|
Ballpark in Arlington
Address- 1000 Ballpark Way
Arlington, TX 76011
Team- Texas Rangers
Year Opened- 1994
Capacity- 49,166
Surface- Natural
The Ballpark in Arlington is another production of the neotraditional ballpark design movement.
The stadium, which opened on April 1, 1994, is up-to-date in most ways. It provides plentiful parking, two levels of skyboxes, club seating, a sports bar, a large gift shop, and all the other bells and whistles known to today's ballpark designers.
Yet the new home of the Rangers borrows more old ideas than any other retro ballpark. Its exterior simulates an old in-city park even though it is located in a suburban parking lot.
There is some interesting decoration on the exterior, however -- baseballs, state outlines, block-letter T's, longhorn skulls, and bas-reliefs depicting scenes from state history.
When you're at The Ballpark, you know you're in Texas.
Not all of The Ballpark's design moves are nostalgic. There is a modern four-story office building attached to the stands in center field, and at 48,000, it represents a size increase over its predecessor, which has not been the case with the other retro parks.
The outfield wall has eight separate facets, compared to four at Baltimore and Cleveland, and three at Denver's Coors Field. This helps to produce some tricky caroms, and as a result the park is highly conducive to triples.
Overall, it is a hitter's park, but this is due to climate as well as to dimensions. The Dallas-Ft. Worth area is so hot that all midseason games must be played at night, even those on Sundays.
Source- The Idea Logical Company
|