The problem with the deal was Connie Mack Stadium. The plan assumed a $1.5 million cash infusion from Bob Carpenter to buy the old ballpark, and he was unenthusiastic. "We need that ballpark as much as we need a hole in the head", he said. Carpenter estimated that modernizing the place would cost a million dollars, and even at that it would be impossible to enlarge the seating capacity. He also recognized the growing parking problem, as well as the declining affluence of the neighborhood. He tried to pass on the purchase, reminding Johnson that he had a lease until 1957. Johnson responded by threatening to raise the "rent" to 20 cents a head, and to bill the Phillies for stadium upkeep the A's had always paid for. When Carpenter did not show signs of giving in, Johnson said he would call the entire deal off. Carpenter did not have much choice, since no other facility in the Delaware Valley was suitable even for temporary use. Reluctantly, he formed the 21st and Lehigh Realty Company to buy the park for $1.7 million, and collected rent from the Phillies just as the A's had previously—though this effectively resulted in Carpenter transferring money from one pocket to another.