What might have been...

by craig on Jan 5, 2007 6:31 AM EST in News and Rumors

Or still could be. The following is the first model of the stadium designed for the now defunct Orange Bowl location. Since the designers of the stadium were presumably HOK S+E+V, and the fact they have designed every modern major league baseball stadium since 1991, it is possible they will use this same blueprint for whichever location is chosen for the new Marlins stadium. Assuming anyone finds the funds to build it.

Since this is the first model and time has past, there could be dramatic changes for any future park for the Marlins. But it looks good to me, although it does remind me of Minute Maid, which isn't bad. Minute Maid isn't the best looking park they ever designed, that honor belongs to PNC in Pittsburgh, but the Houston park is one nice retractable roof facility. I would take it in a heartbeat.

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I love the high-tech turning mechanism...

I don't exactly recall the locations of the two possible downtown sites, but that whole open first-base side would look great with Biscayne Bay behind it. Yet another reason to tear down the Triple A, put the stadium there, and move the Heat back to Miami Arena.

That tall structure is a bit odd, in that it looks like it has (crazy steep) stairs, but would you really want to sit up there? Then again, tickets above the Monster are possibly the most wanted in baseball.

I can see it now: "The most exclusive ticket in town! You and nine of your closest friends or business associates, full wait-staff service from your own private upscale concession stand, and the Florida Marlins! All atop the Teal Tower! Tickets start at $100 [minimum 4 tickets; price may vary by game and demand]"

by dan 2.0 on Jan 5, 2007 11:22 AM EST reply actions

Wondering...

...it's not at all unattractive, but it does have a look that you could build pretty much in any city. Nothing particularly screams "Miami" or "South Florida." To me that's one of the best features of PNC (since you mention it, and since I've been there), that it looks and feels very distinctively Pittsburgh--open rivets in the steelwork, limestone exteriors, etc. Similarly the Great American Ballpark does a decent job of feeling Cincinnati (in both cases having the riverfront nearby helps, a lot).

So, what would one do to make a ballpark feel Miami?

(Oddly at the beginning of that video, I thought they had ripped off the theme music from one of the Star Trek series. Obviously that changed eventually.)

The Kids Are Alright. More Often Than They Used To Be.

by Dr F on Jan 5, 2007 1:59 PM EST reply actions