As one stadium comes down, another prepares to open in Pawtucket, R.I.

Boston Globe

02-04-2025

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But at the same time, crews are putting the final touches on the
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Pawtucket
'We are trying to reinvent ourselves and develop a new identity,' Mercer said. 'This high school will be a big shot in the arm relative to people wanting to live here and not calling it 'The Bucket.' The new soccer stadium, and the development that is scheduled to come with that — if everything aligns, we are poised to reinvent ourselves in a positive way.'
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Pawtucket City Council President Terrence E. Mercer stands outside McCoy Stadium, which is being demolished after 83 years.
Edward Fitzpatrick
But Mercer, who grew up 300 yards from McCoy's left field foul pole, is still feeling the pain of this cycle of loss and rebirth. 'I'd like to say bittersweet,' he said, 'but it's just bitter right now.'
He said McCoy's demolition day has been all but inevitable since 2018 when new PawSox owners announced plans to move the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox
Mercer said he plays in a high-low jack card league on Thursday nights, and most of the 25 guys grew up within a 10-block radius of McCoy. 'All the talk at the card game was, 'Did you see what's going on in McCoy? It's sad. It's too bad. Remember when? Remember when? Remember when?'' he said.
Mercer remembered when he and other neighborhood kids used to collect the baseballs that players hit out of the park during batting practice. At that time, attendance at PawSox games was sparse. But
'So he put four or five 10-year-olds in the seats, they'd each buy one hot dog, and he's ahead of the game,' Mercer said. 'He was building a base. It was like Business 101.'
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He has no doubt the PawSox would still be at McCoy if Mondor, who died in 2010, was still alive.
'Maybe he would've cajoled the state into another round of facelifts for the stadium,' Mercer said. 'But if he were to step foot here right now, he would have the same tears in his eyes that I have.'
A torn Marty Barrett banner remains outside what is left of McCoy Stadium. Barrett played in the longest professional baseball game in history, a 33-inning contest between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings on April 18-19 and June 23, 1981. He scored the winning run in a 3-2 victory.
Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Losing McCoy Stadium wasn't a huge economic loss for Pawtucket, he said, noting the city-owned stadium didn't generate a lot of tax revenue. 'It was more of a cultural hit — a hit to our psyche and our pride,' he said.
But now, Mercer said, the city is looking for other points of pride.
Case in point: He said he and his wife bought season tickets for
'I'm not a huge soccer fan yet,' he said. 'But she said to me, 'Remember how much we liked going to McCoy?' And I said, 'Let's give it a shot, let's try to support the new team.''
Rhode Island FC fans cheer on the team last year at Beirne Stadium on the campus of Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. This year, the team will play at the new Stadium at Tidewater Landing in Pawtucket.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
He said he's looking forward to the residential and commercial development, and the pedestrian bridge, that's supposed to accompany the new soccer stadium.
Also, Mercer said he's looking forward to the new Pawtucket High School, which will consolidate about 2,100 students from Tolman and Shea high schools onto one campus. The city will need to invest a lot of money, even with the state covering up to 92 percent of the $314 million price tag, he said.
But, Mercer said, 'This is going to be a sea change project. Those two schools are structurally in disrepair. The students in Pawtucket are going to be coming to a brand new building.'
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In a statement, Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien said the new school, which is to be completed by December 2028, 'will provide transformative opportunities for generations to come.'
Workers at McCoy Stadium pound away at equipment used for its demolition, which will last until July.
Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Grebien acknowledge that McCoy 'holds a special place in the hearts of so many. But he said, 'While we honor and celebrate its rich history, we also move forward and focus on what's next for our city.'
One remaining question is whether the demolition crew will find the
sealed box that Pawtucket Mayor Thomas P. McCoy placed in the stadium's cornerstone in November 1940. The
Mercer said that if the letter does turn up, it should be included in a similar time capsule for the new high school, along with some PawSox memorabilia.
According to Dan Barry's book '
While the stadium won't last for all eternity, Mercer said McCoy would be proud that it outlasted the critics who derided it. 'I think he'd feel he had the last laugh after people called it 'McCoy's Folly,'' he said. 'It endured for decades and decades.'
But, Mercer said, '(McCoy) probably also would've understood that, just like Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds, everything has a shelf life, as much as it pains you to admit it sometimes. It's where we are.'
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Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at