West Valley View. It closed in 1966 and was eventually demolished in 2017. I tried to visit a couple weeks ago, but was told to leave by a local. As the region lacked major roads from Phoenix to Goodyear, there was not enough business and the track closed two years later. It opened in 1965 and was run for about two and a half seasons. The track, which was built in 1964 and used for a little more than two years, has sat vacant since, but is seen as an iconic building by many Phoenicians, especially residents of the West Valley. Discovery Inc. is suing Paramount Global, saying its competitor aired new episodes of the popular animated comedy series "South Park" after Warner paid for exclusive rights. The Trotting Park was also the feature of a recent episode of Valley 101, a podcast from the Arizona Republic that answers questions about the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. Ong Hing v. Arizona Harness Raceway, Inc. Arizona Rites Held for James Dunnigan; Was Founder of Buffalo Raceway, Goodyear's Horse Track Becomes 'White Elephant', Man Injured in Fall at Goodyear Trotting Park, The Short Life and Long Death of Phoenix Trotting Park, Readers' Picks of Biggest West Valley Eyesores, Huge Trotting Park in Goodyear Marks 50 Years Standing Empty, For $16.5 Million, You Could Own the Phoenix Trotting Park in Goodyear, The Old Phoenix Trotting Park Set for Demolition, All Abandoned: 8 Forbidden & Forgotten Spots around Arizona, Iconic Phoenix Trotting Park along I-10 in Goodyear set for demolition, Phoenix Trotting Park, an iconic horse-racing track, will be demolished, Abandoned Phoenix Trotting Park scheduled to be demolished in December, Goodyear Police Asking People to Stay Away from Trotting Park, Phoenix horse trotting park set for demolition Wednesday, RAW VIDEO: Aerial view of Goodyear horse trotting park demolition, Facebook Live Stream of trotting park demolition, Abandoned Phoenix Horse Trotting Park demolished in Goodyear. The facility, which opened on Jan. 11, 1965 . Its kind of sad to see it go.. Only time will tell what happens to the land where Trotting Park stood, but one thing is for sure: t will be missed by many. It's one of the best pocketable cameras on the market. Do you remember seeing the large, unusual structure along Interstate 10 in Goodyear, Arizona and wondering: "What is that thing?" The large, futuristically designed structure gave an optimistic look for the 1960s. August 10, 2016 - Sale pending! 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. And glad to hear you got a chance to see Phoenix Trotting Park. Very informative and I can't wait to go see some of these places as well. Motorcycle Show Phoenix/Goodyear Trotter Park 1988- PART 1. In 1973, Dunnigan was awarded "The Comeback of the Decade" award from the U.S. Harness Writers, for his part in launching the successful harness race meeting at Los Alamitos, Calif and later Golden Bear Raceway. 67, Issue 14. Thank you, Alexis! It's a shame it was only operational for such a short time. The 1960s were an era of unbridled optimism in harness racing. Harness Racing UpdateMarch 28, 2014by Dean A. Hoffman. John J. was married to Margaret (Gilligan) Dunnigan and they had four children together: Margaret, James, Ruth, and Joseph. Hi Jim, I too have enjoyed your photography work, you have a great eye and the information you provide on the subject matter. (2008). The park was used in 2000 for the filming of the movie ". Phoenix Trotting Park was one of the most incredible places I'd ever explored. Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! Many thanks to everyone for their patience. Select from premium Phoenix Trotting Park of the highest quality. Major demolition of the concrete structure began on Sept. 27 and it will take a few months to remove the 20,000 tons of rubble. Phoenix Trotting Park was not built with air conditioning, as it was never intended to be a year-round facility. Phoenix Trotting Park was a far less successful venture. Phoenix Trotting Park Our list of abandoned tracks could also include another impressive project that was supposed to draw in the most famous teams in the world. The Phoenix Trotting Park, was a horse racingtrack built in 1964 in Goodyear, Arizona, United States. Welcome to the Desert Botanical Garden Gift Shop, we have the best gifts & souvenirs in Phoenix! Still hard to believe that it's really gone. Senator John J. Dunnigan on Feb. 22, 1934, Trotters at the Buffalo Raceway on May 25, 1974, Re-creation of the Phoenix Trotting Park logo, Phoenix Trotting Park under construction in 1964. West Valley View. Cordes. I don't want to get busted, but I've wanted to go inside this place for nearly two years now!!! Former horse racing track in Goodyear, Arizona, "Phoenix Trotting Park, An Architectural Paragon, Has Set Out to Win The West! Cool! Originally budgeted at $3 million, it ended up costing about $10 million. 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. Stay tuned for a big photo update coming soon! Well meet with the family after everything has been taken down and cleaned up, then determine where were going to go with it from there, Smith said. These hollow, V-shaped girders measured 8 by 8 by 105 feet, and were considered "lightweight" at 120 tons. January 14, 2016 - HUGE NEWS!!! AZBEX. Low 37F. Phoenix Trotting Park was a fantasy track when it opened in 1965, but the fantasy became a nightmare when it ceased operations in December of 1966, less than two years after its . Phoenix Trots Out A $9 Million Track With Spiral Curves. description and a spaghetti-like tangle of interstate overpasses looms over the shell of the old track. It was here that he purchased a 640-acre parcel near Cotton Lane Road and McDowell Road for his new harness racing track, the Phoenix Trotting Park. Chris Randall/Flickr. [24] Roles Inn of America owned the land upon which the Trotting Park sat for many years. 