Law Department Baseball Litigation Records, 1932-1977

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Law Dept.
Title
Law Department Baseball Litigation Records
Dates
1932-1977 (inclusive)
1964-1977 (bulk)
Quantity
6.4 cubic feet, (7 boxes)
Collection Number
4402-02
Summary
Records relating to the Seattle Pilots' short residence in the city, including maintenance files for Sick's Stadium and documents relating to various lawsuits after the team left Seattle.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Seattle Pilots were the city's first major league baseball team, but were in the city for only one season before relocating to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers. The team played in Sick's Stadium, which was a minor league park built in 1938. The stadium had to be extensively renovated to accommodate the team, and construction work continued right up to the first home game on April 11, 1969. Less than two months later, the American League declared the facility to be "inadequate" for a major league team.

Complaints about the stadium, coupled with low attendance and finances in the red, led to threats by the Pilots' owners to leave Seattle. When the state of Washington obtained a temporary injunction to stop the move, the team's parent company, Pacific Northwest Sports Inc., declared bankruptcy. However, Bud Selig had already worked out a deal to buy the team and move them to Wisconsin, a change that the American League approved. The team went to spring training as the Seattle Pilots but were the Milwaukee Brewers by the time the season started - a move so sudden they didn't even have uniforms made in time.

The city, the state, and King County joined together in a lawsuit against the American League in 1970, seeking $32 million in damages. The suit was delayed while the league floated proposals to move various other teams to Seattle, but in 1976 the case finally came to court in Snohomish County. Eventually the league offered to locate another franchise in Seattle in exchange for the plaintiffs dropping the lawsuit. By this time the Kingdome was nearing completion, so a new team would have a suitable home without the headaches of Sick's Stadium. The plaintiffs agreed to this settlement, and the Seattle Mariners debuted in 1977.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The records in this series document the maintenance and renovation of Sick's Stadium, as well as the various lawsuits that ensued when the Pilots left Seattle. There are also a number of files relating to plans to build a new multi-purpose stadium in the city (the Kingdome). One discrete set of materials come from the files of Henry Berg, who was the Maintenance and Construction Supervisor at Seattle Center and was responsible for overseeing the renovation of Sick's Stadium.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Baseball Litigation Records, Record Series 4402-02. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The records are arranged in five categories:

  • Henry Berg Files
  • Sick's Stadium
  • New Multi-Purpose Stadium
  • Court Documents
  • Other Related Material

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Henry Berg FilesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium, Sky Hi Equipment / Century Construction
1969-1970
1/2
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium, Sky Hi Equipment / Century Construction
1969-1970
1/3
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium, Venture Construction
1969
1/4
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium, Venture Construction
1969
1/5
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium
1966-1968
1/6
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium, Sky Hi Equipment Co. / Century Construction
1969
1/7
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium Renovation
1967-1969
1/8
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium Trailer
1969-1971
1/9
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium Correspondence
1966-1969
1/10
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium Punch Lists
1969
1/11
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium- Pacific Northwest Sports, Inc.
1969-1970
1/12
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Industrial Electric Field Lighting
1969
1/13
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Renovation
1967-1970
1/14
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Construction
1969
1/15
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Construction Drawings
1969
1/16
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Construction Correspondence
1969
1/17
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Renovation - Plans and Bids
1967-1968
1/18
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Locks
1970
1/19
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Venture Construction
1969
1/20
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Sound System
1969
1/21
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Water Main Installation
1969-1970
1/22
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Fire Stairs
1969
1/23
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Safeway Scaffolding
1969
1/24
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Fence
1969-1970
1/25
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Sound Elevator
1969
1/26
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Guard
1969-1970
1/27
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Maintenance
1970
1/28
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Sound System
1968-1969
1/29
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Coordinating Meetings
1968-1969
1/30
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Electrical Vault
1969-1970
1/31
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Drainage System
1969-1970
1/32
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Scoreboard
1969
1/33
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Fire Protection System
1969
1/34
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Press Box Air Conditioner
1969
1/35
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Sound System
1969
1/36
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Miscellaneous
1968-1970
1/37
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Miscellaneous
1968-1970
2/1
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Miscellaneous
1968-1970
2/2
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Testing Lab Reports
1969
2/3
Henry Berg Files - Sick's Stadium - Miscellaneous
1969-1970

Sick's StadiumReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
2/4
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence
1964
2/5
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence
1965
2/6
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence
1967
2/7
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence
1968
2/8
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence
1968
2/9
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence (Jan-Mar)
1969
2/10
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence (Apr-May)
1969
2/11
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence (June)
1969
2/12
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence (July-Aug)
1969
2/13
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence (Sep-Dec)
1969
2/14
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence (Jan-Feb)
1970
2/15
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence (Mar-Apr)
1970
2/16
Sick's Stadium - Correspondence (May-Jan)
1970-1971
2/17
Sick's Stadium - Bleacher Contract
1969
2/18
Sick's Stadium - Bleacher Contract
1969
2/19
Sick's Stadium - Board of Public Works
1969
2/20
Sick's Stadium - Conversion
1968
3/1
Sick's Stadium - Meeting of Seattle Center and Seattle Pilots Representatives
1968
3/2
Sick's Stadium - Parking
1969
3/3
Sick's Stadium - Restrooms, Press Box, Hoistway Contract
1969
3/4
Sick's Stadium - Seattle Center/Rental/Lease Issues
1970
3/5
Sick's Stadium - TV Platforms
1969
3/6
Sick's Stadium - TV Towers/Elevators
1969
3/7
Sick's Stadium - Work Orders (Seattle Center)
1969
3/8
Sick's Stadium - Miscellaneous
1968-1969
3/9
Sick's Stadium - Miscellaneous
1965-1970
3/10
Sick's Stadium - Miscellaneous
1969-1970
3/11
Sick's Stadium - Miscellaneous
1971-1972

