GREENSBORO, N.C. — A Greensboro landmark is set to get a makeover.
North Carolina A&T University bought the historic World War Memorial Stadium earlier this year and said it needs tens of millions of dollars worth of upgrades.
"The seats are older, the stairs, the whole facility," Bill Barlow said.
Barlow is the Director of Planning, Design and Construction at NC A&T, now at bat with the 96-year-old fixer-upper.
The stadium has a long history with the university. It's also the oldest minor league baseball stadium in North Carolina.
"North Carolina A&T started playing football here in the 1920s. We started playing baseball in the 1930s. It was home to Greensboro semi-pro baseball team," Barlow said.
Long ago, the stadium was "dedicated to the upbuilding of the youth of the state" according to a program from its unveiling. It was built after a time of destruction.
"It's a monument not just to what we lost in World War I, but also to the city coming together to create something to remember all those lives," Glenn Perkins said.
Perkins is the Curator of Community History at the Greensboro History Museum.
Black and white photos from the museum show crowds and a lot full of Model T's during those first games.
Now the stadium is a monument to that time period. It is etched with the names whose sacrifice it honors, but some of the more painful parts of that history are scratched away like a scab.
"The list of the war dead are there is segregated," Perkins said. "Over time, it's become more of a place where people have been able to come together and now we see it under A&T's use it's a place where everybody can come."
With help from a National Park Grant, Barlow said there are eight million dollars ready for renovations. He also said it could take up to $20 million to complete upgrades.
"We want to preserve it as much as possible as well as make it a place that we can enjoy playing baseball here today," Barlow said.
The hope is to play ball by 2026 and start a new inning on the stadium's 100th birthday.