Nationals Park

[nymdan]

Not sure if anybody's seen this yet... more than half of the video is devoted to showing all of the different suites and luxury boxes.

I think it looks good. I know people are upset that the suites are located in places that get rid of some of the best seating locations, but I think that's just a result of where the team is playing. They must figure that a good portion of their business is going to come from politicians, lobbyists, businessmen entertaining clients, etc... whereas a more established team has some of these but the overwhelming majority of the teams' business comes from fans coming to see the ballgame itself. I don't know if you can fault the Nationals for that.

Either way, the amenities are unbelivable... and it looks like it might turn out to be a nice place for the average fan to catch a game, too.

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/ballpark/virtual_tour.jsp

[Elvis]

Not sure if anybody's seen this yet... more than half of the video is devoted to showing all of the different suites and luxury boxes.

I think it looks good. I know people are upset that the suites are located in places that get rid of some of the best seating locations, but I think that's just a result of where the team is playing. They must figure that a good portion of their business is going to come from politicians, lobbyists, businessmen entertaining clients, etc... whereas a more established team has some of these but the overwhelming majority of the teams' business comes from fans coming to see the ballgame itself. I don't know if you can fault the Nationals for that.

Either way, the amenities are unbelivable... and it looks like it might turn out to be a nice place for the average fan to catch a game, too.

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/...rtual_tour.jsp

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[nymdan]

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Let it out :-)

[Knick9]

Review

They sure love their concession stands because I've noticed that got mentioned alot in the tour. The obvious flaw, of course, is the seating that is styled by HOK. You can tell that upper decks will never be the same and good again as long as HOK keeps making this rubbish. That is just too much of a sacrifice to make if you ask me. I'm not impressed at all. I'm sure it would impress the politicians and lobbysists and the like but that is for the casual fans and the business people who want to make profits.

This park gets praised so much, and I don't think it deserves to be at all. Look at the field again, and you have far away upper deck seats. I can make a better ballpark than that. Some of the most inexeperienced architecture makers can do a better job, too. I still say that the opening building just before the concession stands looks like a post office type of building. Nothing real interesting there that blows you away. Having the suites lined behind the plate intimidates the pitcher a la Tiger Stadium, but I don't think we need that type of impact anymore.

To sum it up, this will be a terrible ballpark. Fans are going to get excited about the concession stands and nothing more I believe. The views satisfy nobody. I am hoping that some business goes up against HOK because I have seen what I've already needed to see out of HOK, and HOK just doesn't cut the mustard. We've been due for HOK's arch rival to emerge.

:disbelief:

[nymdan]

This site is doing a great job tracking the construction... http://www.jdland.com/dc/stadium.cfm?tab=no2

Looks like it should be ready in time for the corporate guys to sit behind home plate and have a business meeting while a baseball game is going on next April.

[PeteU]

As I've posted before, I believe this will be a decent ballpark, nothing more and nothing less. Certainly not a great ballpark, but certainly not a horrible ballpark either.

They could have done a lot more with it, in terms of providing a better view of the city with the Capitol and Washington Monument. And the exterior could have been made to look less like a suburban office park and more to match the greco-roman architecture Washington DC is famous for.

But it will have some nice amenities and it is designed exclusively for baseball, so I can't say it will be that bad of a place for a game. And it certainly beats the heck out of RFK Stadium, which as the first of the awful cookie cutters of the 1960s and 1970s I can't say will be missed all that much.

There will be some issues as to parking, which is something of a premium in the neighborhood. And I can see the nearby Metro station getting bottlenecked pretty fast (I think they only have one line running to it, as opposed to RFK which has three lines).

But all in all, the Nationals get to have a park of their own and it's average to above-average. Could have done so much more with it, but I really think it beats what they have right now.

[Smirkman]

As I've posted before, I believe this will be a decent ballpark, nothing more and nothing less. Certainly not a great ballpark, but certainly not a horrible ballpark either.

They could have done a lot more with it, in terms of providing a better view of the city with the Capitol and Washington Monument. And the exterior could have been made to look less like a suburban office park and more to match the greco-roman architecture Washington DC is famous for.

