Three small surprises

[Henry]

Yes - I'm still working on the ballpark diagram set ...but I needed a break and wanted to put together something for three ballparks that never made it to construction...

1. Armour Field, Chicago
2. Broadway Commons, Cincinnati and
3. Downtown Park, Milwaukee

If you can use them, enjoy

[doubles]

They really add color to the game!

Great work, thanks Henry!

[markgrace]

wow, those are pretty cool. Can you post some info about why they weren't built or when they were supposed to be built and for what teams?

Im just curious!

[Henry]

Originally posted by markgrace
wow, those are pretty cool. Can you post some info about why they weren't built or when they were supposed to be built and for what teams?

Im just curious!

Armour Field and environs was designed in 1987-88 as a demonstration project for the Ballparks Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). As a "counter-project" alternative to the Chicago White Sox plans for what became New Comiskey Park, Armour Field sought to illustrate that a compact-footprint neighborhood ballpark could provide fan comforts and generate industry standard revenues in an intimate ballpark setting that also functioned as part of a lively neighborhood environment. The stadium boom of the 1990s brought baseball back from suburbia into cities, but more as entertainment zone "anchors" than as components of city neighborhoods.

Broadway Commons (1991-1996) was an extended citizens’ effort to locate a new ballpark for the Cincinnati Reds in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood at the foot of Mt. Adams on the edge of downtown Cincinnati. A joint effort of Thursday Architects, Cincinnati architect Tom Fernandez, and Cincinnati restaurateur Jim Tarbell, Broadway Commons won enthusiastic support from Reds fans, local politicians, and the press, but could never persuade the Reds to leave the riverfront, in spite of the project’s lower cost, greater intimacy, and competitive revenue generating capacity.

Downtown Milwaukee Ballpark was commissioned by the City of Milwaukee as a background study in hopes of persuading the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers to locate his new publicly funded ballpark downtown rather than on the suburban fringe of the city. Promoted without success by a New Urbanist Mayor, the City proposed the demolition of a freeway spur on the north side of downtown, and the location of a new ballpark along the edge of the Milwaukee River as part of new neighborhood development at the northern edge of downtown. Parking was to be accommodated by new and existing lots and garages dispersed throughout the downtown area and immediate environs. The Brewers’ owner wasn’t buying it; and the $500M "Miller Field" became the new home of the Brewers.

[markgrace]

thanks henry

[ctorg]

I'd never heard of these parks. Cool.

[Teflon Skies]

Henry,
Thanks for the reminder of these great concepts. A couple of years ago, the Twin Cities had put together a citizen's task force to examine stadium solutions. I came across a meeting on public access TV (completely by accident while channel surfing) at which Phillip Bess was speaking. He had written a book about fitting ballparks into communities and used Armour Field quite exstensively to illustrate examples of the "right" way to do this. The great stadium book "Green Cathedrals" also devotes some space to Armour Field describing its details and showing some concept drawings. As the new Comiskey has gotten the reputation of being the worst of the new ballparks built in the most recent phase of ballpark construction, I wonder how Armour Field would have been received in its place.

[Henry]

Originally posted by Teflon Skies
Henry,
Thanks for the reminder of these great concepts. A couple of years ago, the Twin Cities had put together a citizen's task force to examine stadium solutions. I came across a meeting on public access TV (completely by accident while channel surfing) at which Phillip Bess was speaking. He had written a book about fitting ballparks into communities and used Armour Field quite exstensively to illustrate examples of the "right" way to do this. The great stadium book "Green Cathedrals" also devotes some space to Armour Field describing its details and showing some concept drawings. As the new Comiskey has gotten the reputation of being the worst of the new ballparks built in the most recent phase of ballpark construction, I wonder how Armour Field would have been received in its place.

I wonder the same. CLassic neighborhood ballparks consistantly are accepted more easily than suburb fields. The only issue remains parking - but this too can be addressed with a good plan.

Bess has some radical ideas for the time - and went against common acceted standards, but after seeing the results of the "mega-park" era, you can't help wonder if he wasn't right. The idea of having restarants, shops, and other entertainment within blocks of a ballpark creates a "neighborhood" feeling that I think we all like - even if we don't realize it.

PS: When you get a chance, check out your PMs... I have an idea you might be interested in.