Venture led by Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas buys 'Field of Dreams' movie site

Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Chicago White Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Frank Thomas has headed a venture that purchased controlling interest in Go the Distance Baseball's ownership of All-Star Ballpark Heaven and the iconic Field of Dreams movie site.

In a statement released Thursday, the company said that This is Heaven LLC, a venture between the 53-year-old Thomas and Chicago real estate developer Rick Heidner, bought all the interests in Go the Distance Baseball owned by the Denise M. Stillman Trust.

Thomas will serve as chief executive officer, while former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Dan Evans will be chief operating officer.

"We are excited to lead the future development and expansion of the Field of Dreams in a collaborative spirit with our neighbors and government officials," Thomas said.

Stillman headed a group that bought the field, which served as the film site of the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, and the adjacent Lansing family farm in 2011. The location of about 190 acres includes a working cornfield. Stillman died in 2018.

"We are grateful to Tom [Mietzel], and to John and Claire Stillman for entrusting us with their mother's legacy, and we pledge to preserve her dream and enhance the vision that Denise brought to this sacred site nearly a decade ago," Heidner said.

MLB constructed a ballpark adjacent to the movie site, and the New York Yankees and White Sox played the first Major League game in Iowa on Aug. 12. The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are scheduled to play at the cornfield ballpark next season on Aug. 11.

Thomas, a five-time All-Star selection and two-time American League Most Valuable Player, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Nicknamed the "Big Hurt," he ended his career with 521 home runs and 1,704 RBIs.