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Great American Ball Park / Cincinnati
Reds / 2003 Replacing the cookie-cutter Cinergy Park (originally known as Riverfront
Stadium) in the same general location,
Great American Ballpark was designed by HOK Sport to be better integrated
with downtown Cincinnati and the Ohio River. It's one of the new breed of
smaller ballparks (much like PNC Park in Pittsburgh) that put more
emphasis on skyboxes and other luxury-related revenue-producing amenities
than on cramming as many bodies as possible into a ballpark. There are 60
skyboxes at Great American Ball Park, and there are other levels of luxury
seats -- the hallmarks of a modern stadium.
Seating: 42,000
Architect: HOK Sport
Dimensions: 
Not
surprisingly, given the popularity of retro ballparks in pro baseball (a
trend pushed by HOK), there will be many elements reminiscent of Crosley
Field, the former home of the Reds that is fondly remembered by baseball aficionados.
Located on the top of the main scoreboard will be a replica of the
Longines clock from Crosley Field. The main entry for most fans will be
through a plaza at Second and Main, a design was inspired by the Crosley
Field Terrace. Landscaped grass areas will be built at the same incline as
at Crosley Field. The terrace will be filled with statues of players from
the Crosley era, as well as stone benches inscribed with stories of the
Crosley era.
Plus, the closer you get to the action, the comfier the seats: while 95 percent of the seats will be the standard seat, club seats will feature two inches of upholstery and the Scout Seats behind home plate will be fully upholstered.
Also featured are several tributes to the Big Red Machine of the 1970s. When fans enter the park they'll see a mosaic depicting the players on those teams, as well as individual tributes in the team's Hall of Fame. After Cinergy Field is completely torn down, a special marker will be placed where Pete Rose's 4192nd hit landed, surrounded by a "Rose" garden.
Other interesting facts about Great American Ball Park:
- The scoreboard will measure 218 feet by 68 feet , making it the third-largest scoreboard in MLB.
- The concourses at GABP will be twice as wide as those in Cinergy Field.
- On a full day, there will be one concession window for every 180 fans.
There is one way that the Reds defied retromania: instead of installing the seemingly mandatory green seats found in every other retro park, the Reds opted for...red seats. How apropos.
| News |
Cincinnati
Enquirer: Morgan trumps Marge
Posted February 13, 2003 (feedback)
(submit story) (discuss)
The
left-field restaurant at Great
American Ball Park, the new home of the
Cincinnati Reds, is already garnering kudos as a
tribute to the Big Red Machine teams of the 1970s.
Trouble is, the Reds can't name it the Big Red
Machine Room, as they'd like to, because they
don't own the trademark to Big Red Machine.
Joe Morgan scooped up the trademark after Marge
Schott let it lapse, and he's not letting the team
use the name (yet), and he's not telling anyone in
the media why, either.
Cincinnati
Enquirer: Selig asks Schott to end suit
Posted February 7, 2003 (feedback)
(submit story) (discuss)
Commissioner
Bud Selig sent a strongly worded letter to Marge
Schott, urging her to drop her lawsuit against the
Cincinnati Reds over the placement of her 21
season tickets. It does appear that Schott has
changed her demands somewhat: originally she
complained that her 21 season tickets were not
contiguous, but now she's complaining that her
seats aren't in the first row (which was not ever contractually
promised to her) and that she doesn't have the use
of a box for an entire season (again, something
that was not ever contractually promised to her).
Baltimore
Sun: Backers of Rose eye park opening
Posted February 2, 2003 (feedback)
(submit story) (discuss)
The March 31
opening of Cincinnati's Great
American Ball Park could be a key date in the
decision to reinstate Pete Rose after his ban from
baseball because of gambling problems. Cincinnati
politicians want Rose to be part of the March 31
festivities, but Rose still have not come out and
admitted he bet on baseball; recent revelations
that the federal government has put tax liens on
his house because of unpaid taxes have not helped
his cause, either.
Cincinnati
Enquirer: Of baseball traditions
Posted January 30, 2003 (feedback)
(submit story) (discuss)
This
is a pretty cool story. Bill Schildman, an amateur
photographer, took a famous picture of the last
game played at Crosley Field (you'd recognize it
if you saw it) and six nights later shot the first
pitch at Riverfront Stadium. Bill passed away in
1999, so his daughter Linda carried on the family
tradition and shot the last game at Riverfront
Stadium/Cinergy Field. And yes, she plans on being
in the stands on March 31 when the Red open up Great
American Ball Park.
CincinnatiReds.com:
Implosion date set for Cinergy Field
Posted November 6, 2002 (feedback)
(submit story)
O'Rourke
Wrecking Company, the firm charged with demolishing Cinergy Field (formerly
known as Riverfront Stadium), has decided to implode the remainder of the
stadium with explosives, rather than a more traditional demolition method.
(The cost is the same; explosives are cooler and more fun.) Cinergy Field is
being replaced in 2003 by Great
American Ball Park.
Cincinnati
Enquirer: Early birds catch the Cinergy Field memories
Posted October 20, 2002 (feedback)
(submit story)
There were certainly
a lot of folks who wanted their own piece of Cincinnati's Cinergy Field (nee
Riverfront Stadium) on Saturday: by 8 a.m. yesterday there were 3,000 people
queuing up to buy their very own red or green Cinergy Field seat. Trouble
is, there weren't 3,000 seats available yesterday, so folks at the end of
the line were told to come back next Saturday, when there will be 10,000 or
so seats available for purchase.
Cincinnati
Enquirer: It's grass, real grass
Posted October 11, 2002 (feedback)
(submit story)
Two acres of Kentucky bluegrass has been laid down at Great
American Ball Park, the new home of the Cincinnati Reds.