by: Don Daniels of mi-harness.net, View Rare Photos of the Trotting Park During Construction. - Arizona Republic, Sep 27, 2017 - Demolition of massive Phoenix Trotting Park in Goodyear begins - Arizona Republic, Sep 27, 2017 - 1965 article sheds light on what the Phoenix Trotting Park used to be - AZ Family 3TV / CBS 5, Oct 10, 2017 - Demolition Under Way on Iconic Phoenix Trotting Park - Construction Equipment Guide, Oct 17, 2017 - Ghostly Track Meets Its Unmaker - Arizona Contractor & Community Magazine, Mar 21, 2005 - Phoenix Trotting Park by Trevorland - UER The Urban Exploration Resource, Oct 11, 2005 - Phoenix Trotting Park - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Jul 19, 2006 - Movie Review: No Code of Conduct - ahafilm.info (via Internet Archive), Nov 17, 2006 - Phoenix Trotting Park: A Photo Essay - by Phil Donohue, The Itinerant, Mar 19, 2009 - Phoenix Trotting Park; concrete ruins - by Joel Contreras, ModernPhoenix.net, Dec 23, 2010 - Phoenix Trotting Park - by GhostTownAZ, May 16, 2011 - Phoenix Trotting Park in Goodyear by Benjamin Leatherman, Phoenix New Times, Jul 11, 2013 - The Ghost Racetrack of Goodyear, Arizona by David Roth, SBNation.com, Nov 2013 - Phoenix Trottng Park - by: reneelounsbury, Atlas Obscura, Sep 3, 2015 - The Colossal Ruins of Phoenix Trotting Park - by: Jim Sullivan, Places That Were, Mar 24, 2016 - Urban Exploration: Phoenix Trotting Park - by: Taush.O. About to adventure this one myself. (14 Jan 2016). September 6, 2021 - I have gone through the site and fixed a number of broken and dead links. Phoenix Trotting Park could be reduced to ashes if Arizona's long-shuttered Standardbred track is sold. I've seen many places through Texas that I hope you will post about one day. 1 John J. Dunnigan. The hollow roof girders were also part of the track's innovative heating system, which kept the spectators warm during the winter months. The park is also located about 20 miles outside of Phoenix and was built long before any major roads made the area easily accessible to those in the city or its suburbs. Find high-quality stock photos that you won't find anywhere else. The location provided limited means to control rain, leading to floods that caused accessibility problems. GOODYEAR, Ariz It was built 50 years too soon. Counter conspiracy: Moose on 95 in Clinton will only reveal themselves to you if you are a true Mainer. Originally budgeted at $3 million, it ended up costing about $10 million. It is too bad that nobody thought about customers would have to travel 20 miles by dirt road to get there. This was one of the top 10 tracks in America, with multiple speed records set and broken there. Chris Randall/Flickr. Originally budgeted at $3 million, it ended up costing about $10 million. The Trotting Park has been listed for sale! http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/southwest-valley/2017/05/20/iconic-phoenix-trotting-park-along-interstate-10-goodyear-demolition/332552001/. The Phoenix Trotting Park, was a horse racing track built in 1964 in Goodyear, Arizona, United States. The half-mile track was a success right from the start, and flourished under the management of James J. Dunnigan, who served as the president for 25 years. The structure posed a number of hazards including asbestos, dust, pigeon droppings, as well as damaged interior walls. Good luck in the Dateland area. He also received the Grand Circuit Medallion Award in 1971. While tracks seemingly couldn't fail to make money in the 1960s, tracks today cannot stay alive without the subsidies from slots. These hollow, V-shaped girders measured 8 by 8 by 105 feet, and were considered "lightweight" at 120 tons. Racing Beneath The Peaks. Welcome to the Desert Botanical Garden Gift Shop, we have the best gifts & souvenirs in Phoenix! 31 Marinescu, Adriana. While commonly used today, this method of construction was considered cutting-edge in the 1960s. April 14, 2017 - A third person has now sent me a drone flyover video of the trotting track, and it's one of the best I've seen yet! Mary Beck, 26, of Goodyear knows people who have trespassed on the property. Trotting Park was demolished for safety reasons, said Chaz Smith, senior vice president of Colliers International, which represents the Roles family and Citrus Commerce Centre LLC, the owners of the property. The track did house a fully air conditioned restaurant, which operated year-round. Things were off to a great start, but it wasn't long before the park's luck changed. Two late Hall of Famers, Norman Woolworth and Delvin Miller, were among those who helped bankroll the new venture. Farmer Construction Co., Inc. Berlin, Germany Berlin 1947 (Part 11) aka Trotting Race [4], Throughout his long career in harness racing, Dunnigan was successful in his home state of New York and later in California, though his gleaming Arizona track was a commercial failure. It's sad to hear they're demolishing it, but I guess it was only a matter of time. Sale of W.V. I have wondered about this place! (Nov 1964). Their plans call for a mixed-use development of the site including industrial, commercial/retail, and entertainment in three phases. It mostly sat idle. 14 Arizona Harness Racing, Inc. (7 Jun 1961). You've probably driven past this town on your way to Las Vegas. 