The house Hall-of-Famer James O’Rourke lived in is coming down Monday to clear the way for the Steelpoint Harbor development in Bridgeport.
O’Rourke, the first person to get a hit in the National League, lived his entire life in Bridgeport, where his family had owned a farm, according to Bridgeport News.
The Pembroke Street home, which was built in the late 19th century, is one of just a few structures still standing on the development site, according to the News. The two-family house was built in 1908 and Bridgeport Redevelopment Agency bought it in 1999 for $150,000, according to Bridgeport’s online real estate database.
Steelpoint will be a 52-acre mixed-use development with residences, a retail center, waterfront restaurants, shops, entertainment, a marina and a yacht club.
O’Rourke’s legacy will live on through a statue at the Ballpark in Harbor Yard, according to the Connecticut Post.
The bronze statue by West Haven sculptor Susan Clinard will show the baseball player following through on a swing as he stands over a stack of books.
Steelpoint developer Bob Christoph Sr. told the Post that O'Rourke was known as "Orator Jim" because of his vocabulary and way with words, so the books are appropriate.