New Multi-Purpose StadiumReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
3/12
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Mayor's Correspondence
1966
3/13
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Mayor's Correspondence
1967
3/14
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Mayor's Correspondence
1968
3/15
New Multi-Purpose Stadium
1968
3/16
New Multi-Purpose Stadium
1969
3/17
New Multi-Purpose Stadium
1970
3/18
New Multi-Purpose Stadium
1971
3/19
New Multi-Purpose Stadium
1972
3/20
New Multi-Purpose Stadium
1973
3/21
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Forward Thrust
1968
3/22
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Parking
1968-1972
4/1
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - News Clippings
1968
4/2
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Citizen Comment
1968
4/3
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Citizen Comment
1968
4/4
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Parking Study
1968
4/5
New Multi-Purpose Stadium - Citizen Participation
1972

Court DocumentsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
4/6
Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Bankruptcy, Correspondence
1970
4/7
Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Bankruptcy, Correspondence
1970
4/8
Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Bankruptcy, Partial Pleadings
1970-1968
4/9
Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Bankruptcy, Pilots Settlement
1970-1974
4/10
Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Bankruptcy, Memos
1970
4/11
Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Bankruptcy, Extra Pleadings
1970
4/12
City v. Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Pleadings
1970-1972
4/13
City v. Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Pleadings
1970-1972
4/14
City v. Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Briefs
1970
4/15
City v. Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Notes and Research
1970
4/16
City v. Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Extra Pleadings
1970
4/17
City v. Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Correspondence
1968-1970
4/18
City v. Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Extra Pleadings
1970-1972
4/19
City v. Pacific Northwest Sports Inc. - Miscellaneous
1967-1972
4/20
State/County/City v. American League - Paul Anson Deposition and Exhibits
1973
4/21
State/County/City v. American League - Edward Heavey Deposition and Exhibits
1973
4/22
State/County/City v. American League - Edward J. Johnson Deposition and Exhibits
1973
5/1
State/County/City v. American League - Parking and Overtime
1968-1974
5/2
State/County/City v. American League
1970-1976
5/3
State/County/City v. American League
1974-1975
5/4
State/County/City v. American League
1974-1976
5/5
State/County/City v. American League
1973-1974
5/6
State/County/City v. American League
1968-1973
5/7
State/County/City v. American League
1969-1974
5/8
State/County/City v. American League
1973-1974
5/9
State/County/City v. American League
1973-1974
5/10
State/County/City v. American League
1973-1974
5/11
State/County/City v. American League
1973-1974
5/12
State/County/City v. American League
1973-1974
5/13
State/County/City v. American League
1973-1974
5/14
State/County/City v. American League
1974
5/15
State/County/City v. American League
1969-1974
5/16
State/County/City v. American League - Continuance Agreement
1974-1975
5/17
State/County/City v. American League
1975-1977
6/1
State/County/City v. American League
1970-1974
6/2
State/County/City v. American League
1974-1977
6/3
State/County/City v. American League
1974
6/4
State/County/City v. American League
1970-1972
6/5
State/County/City v. American League
1971
6/6
State/County/City v. American League
1971
6/7
State/County/City v. American League
1970-1971
6/8
Exhibits - Remodeling and Renovation
1969-1970
6/9
Exhibits - Remodeling and Renovation
1969-1970
6/10
Exhibits - Remodeling and Renovation
1969-1970
6/11
Exhibits - Remodeling and Renovation
1969-1970
6/12
Exhibits - Remodeling and Renovation
1964-1973
6/13
Exhibits - Appraisal of Sick's Stadium
1965-1973
6/14
Exhibits - Mayor Uhlman
1970-1976

Other Related MaterialReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
6/15
Newspaper Clippings
1969
6/16
Newspaper Clippings
1970
6/17
Ordinances, Clerk Files, Resolutions
1943-1973
7/1
Ordinances, Clerk Files, Resolutions
1932-1969
7/2
Professional Baseball Rules, Constitution
1966-1976
7/3
Pilots - Public Statement (Mayor's Files)
1970
7/4
Pilots/Major League Baseball - Mayor's File
1970
7/5
Pilots - Mayor's File
1969-1970

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Sick's Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Baseball--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Kingdome (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Litigation--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Stadiums--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Berg, Henry
  • Uhlman, Wesley C. (Wesley Carl), 1935-

Corporate Names

  • American League of Professional Baseball Clubs
  • Pacific Northwest Sports, Inc.
  • Seattle Pilots (Baseball team)

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)