0:54. So glad you captured this. Abandoned Phoenix Horse Trotting Park demolished in Goodyear, Facebook Live Stream of trotting park demolition, RAW VIDEO: Aerial view of Goodyear horse trotting park demolition, Phoenix horse trotting park set for demolition Wednesday, FOX 10 Phoenix: Goodyear Police Asking People to Stay Away from Trotting Park, Abandoned Phoenix Trotting Park scheduled to be demolished in December, Phoenix Trotting Park, an iconic horse-racing track, will be demolished, Iconic Phoenix Trotting Park along I-10 in Goodyear set for demolition, All Abandoned: 8 Forbidden & Forgotten Spots around Arizona, The old Phoenix Trotting Park set for demolition, Long-vacant Phoenix Trotting Park in Goodyear is in escrow, could be demolished, new article published in the West Valley View, Huge Trotting Park in Goodyear Marks 50 Years Standing Empty. It opened in 1965 and was run for about two and a half seasons. [30] The sale of the property was completed in March 2021 to a New York based developer called Keystone Equities LLC. But I did happen upon the mangled remains of a rabbit. It feels like ages since I was there. Secondly. In the early 1960s, Dunnigan envisioned a grand horseracing park on this remote tract of land in the . How cool that your grandmother got to work there! (Nov-Dec 1956). High 56F. The Short Life and Long Death of Phoenix Trotting Park. The building has since sat empty, and has fallen into disrepair. 29 Gullickson, Glenn. I don't want to get busted, but I've wanted to go inside this place for nearly two years now!!! You cannot visit it as there is nothing left to see of this troubled mid-century horse racing facility. Unknown magazine scan. The city just needs to work on some piping and fix a few exterior lights first. Ivone was a While it is possible that more than one person worked on the design, this has not yet been verified. Following the demolition of the grandstand in 2018, the seller has increased the asking price of the land by $7.5 million from the previous listing two years ago. Phoenix, Dunnigan pointed out, can only expand to the west, where his track is located, and he is counting heavily on the Goodyear . [17] The track was originally supposed to cost about $2 million, but the final cost ended up being a whopping $9.5 million. I haven't been to Corn Springs, but I may have to check it out next time I'm in the area. I don't know what happened, but my best guess is that something happened with the financing or with securing all of the necessary rights to the land. James J. Dunnigan moved to Arizona from New York and acquired 640 acres of land near Perryville for his "harness racing track", the Phoenix Trotting Park. The colossal ruins of Phoenix Trotting Park sit in the middle of a barren expanse of land just off I-10. As a result of the growing popularity of car racing when it first became a sport, other similar races which involved horses and cycles (aka the predecessors to modern bicycles with the enormous wheels) went out of style. 2. Phoenix Trotting Park was a dream of three horsemen from the U.S. East Coast --. Attendees filled the beautiful grandstand to watch trotting-style racing, but not for very long. Phoenix Trotting Park was built twenty miles from Downtown Phoenix and only accessible by way of dirt roads, making it a chore to get to. The 5/8-mile track was the first in North America to have spiral turns to help horses get through the curves better, but the fastest mile of the evening was 2:10.4 by Santa Raider. Until that happens, there is only speculation as to what will happen with the property. 98. MAY 21, 2017 - KTAR NEWS - Phoenix Trotting Park, an iconic horse-racing track, will be demolished A graveside service is scheduled to be held on Friday (Sept. 2) at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery in Phoenix. Soon the thrill was gone and the 50-acre parking lot was mostly empty. I'll admit I'm a little envious that you get to enjoy a view of Phoenix Trotting Park. Someone had left cans of spray paint sitting out. (www.taushpointo.com) taushawierlo@gmail.com. The hulking race track has stood abandoned for 51 years, an eyesore to some and iconic to others, but a landmark to many traveling the interstate to and from California. So you only use the Sony RX100M3 camera for all your photos? Im sure a lot of people will be interested in seeing it up close, from the air, Machuca said. I also saw locals walking by but they did not say anything. Most of my explorations have been in the Rust Belt and the Southwest, but I desperately want to take a trip through the rest of the southern states. The trotter track was certainly an iconic landmark for many years, but we are grateful for the investment by Citrus Commerce Centre LLC, and are eager to see how that land will be developed in the near future, Lord said. (Dec 2010). Please vote in our online survey