Last week the Oakland Athletics and Portland both released renders of how their future ballparks. The difference being, Oakland has a team and make the ball park a reality (finally) and Portland doesn’t have a team yet. In an error when almost every team tries to make a ballpark that looks retro, both ballparks seem like modern marvels:
The ballpark at Howard Terminal returns the baseball experience to the roots of the sport, while reimagining the ballpark anew. A “ballpark within a park,” the intimate stadium is nestled carefully into its urban surroundings. https://t.co/vLuiX01aT0#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/ZjTXknlU1A
— Oakland Athletics 🌳🐘⚾️ (@Athletics) November 28, 2018
“We are excited to build a bold, iconic ballpark at Howard Terminal. This design will allow us to blur the boundaries of a traditional ballpark and integrate into the surrounding neighborhood.” – @DaveKaval https://t.co/vLuiX01aT0#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/g46FK7N2ny
— Oakland Athletics 🌳🐘⚾️ (@Athletics) November 28, 2018
“We are also committed to delivering a baseball experience for our fans like no other. Our proposed two-project approach will enable us to deliver on our promises to both our fans and community.” – @DaveKaval. For more information, visit https://t.co/vLuiX01aT0#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/HSqZX7DlH8
— Oakland Athletics 🌳🐘⚾️ (@Athletics) November 28, 2018
I love parks, so I’m a huge fan of Oakland’s new park that looks like the upper deck is a sloping park terrace. This new park takes openness to its most fundamental level as it feels completely open and at the same time feels whimsical, something not emphasized at any major league park.
Also redeveloping the old ballpark into a huge park and playable field with bowl seats is an awesome idea (as long as the public actually has the ability to play in the bowl, and the bowl doesn’t end up behind a fence).
Well, yesterday was fun! It was exciting to share with you the progress we have made on our project and the support we have received has been overwhelming. Now we need YOU to sign the petition to bring #MLBtoPDX https://t.co/Ddi79kP4i7 pic.twitter.com/OKPZdm4Pqc
— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) November 30, 2018
“We believe this has the potential to be a transformative landmark project for this city.” -Portland Diamond Project Founder and President Craig Cheek. pic.twitter.com/Ydh34nikfQ
— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) November 29, 2018
Building an iconic, state-of-the-art ballpark along the Willamette River will catalyze economic development and capture great views of both the urban scale of the city and regional character of the Pacific Northwest. pic.twitter.com/jzCU7V5UH8
— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) November 29, 2018
Portland’s ballpark feels more traditional, especially with the wall of seats behind the mound that look to have a more limited view from the concourse at the top level. From first base, to the outfield back to third base is where this ballpark’s modern look comes from. There are definitely some Tampa Bay vibes here as well with a glass ceiling.
Will this ballpark happen? Who knows. Portland is definitely a favorite city along with Montreal, San Juan and Mexico City to get an expansion club.
