Demolition of old fieldhouse at Ryan Field begins today
DERBY — Demolition of the old fieldhouse at Ryan Field is slated to begin begin this morning to make way for a brand new, state-of-the- art fieldhouse, according to Superintendent of Schools Matthew Conway.
Those interested in watching the demolition, can do so online on YouTube.
Conway said demolition of the building itself is slated to take two days, while the foundation is expected to be demolished in three days.
A couple years back, Derby secured some $2.9 million state funding to renovate its athletic complex, but it was only enough to build a field for track meets and line the football field with artificial turf.
It wasn’t until Joan Payden, chief executive officer, president and founder of Payden and Rygel, a $ 110 billion asset management firm with offices in the U.S. and overseas, made a $2 million donation in her father’s ( J.R. Payden) memory, that the fieldhouse of dreams was to be born.
Payden donated another $2 million to help with the entire athletic complex renovation, which will include a new baseball and girl’s softball field.
J.R. Payden was a 1915 Derby High School graduate, baseball player and class valedictorian. After graduation from DHS, he graduated from Yale and later flew missions in World War I for the Royal Flying Corps and became CEO of Union Carbide Java in Indonesia.
The new fieldhouse is being designed by Peter de Bretteville of Hamden and will stand two stories high with outside porches allowing views of the baseball field on one side and the football field on the other.
It will be outfitted with traditional locker rooms and offices, as well as a banquet hall and memorabilia room.