New DC Ballpark!

[AcidRock23]

appears to be a pitcher's park as well.

I wonder if they had a hard time deciding what to do w/ that 'c'mon, we need some more HR to get people in here, if we can get 'Fonso to play OF, he could jack 50 if we move the fence in!' 'heck no, we've put together a tasty little pitching staff, let's go that direction' as the fences moved back and forth?



link

[j_d_mcnugent]

i like retro parks but its cool that they decided to go a completely different direction.

[stumpak]

It's a neat looking stadium.

And I have to agree that the retro parks are becoming a little trite now that they are a dime a dozen. The original ones like Camden and some of the later ones like Pac Bell are quite nice, but the trend in retro parks is more toward the goofy and ridiculous like Minute Maid.

[JakeTrain72]

Yea good ol HOK. Don't get me wrong I do like the firm (I think Ellerbe Beckett may be a tad bit better, but that's just me). I guess I am a little bitter in that being a White Sox fan and getting our "New Comiskey" being so bland, then seeing Camden and a slew of other parks designed by HOK shortly afterwards that have MUCH more appeal being built makes me a little upset.

But as a baseball fan, I love the improved look and designs of the new stadiums. It is great to see them unique and have their own quirks and looks. It looks like there will be some prime tailgating area on top of the parking garages! Great View, B-B-Q and Brew!

[thedude]

Here is another article on the ballpark from a local washington paper.

The title of the story is "This is it?" so as you may have guessed this guy is not to thrilled with the look of the new stadium.

[number9]

Yeah, finally a non-retro modern ballpark, that's good for variety. Jake, at least you don't have the SkyDome, that place has negative atmosphere unless it's packed to the rafters (don't even get me started on Japanese ballparks, while the great retro revolution was going on in the States in the 90s, Japan kept on building more nondescript domes! )

[JakeTrain72]

Yeah, finally a non-retro modern ballpark, that's good for variety. Jake, at least you don't have the SkyDome, that place has negative atmosphere unless it's packed to the rafters (don't even get me started on Japanese ballparks, while the great retro revolution was going on in the States in the 90s, Japan kept on building more nondescript domes! )

I'll give you that one. Domes are a very tough sell. Basically if isn't snowing, raining, or blistering hot at the present moment the game is being played, it really dampens the atmosphere. Hence the evolution of retractable roofs. This is DC, can't stray too far left or right so I am not surprised to see a fairly "safe, yet modern" styling in these initial renderings.