Baltimore had the first of the new era of ballparks built by HOK Sport Venue, their Camden Yards stadium set the gold standard for new ballparks a decade ago. Since then, new stadiums have gone in across the country bearing the new intimate hallmarks of a stadium meant for close interaction between the fans and the game they love. Today, HOK released initial design sketches for the new stadium to be built by the Navy Yard in Southeast DC.
The new stadium, and associated retail district, are designed to fit into the personality of the neighborhoods around the stadium. You’ll be able to see the Capitol Dome from the viewing platform on the northwest corner of the stadium, and the 1250 space parking garage in that corner. The stadium itself will face to the northeast, and the facade will be a mix of cast concrete and glass, a departure for HOK, who usually use brick.
The asymmetric outfield will be one of the largest in baseball still, the sixth deepest center (The Astros have the deepest at 435ft, but Shea, Coors, Kauffman and Comerica Stadii are all around the 409 that the new Nationals Stadium will have), and long power alleys at 370 and 377 feet.
Is it worth $611 Million? Who knows. All I know is that in Spring Training, the Nationals are 2-11. Though those records are frequently worthless, it’s still something to note that they’ve won only 2 games all spring.
Now that we have a stadium design, a lease, a franchise, and a timeline, could we get some owners now, Please, Mr. Selig?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
