Читать книгу No Money, No Beer, No Pennants. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression онлайн

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In 1927, Peck was off to the Chicago White Sox, where aching knees reduced his playing time. When Billy Evans became the general manager of the Cleveland Indians he believed the veteran shortstop would be a strong candidate to lead his ball club. In December, Roger gladly accepted the job and the chance to come back to his old stomping grounds. There was much work to be done.

Chapter 2

STARTING TO BUILD

In 1928, Cleveland, Ohio, was one of the leading cities in the nation. The population of the greater Cleveland area was over one million, making it the sixth largest city in the United States. The downtown area was thriving with first-class restaurants, hotels, and a popular theater district. Playhouse Square had multiple theaters including the Allen, the Hanna, the State, and the Ohio. The new phenomenon of talking motion pictures attracted thousands of viewers.

Just one year earlier, the Terminal Tower opened for business, the second-largest building in the country. The massive structure had fifty-two floors and stood over seven hundred feet tall. The project was the brainchild of the reclusive railroad barons, brothers Oris and Mantis Van Sweringen. Described as having “innate modesty,” the two men proposed building the gigantic structure on Public Square. Incorporated in the plans was the construction of a huge railroad terminal directly underneath. The 3.5-acre complex included major retail space, a sleek hotel, a medical building, and a post office. The cost of the project totaled a whopping $179 million. To encourage all the thrill seekers in town, there was an open observation deck built on the forty-second floor. Statistics were not kept on how many crazed individuals rode the elevators up the dizzying heights.