Baseball Guru
06-28-2001, 11:03 PM
Phillies Unveil New Ballpark Plans
by MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia Phillies debuted a scale model of their new stadium Thursday, revealing an intimate, innovative design that includes a grass-and-dirt field and a commanding view of the city skyline.
Hours after the unveiling, a city councilman filed a lawsuit seeking to derail the project.
The 43,000-seat, baseball-only stadium will be built on a parking lot across from Veterans Stadium and is expected to be finished in time for the 2004 season. The Phillies plan a November groundbreaking.
The new stadium, designed by a local firm and HOK Sport of Kansas City, features a playing field 23 feet below street level, seats angled toward home plate and an outfield entertainment area.
''There's a lot for the fans to be excited about. There's a lot for the fans to fall in love with,'' said HOK Vice President Joe Spear, who helped design Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Coors Field in Denver, Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards and others.
The Phillies' park will have an open-air main concourse with views of the field, four themed, landscaped entrance plazas and an asymmetrical left-field scoreboard decked in neon. Brick, stone, glass and cantilevered steel are prominent in the design. The open outfield will afford views of downtown skyscrapers from virtually every seat.
The seating bowl will be faceted, not circular, and bring fans much closer to the action. The tiered upper deck is both lower to the ground and closer to the baseball diamond than the Vet's. The Phillies also envision an 830-seat bleacher section and a 400-seat grouping on the roof of an outfield pavilion.
''I know nothing but good things are going to happen here,'' said Phillies manager Larry Bowa.
Just don't call the new place a stadium. The Phillies, eager to leave the decrepit Vet and its infamous artificial turf, prefer the more beguiling ''ballpark.''
The park will have 72 suites, all of them between the foul poles, to generate the revenue the Phillies say they desperately need to field a winning team.
The park will be bound on all sides by streets, not acres of parking lots like the Vet. Still, the Phillies said they will install an additional 5,000 parking spaces over the current 15,000.
The design did not impress city councilman David Cohen, who filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court seeking to void the city's $394 million portion of funding for new stadiums for the Phillies and Eagles. The lawsuit claims that a $1.01 billion deal to build the stadiums illegally usurps council's traditional authority over city spending.
''We need every one of our dollars available to put our city back in a world-class position,'' Cohen said.
Another lawsuit against the stadium deal is still winding its way through the courts.
Despite Thursday's unveiling, Philadelphia is late to the building boom that has seen new ballparks go up in a dozen cities since 1992.
Mayor John F. Street originally wanted to build the stadium in Chinatown, within walking distance of major Center City attractions, but was forced to abandon the plan after drawing fire from Chinatown residents and the Phillies themselves, who preferred a South Philadelphia site.
He said Thursday that he is thrilled with the new design.
''It really is a significant step in the right direction in making this city the world-class place we want it to be,'' Street said.
In December, City Council approved a $1.01 billion deal to build stadiums for both the Phillies and Eagles in South Philadelphia. But the plan included a $53 million funding gap, and even after months of fund-raising, the teams are still $9 million short.
Stadium construction, however, will not be to be derailed or delayed by the shortfall, said Sharon Swainson, spokeswoman for the new ballpark.
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"Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself, but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of a hit-and-run."
LETS GO METS!!!
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by MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia Phillies debuted a scale model of their new stadium Thursday, revealing an intimate, innovative design that includes a grass-and-dirt field and a commanding view of the city skyline.
Hours after the unveiling, a city councilman filed a lawsuit seeking to derail the project.
The 43,000-seat, baseball-only stadium will be built on a parking lot across from Veterans Stadium and is expected to be finished in time for the 2004 season. The Phillies plan a November groundbreaking.
The new stadium, designed by a local firm and HOK Sport of Kansas City, features a playing field 23 feet below street level, seats angled toward home plate and an outfield entertainment area.
''There's a lot for the fans to be excited about. There's a lot for the fans to fall in love with,'' said HOK Vice President Joe Spear, who helped design Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Coors Field in Denver, Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards and others.
The Phillies' park will have an open-air main concourse with views of the field, four themed, landscaped entrance plazas and an asymmetrical left-field scoreboard decked in neon. Brick, stone, glass and cantilevered steel are prominent in the design. The open outfield will afford views of downtown skyscrapers from virtually every seat.
The seating bowl will be faceted, not circular, and bring fans much closer to the action. The tiered upper deck is both lower to the ground and closer to the baseball diamond than the Vet's. The Phillies also envision an 830-seat bleacher section and a 400-seat grouping on the roof of an outfield pavilion.
''I know nothing but good things are going to happen here,'' said Phillies manager Larry Bowa.
Just don't call the new place a stadium. The Phillies, eager to leave the decrepit Vet and its infamous artificial turf, prefer the more beguiling ''ballpark.''
The park will have 72 suites, all of them between the foul poles, to generate the revenue the Phillies say they desperately need to field a winning team.
The park will be bound on all sides by streets, not acres of parking lots like the Vet. Still, the Phillies said they will install an additional 5,000 parking spaces over the current 15,000.
The design did not impress city councilman David Cohen, who filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court seeking to void the city's $394 million portion of funding for new stadiums for the Phillies and Eagles. The lawsuit claims that a $1.01 billion deal to build the stadiums illegally usurps council's traditional authority over city spending.
''We need every one of our dollars available to put our city back in a world-class position,'' Cohen said.
Another lawsuit against the stadium deal is still winding its way through the courts.
Despite Thursday's unveiling, Philadelphia is late to the building boom that has seen new ballparks go up in a dozen cities since 1992.
Mayor John F. Street originally wanted to build the stadium in Chinatown, within walking distance of major Center City attractions, but was forced to abandon the plan after drawing fire from Chinatown residents and the Phillies themselves, who preferred a South Philadelphia site.
He said Thursday that he is thrilled with the new design.
''It really is a significant step in the right direction in making this city the world-class place we want it to be,'' Street said.
In December, City Council approved a $1.01 billion deal to build stadiums for both the Phillies and Eagles in South Philadelphia. But the plan included a $53 million funding gap, and even after months of fund-raising, the teams are still $9 million short.
Stadium construction, however, will not be to be derailed or delayed by the shortfall, said Sharon Swainson, spokeswoman for the new ballpark.
------------------
"Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself, but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of a hit-and-run."
LETS GO METS!!!
HELP BE AN ADDICT AND CLICK ON AN AD!!