and tell us which items you would like to see in a web store. The track sat idle after racing closed, but some horses trained there decades later. - Start of second season Spring 1966 (?) It was visible from the I-10 and became a popular destination for urban exploration until security guards were installed at the property. The Buffalo Raceway opened in June of 1942 in Hamburg, New York[8]. Its kind of sad to see it go.. For $16.5 Million, You Could Own the Phoenix Trotting Park in Goodyear The Arizona Republic, 2016; Man Injured in Fall at Goodyear Trotting Park West Valley View, 2012; The Short Life and Long Death of Phoenix Trotting Park Harness Racing Update, 2014; Phoenix Trotting Park Suspends Racing Indefinitely Harness Horse Magazine, 1966 What is the fate of the Phoenix Trotting Park in Goodyear? The picture quality is amazing and looking for a new camera. I have also added some demolition pictures to the Photo Gallery page. I tried to visit a couple weeks ago, but was told to leave by a local. MAY 22, 2017 - FOX10 PHOENIX - Abandoned Phoenix Trotting Park scheduled to be demolished in December The inner walls were stripped down to skeletons, but in some places you could get a sense of where the walls and windows had been. Over the years, the city has grown up around the Trotting Park, which sat idle and abandoned for more than 40 years. Three Rivers Historical Society, Vol. And They're OffBuilders Race to Beat Deadline at Old Trot Park. 21 TwiMet. The sale was expected to close by the end of 2016, which did not happen according to public records. Impressa Eugenio Grassetto, Ivone Grassetto. Weird Arizona by Wesley Treat, Mark Moran, Mark Sceurman. Buffalo Alumni Club News (PDF). Will be content with your great pictures. The large, futuristically designed structure gave an optimistic look for the 1960s. Unknown magazine scan, 69-71. Thank you for following my adventures! As such, without any care, maintenance, or upkeep, the property showed its age. I didn't have a chance to stop and explore hardly any places in Texas, but I'm hoping I get to sometime soon. It was built in 1964 for $9.5 million, more than $6 million over budget, to house spectators during harness races. One of my friends fell down the elevator shaft, Beck said. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Added some more info to the History page, new homepage layout with the 4 featured items, and I fixed the Navigation so that it actually works on smartphones now! Demolition Zone Ahead. August 10, 2016 - Sale pending! My grandmother worked there when it first opened it was such a progressive and beautiful concept. And at his side, on the big brilliant bay horse, the smallish, black-bearded Welshman. As you can probably imagine, there were no takers - after all, that's quite a steep price for what was essentially the bare bones of a building that, by that time, had been ravaged by vandals. This legitimized the sport, which was once dominated by bookmakers ("bookies") at the turn of the century. Goodyear residents and leaders hoped for an entertainment destination where the iconic Phoenix Trotting Park once stood, but are more likely to see light industrial at the site off Interstate. The Phoenix Trotting Park wasnt the only spooky abandoned spot in Arizona; other famous (or perhaps infamous) abandoned places in Arizona are places like: 3. Take a look at how the massive building was left to decay in the elements, and admire its oddly beautiful mystique: Check out the official website, which still operates, to learn more about the Phoenix Trotting Park. This old abandoned dog racing track in Arizona was found just off the highway in Black Canyon City and continued to decay since it was abandoned in the 1980s. The facility, which opened on Jan. 11, 1965 . (29 Dec 2020). [13] The track was located far outside city limits, where roads were mostly unimproved dirt. The story behind the abandoned structures. 67, Issue 14. I have added the latest batch of letters to the Letters page. These drawings were left by nomadic . (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); March 26, 2022 - AZCentral has published an article about the land where the Trotting Park once stood being redeveloped as a mixed-use site with industrial and retail coming. (13 May 2004). One pundit described the hulking shell of the track as "a giant tan Jetsonian mausoleum built in the middle of a desert to host harness racing, without any apparent regard for how flagrantly dumb and doomed it would be to do something like that.". Following the demolition of the grandstand in 2018, the seller has increased the asking price of the land by $7.5 million from the previous listing two years ago. Former horse racing track in Goodyear, Arizona, "Phoenix Trotting Park, An Architectural Paragon, Has Set Out to Win The West! Harness Racing UpdateMarch 28, 2014by Dean A. Hoffman. Phoenix Trotting Park was one of the most incredible places I'd ever explored. October 22, 2017 - Two new videos have been added to the Videos page. 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