5041 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix . He purchased a huge plot of land from Karl and Norbert Abel[15], who owned vast amounts of land in the area. The elder James J. Dunnigan was the one who built the Phoenix Trotting Park, and he passed away in 1983. SEP 27, 2017 - AZCENTRAL - What is the fate of the Phoenix Trotting Park in Goodyear? The colossal ruins of Phoenix Trotting Park sit in the middle of a barren expanse of land just off I-10. Until that is finished, there are no plans to do anything with the property. 26 Whiting, Brent. So you only use the Sony RX100M3 camera for all your photos? Soon the thrill was gone and the 50-acre parking lot was mostly empty. 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. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. The Phoenix Gazette, G3. its my all time favorite place that I have explored. (28 Mar 2014). Link no longer valid. I saw a little structure off by itself on the roof, and couldn't resist having a closer look. The roof of the grandstand was supported by a series of main roof girders. Harness Racing Hall of Fame: James J. Dunnigan, Sr. 23rd Consecutive Victory Is Goal Of Irish In Pitt Contest Saturday. Between Phoenix and Lewis there was a latent, but unspoken and wary sympathy. A friend of hers was injured during a visit. Beck said shed like the space to be used to build something for kids, like a waterpark, while Bowland is hopeful it will generate more business in Goodyear. June 30, 2017 - Huge photo update! This legitimized the sport, which was once dominated by bookmakers ("bookies") at the turn of the century. As such, without any care, maintenance, or upkeep, the property showed its age. After all, race tracks were 1965 Season Jan 12, 1965 - Opening Night Spring 1965 (?) The town became a city in 1985. 3 John J. Dunnigan Is Dead at 82. [1] Ivone Grassetto, head of Impressa Eugenio Grassetto of Padua, Italy designed the grandstand and the main racing strip. Before the structure could be knocked down, crews were on site of the. It was originally supposed to be built for $3 million, but after Italian architects and contractors were brought in it wound up closer to $10 million, essentially bankrupting its builder, James Dunnigan, who had operated Buffalo Raceway. Attendees filled the beautiful grandstand to watch trotting-style racing, but not for very long. [23] They built the Cotton Lane RV Resort on the backstretch of the track. (8 Mar 1965). Are there any other abandoned places in Arizona that stick out like a sore thumb? Theres no shortage of abandoned places in Arizona. A ghost town occurs because the economic activity that supported the town or city has failed due to natural or human-caused disasters such as a flood, government action, uncontrolled lawlessness, or war. 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. Del Miller, Legendary Driver in the Sulky, Is Dead at 83. For its time, it was state of the art. Date: 12.30.2010. It was so amazing. Between the unbearable desert heat, issues with flash flooding, and remote location, it was only 20 minutes outside of Phoenix - there were no major roads connecting the city to its suburbs at the time, which was an eventually death knell for the racetrack. Hard times forced him to sell the Buffalo Raceway to the Sportservice Corporation that same year.[8]. The life of the Lopes Canyon Ranch was short-lived. It closed in 1966 and was eventually demolished in 2017. Thank you, Valerie! Phoenix itself was built on the ruins of a Native American civilization and thus earned its name after the mythical bird of rebirth. While people were no longer permitted to enter the dilapidated building before its destruction, some photographers still managed . West Valley View. Over the next five decades, the decaying building and its unique architecture became an icon to many, and an eyesore to others. Southwestern playing cards, cactus jellies and desert-focused gardening books are a sample of what we sell. The grandstand building is no longer there. Haven't made it in yet! (14 Jan 2016). I've been a couple times to just look at the outside. How cool that your grandmother got to work there! (10 Mar 2021). Demolition of the Phoenix Trotting Park, a massive, abandoned horse-racing track near Interstate 10 and Loop 303 in Goodyear, began Wednesday morning. With pepper spray in hand, I descended a dark stairway into the abyss. The Phoenix Trotting Park was expertly designed and opened in 1965. 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. I've traveled through several of these places since I was a child and I've wondered about them myself! Soar over the Trotting Park with amazing aerial drone videos sent in by readers, plus other clips. The Western New York Harness Racing Page. Aggregates used in the concrete mix were cooled before mixing by introducing ice into the mixing process to disspiate heat. Please vote in our online survey and tell us which items you would like to see in a web store. However you want to describe the Phoenix Trotting Park it can be yours for $16.5 million. Sign up for free today. Thanks, Sue! I never got the guts to go past the gate, though.. July 23, 2020 - Nearly three years after the beloved Trotting Park was reduced to a pile of rubble, still nothing has been done with the site. West Valley View. 14 Arizona Harness Racing, Inc. (7 Jun 1961). Construction of the grandstand was a joint venture between Gilbert & Dolan Enterprises and E.L. Farmer Construction Co., Inc. [24]. According to a YouTube video, a motorcycle show was held at the park on March 26, 1988. However, there are also numerous wonderful AZ ghost towns that you can still visit and even tour, including: Thank you! thanks from all avid explorers!! Woolworth family and owner of Clearview Stables in Maine) and Delvin Miller, a harness racing Hall of Famer who was involved with the Roosevelt Raceway in Long Island[16]. Machuca said he plans to post his pictures online. But Phoenix Trotting Park proved to be the exception. What are some other creepy abandoned places in Arizona? Sports Illustrated Magazine. