The Padres officially unveiled their design plan for a
new ballpark at a news conference on Monday, and the SAN
DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE ran a special feature on the ballpark in
its Sunday edition, complete with sketchings and design
plans. The team has invested "roughly" $200,000 in both the
design and site planning for the project, which could cost
up to $400M, according to Weisberg & Showley of the UNION-
TRIBUNE. The ballpark rises 101 feet from street level to
the top row of seats. Padres President Larry Lucchino: "We
wanted something that looked and felt and reflected San
Diego, not a classical Eastern red brick ballpark, but
something that was distinctive, perhaps the next generation
of ballparks" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/7).
DETAILS: The ballpark, designed by a team of local and
out-of-town architects, has an ocher-colored stone and
stucco facade, while the entrance of the park features a
water wall flanked by steps. Open-air concourses with food
and other concession areas give a view of downtown San Diego
and the San Diego Bay. Seats are "closer to the action"
than at Qualcomm Stadium -- the distance from the closest
seats to home plate is 49 feet, shortened from Qualcomm's 61
feet. There are also plans for an outfield park, with a
"picnic hill," which would accommodate as many as 4,000
additional people (Weisberg & Showley, UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/7).
The ballpark designs are posted at www.padres.com.
REAX: Showley & McKinnie wrote that "buzz about the
proposed design ... was generally positive" (UNION-TRIBUNE,
6/9). Also in San Diego, Nick Canepa: "I may not know much
about architecture, but I know what looks good. And what
they have planned for downtown San Diego in the old
warehouse district is spectacular" (UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/9).
