Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board holds public hearing on proposal to commemorate early 20th-century "Pillbox" ballpark

The Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB) held a public hearing to gather input on an application to install commemorative artwork on the State Capitol grounds honoring the Downtown Ballpark, commonly called the "Pillbox." Tina Kimonzu, CAAPB staff, said the application was received Dec. 18, 2024, and that staff have reviewed it under Minnesota Rules 2402.703, subparts 2–5 and determined it meets the subpart 2 criteria for consideration.

The application, submitted by Stu Thornley of the Halsey Hall chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), proposes artwork to memorialize a small ballpark that stood at the northwest corner of 12th and Robert streets and was used from about 1903 to 1910. That site was a frequent home of an African American team known as the Saint Paul Gophers (also called the Saint Paul Colored Gophers) and hosted a range of events including speed skating and professional wrestling. The transcript of the…