Editing Admiral Mason Park

'''Admiral Mason Park''' is a 5.5-acre [[City of Pensacola]] park located in the [[Hawkshaw]] area along [[Pensacola Bay]], at the intersection of [[9th Avenue]] and [[Bayfront Parkway]].

From the 1950s to the early [[1974]] it was the site of a baseball stadium called Admiral Mason Park. The ballpark was named in honor of [[Charles P. Mason]], a Vice Admiral in the [[United States Navy]] and two-time [[Mayor of Pensacola]]. After the stadium was demolished, the land was partitioned to create the adjacent [[Veterans Memorial Park]]. The remaining undeveloped space is used informally for soccer and other sports, and for overflow parking during festivals and events in the [[Seville Square Historic District]].

==Ballpark==
[[Image:Admiral Mason Park.jpg|thumb|right|Admiral Mason Park, [[1959]]]]
<!-- will try to get permission [[Image:AdmiralMasonSenatorsProgram.jpg|thumb|right|Program illustration for the [[Pensacola Senators]] at Admiral Mason Park]] -->
Admiral Mason Park was a 2,000-seat baseball stadium situated on the waterfront site with the address 100 South [[9th Avenue]].  The park is best remembered as the home of various Pensacola-based minor league baseball teams including the [[Pensacola Dons|Dons]] and [[Pensacola Senators|Senators]]. The Dons were owned by [[Fred Davis]] and started playing at the park in [[1957]].<ref>[http://www.alabama-florida-league.com/nafl_-_articles_Pensacola_Baseball.htm Deep South Class D Baseball]</ref> The team became the Senators, after major league affiliate the [[Wikipedia:Washington Senators|Washington Senators]], in [[1961]]. The park was a popular destination, but odors from the nearby [[9th Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant]] prompted the nickname "Stinko Stadium" from some patrons.<ref>J. Earle Bowden. "It's spring and the feeling is baseball." ''Pensacola News Journal'', March 31, 2001.</ref> After the league folded in [[1962]] for refusing to accept black players, Admiral Mason Park languished for more than a decade before ultimately being demolished in [[1974]].

In January [[1991]] the [[City of Pensacola]] appropriated 5.5 acres of the former stadium's site for the planned "[[Wall South]]" memorial, a half-scale replica of the [[Wikipedia:Vietnam Veterans Memorial|Vietnam Veterans Memorial]] in Washington, D.C.  While the city retains ownership of the land, park maintenance and day-to-day operations are wholly the responsibility of [[Vietnam Veterans of Northwest Florida]].  This site has since become known as [[Veterans Memorial Park]] and is now home to several other monuments.

==Demolition==
Derelict and standing in the path of planned Shoreline Drive (which would become [[Bayfront Parkway]]), the city-owned stadium was condemned in [[1970]] and demolition began on [[July 10]], [[1974]].<ref>"Ball Park Demolition Begins." ''Pensacola News'', July 10, 1974.</ref>

==Urban wetland==
The low-lying area where Admiral Mason Park is located was denoted a swamp on old city [[maps]] and remains vulnerable to flooding during heavy rainstorms. It sits at the topographical foot of [[East Hill]] and serves as a drainage basin for approximately 18 acres of surrounding area. During the construction of the [[Aragon]] neighborhood, a modern drainage system was engineered that alleviated flooding by depositing untreated stormwater directly into [[Pensacola Bay]].<ref>"Wetlands best use for Admiral Mason." ''Pensacola News Journal'', December 19, 2000.</ref> However, this runoff potentially contains lawn chemicals, automotive fluids and other toxins, presenting an environmental hazard to both the Bay and [[Project GreenShores]]. Future developments in the area threaten to exacerbate the situation.

In [[2000]] a debate erupted over whether to use the site as a dedicated soccer stadium or a stormwater retention pond. In his [[2001]] campaign for the [[Pensacola City Council|City Council]], [[Marty Donovan]] was a strong proponent of converting the park to a pond: "It used to be a freshwater swamp. It's an ideal place for a lake. It's inconceivable to me that a city that says it's concerned about stormwater pollution wouldn't be 110 percent behind this project."<ref>"Compromise near on downtown park." ''Pensacola News Journal'', June 19, 2001.</ref> However, faced with cost estimates of $450,000 and without expected grants from the state DEP, the Council demurred.<ref>"Mason Park no longer a priority." ''Pensacola News Journal'', August 21, 2001.</ref>

[[Image:AdmiralMasonPondProposal.jpg|thumb|right|Artist's rendering of the retention pond proposed by the [[Hawkshaw Village]] developers]]
In [[2007]], the developers of the [[Hawkshaw Village]] project offered to construct a drainage pond at Admiral Mason Park that would provide stormwater retention and treatment to a 40-acre area, including the project's site at [[9th Avenue|9th]] and [[Romana Street|Romana]] and the proposed [[technology park]] north of [[Aragon]]. The pond would have included a water feature, similar to [[Wikipedia:Lake Ella|Lake Ella]] in Tallahassee. Construction was estimated to cost $690,000, and developers had pledged an additional $300,000 in landscaping and amenities to make the location more attractive.<ref>"Hawkshaw Village." ''Pensacola News Journal'', October 21, 2007.</ref> However, the project was ultimately scrapped, with the Hawkshaw developers citing a poor economy and a failure by the [[Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce|Chamber of Commerce]] to fund a portion of the wet retention.<ref>"Hawkshaw East canceled." ''Pensacola News Journal'', January 1, 2009.</ref>

==References==
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[[Category:City of Pensacola parks]] [[Category:Recreation complexes]]