Ray Winder Field sat vacant for almost five years while forces outside of organized baseball determined the future of this historic ballpark. Many recognized the ballpark as a historic structure both for the City of Little Rock and for baseball, and it was proposed that the park be restored as a functional baseball field for city and college teams as had been done with Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama . Others proposed demolishing the historic ballpark in order to utilize the area as a parking lot for the nearby University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Arkansas Zoological Foundation wanted the Little Rock Zoo to expand into Ray Winder by refitting the grandstand as a viewing area for an Asian elephant exhibit. During all of these discussions, the underlying atmosphere from the City of Little Rock was one of disinterest and apathy, with no apparent recognition of the park's historic ties to baseball's golden era, and no interest in assisting in the landmark ballpark's preservation.