Preliminary designs for the new 7,000-seat ballpark in St. Paul are "coming under fire for lacking a certain downtown feel," according to Frederick Melo of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. City Council member Dave Thune said that the "short, squat design and steely walls" for the independent St. Paul Saints' new home "seem too suburban, and they're not in keeping with the big brick aesthetic of the adjacent Lowertown Historic District." State Historic Preservation Office officials in a Nov. 1 letter to the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development (MDEED) "expressed concern about the look and feel of plans presented in September by the Ryan Cos., the ballpark's general contractor." The MDEED is "paying for about half the cost" of the $63M project. St. Paul Parks & Recreation Department Public Services Manager Brad Meyer said that the "preservation office evaluates the design at various stages, and it will have a more complete design to evaluate in coming weeks." He added that at this stage, "proposed finishes can still change from week to week." It is "not unheard of for development projects to thumb their noses at the State Historic Preservation Office, which has influence with the state but no final authority over construction." Mannillo & Associates Principal John Mannillo, who sits on an advisory ballpark design committee, said he would prefer to see the Ryan Cos. "come up with various options that meet the historic guidelines, and let the group choose from that" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 11/8).