But it will have some nice amenities and it is designed exclusively for baseball, so I can't say it will be that bad of a place for a game. And it certainly beats the heck out of RFK Stadium, which as the first of the awful cookie cutters of the 1960s and 1970s I can't say will be missed all that much.

There will be some issues as to parking, which is something of a premium in the neighborhood. And I can see the nearby Metro station getting bottlenecked pretty fast (I think they only have one line running to it, as opposed to RFK which has three lines).

But all in all, the Nationals get to have a park of their own and it's average to above-average. Could have done so much more with it, but I really think it beats what they have right now.

RFK has 2 lines (Blue & Orange) but they run on the same tracks so it really only has one line as you can only have 1 train in the station (per direction) at a time. If they increase the service of the green line there shouldn't be much (if any) drop in service. The new park will have things to do after games as well so many will linger after games. Nobody hangs around RFK unless you have a car, a beer and a grill.

[PeteU]

RFK has 2 lines (Blue & Orange) but they run on the same tracks so it really only has one line as you can only have 1 train in the station (per direction) at a time. If they increase the service of the green line there shouldn't be much (if any) drop in service. The new park will have things to do after games as well so many will linger after games. Nobody hangs around RFK unless you have a car, a beer and a grill.

True, but the extra line or lines means less people have to make multiple transfers (unless they are lucky enough to be located near a station along the green line).

I agree the new park has a lot more potential for neighborhood interaction and business growth than RFK, but I think it's going to take a little while for that area to become an established entertainment district. I don't think it will happen overnight.

[Sean O]

I agree the new park has a lot more potential for neighborhood interaction and business growth than RFK, but I think it's going to take a little while for that area to become an established entertainment district. I don't think it will happen overnight.

Boy, let's hope it's as successful as Arlington was after the Rangers' new park, right?

The urban renewal was totally worth all the taxpaper money that went into the area. Awesome.

[PadreHomer]

Boy, let's hope it's as successful as Arlington was after the Rangers' new park, right?

The urban renewal was totally worth all the taxpaper money that went into the area. Awesome.

Actually the area that Petco Park is in San Diego was nearly abandoned and nothing but old run-down warehouses. AGreed it was closer to a more revitalized part of downtown than the ballpark in Washington is, but its nothing like Arlington, where they built it in the middle of nowhere. If you do it right, the ballpark can be a catalyst for some great development and revitalization. You should see the area where Petco Park is now and compare it to what it used to look like, night and day.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Actually the area that Petco Park is in San Diego was nearly abandoned and nothing but old run-down warehouses. AGreed it was closer to a more revitalized part of downtown than the ballpark in Washington is, but its nothing like Arlington, where they built it in the middle of nowhere. If you do it right, the ballpark can be a catalyst for some great development and revitalization. You should see the area where Petco Park is now and compare it to what it used to look like, night and day.

You're right, there has been a lot of development near Padres Park. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the revitalization of the Gaslamp District occur years before the ballpark construction?

Stadiums don't usually cause development unless a plan is set before construction begins.

In Minneapolis, they thought there would be a lot of new construction next to the Metrodome and it never happened. With the new park in the Warehouse District, the bars, restaurants, and clubs are already there. Hines development group are planning on building condos and other entertainment options right next to the new park, yet nobody really knows if it will happen for sure.

[RichardLillard1]

Looks good to me. I like this design its really growing on me. I think this one will go down as one of the greats in years to come.

Elvis, what do you think?

[Augustin_"Gus"]

Hey, did they mention anything in the video about luxury seating and private boxes? If they did, I must have missed it

Actually, I think they could come up with a great slogan to accompany the presentation;

The new Washington ballpark: Poor people need not apply!

[Knick9]

Looks good to me. I like this design its really growing on me. I think this one will go down as one of the greats in years to come.

Elvis, what do you think?

Oh, far from being one of the greats of all time. The ballpark dimensions aren't unique enough, the seating formation is crooked and out of whack (in a bad way), and the concession stands and suites were the highlights of the tour, what can that say about everything else? Are they chopped liver?

[Elvis]

Looks good to me. I like this design its really growing on me. I think this one will go down as one of the greats in years to come.

Elvis, what do you think?

Sorry, Richard. I think it's horrible. Explained here: http://baseball-fever.com/showpost.p...&postcount=261