The Eugene City Council will not designate the iconic east grandstand at Hayward Field as an historic site. At their work session Wednesday the council voted 5 to 1 in favor of a motion not to designate.
The University of Oregon recently unveiled plans to completely renovate Hayward Field in preparation for the upcoming 2021 World Track & Field Championships. If the council had voted to designate the grandstands as historic it would have had little effect on the UO’s plans. That was a surprise to Councilor Betty Taylor, who questioned City Attorney Kathryn Brotherton.
Taylor: “It doesn’t make any difference what we do here is what you’re saying. You’re saying that the city could not deny a permit to demolish. Is that correct? [Correct.] So we’re just sitting here talking.”
Taylor said she supports historic designation even if it is symbolic. But she was the only one.
If the council had voted for historic designation it might have affected the timeline for construction at Hayward Field. The project is set to start this summer.