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on the sofa with a hot cup of coffee, watching a crime TV show or scary movie. Please keep posting! June 17, 2018 - With the Phoenix Trotting Park now demolished, the land has been listed again with Colliers, this time for $24 million. Really great site, Jim!Sadly, they are tearing the Trotting Park down soon. [19] The park received a great deal of press coverage and was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine and in The New York Times. A lot of research has been done to ensure the accuracy and validity of information shown on this website. Love Arizona? Victor Gruen and Associates of Los Angeles, CA were the coordinating architects on the project. (2011). The Phoenix Trotting Park was constructed in the 1960's by the Dunnigan family. However, a 1964 New York Times article and a 1965 Sports Illustrated article both credit the building's design to Ivone Grasetto, also of Padua, Italy. Very informative and I can't wait to go see some of these places as well. The structure was demolished in 2017. Check them out on the Photo Gallery page. Third Level - Employee Locker Rooms, Employee Cafeteria, Main Kitchen, Store Rooms, Restaurant Space 224-Acre Mixed-Use Hub Proposed for Goodyear. There are several unique features about the grandstand's construction that make it unique. If you have spotted an error or omission, please let us know! The grandstand of Phoenix Trotting Park is enormous. Dunnigan was able to drum up some financing from his trotting buddies in New York, including Norman S. Woolworth (a relative of the wealthy J.W. For decades, the horse track,. June 17, 2018 - With the Phoenix Trotting Park now demolished, the land has been listed again with Colliers, this time for $24 million. About to adventure this one myself. It was visible from the I-10 and became a popular destination for urban exploration until security guards were installed at the property. Because of the high summer temperatures, special precautions were taken in the preparation and curing of the concrete. Unknown magazine scan. Mr. Dunnigan is survived by one brother, Eddie; and several nieces and nephews. (PDF). 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. High 56F. However, the cantilever at the roof level reaches a remarkable 44 feet with the attachment of the front fascia units. October 22, 2017 - Two new videos have been added to the Videos page. Originally planned to be built for a cost of about $3 million, the facility ended up costing around $10 million. (Here's a video I made about Phoenix Trotting Park, which includes additional info and pictures not included in this blog entry:), the historic home of Buffalo Bill Codyand a melting adobe house in the middle of the Arizona desert, https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JimSullivanPlacesThatWere/posts. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. May 17, 2017 - Very sad to report that the Trotting Park is in the beginning stages of demolition, starting with asbestos removal. Costing around $10 million (or $96,132,258 million today), the facility was state of the art for its time, and an exuberant crowd of 12,000 fans filled the stands on opening day. Read the article here: Huge Trotting Park in Goodyear Marks 50 Years Standing Empty. It featured a glass enclosed temperature controlled grandstand that could accommodate 15,000 fans. (14 Dec 1966). The land sold for $16.5 million to a New York-based developer called Keystone Equities LLC. How many ghost towns still exist in Arizona? Until it was demolished in 2017 (huge bummer, we know), the Phoenix Trotting Park in Goodyear was in the latter category. Racing Beneath The Peaks. In this week's episode of . Temp: 33. 10 Arizona Rites Held for James Dunnigan. Notre Dame Alumnus, Vol. West Valley View. Im going to get some good shots, good memories, Machuca said. Recent news reports about Trotting Park have brought a lot of focus to it, Smith said. The hot weather of the desert caused events to be uncomfortable to attendees. He did get permission before flying there. 28 Gullickson, Glenn. 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. Phoenix, Dunnigan pointed out, can only expand to the west, where his track is located, and he is counting heavily on the Goodyear . Harness Racing Update March 28, 2014 by Dean A. Hoffman. Thanks for sending it in. Big thanks to Scott Elder for sharing this video with us. 16 Phoenix Trotting Park. The grandstand lies. [27] The park was reported to be in escrow in August of 2016 [28], but that sale fell through and did not complete. A graveside service is scheduled to be held on Friday (Sept. 2) at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery in Phoenix. 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