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MINNEAPOLIS - Target Field (39,021)

164K views 381 replies 115 participants last post by  brewerfan386 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
MLB

Minnesota Twins

3x Champion:
1924, 1987, 1991


Revised renders and plans for new Minnesota Twins baseball park

pics courtesy of thanks to Avian001







new LRT station on the right


Site plan, showing the entry plaza to be built over I-394, between the existing A & B Ramps:







http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/minbpk.htm

Tenant: Minnesota Twins (AL)
Opening: April 2010
Status: Groundbreaking expected in August 2007
Style: Open air
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 40,000 (baseball only)

Architect: HOK Sport (Kansas City) and Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Inc. (Minneapolis)
Construction: M.A. Mortenson Co. (Minneapolis)
Owner: Minnesota Ballpark Authority
Cost: $522 million
Public financing: Approximately $392 million from a 0.15 percent sales tax in Hennepin County
Private financing: $130 million from the Twins
Lease: 30 years


Location: In the Warehouse District, just north of Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. Left field (NE), 5th Street; 3rd base (NW), BN and Santa Fe Rail Road tracks & HERC Plant (Hennepin County Garbage Burner); 1st base (SW), 5th Street; right field (SE), 3rd Avenue & I-394.

Dimensions: Left field: 328 feet; left-center: 371 feet; center field: 402 feet; right-center: 371 feet; right field: 331 feet.

Fences: Undetermined.





http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news...ent_id=1893042&vkey=pr_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min

04/12/2007 12:00 AM ET
Twins-County ballpark design unveiled
Ballpark to provide one of baseball's most intimate settings

MINNEAPOLIS -- The design of the new Minnesota Twins-Hennepin County ballpark -- a cosmopolitan expression of Minnesota's natural beauty -- was officially presented to the Hennepin County Board today.

Also invited to the morning presentation at the Hennepin County Government Center were members of the Minneapolis City Council as well as members of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, the agency that will own and oversee operations of the new ballpark.

"What a tremendous, long-awaited day this is for the Minnesota Twins and baseball fans across the Upper Midwest," said Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Inc. "Minnesota's new ballpark will be an inviting landmark and an intimate venue providing for a superior baseball experience for future generations of Twins fans."

"People have been waiting a long time to see tangible progress on this project, and today we reward them for their patience, said Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat. "This ballpark will not only be a great baseball venue. It will be a great public asset for Minnesota. The design shows that despite our challenges with this site, we will build one of the great urban ballparks in America."

"The Ballpark Authority is excited about working with the Minnesota Twins to create a dynamic new landmark," said Steve Cramer, chairman of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority. "This facility will be an outdoor baseball fan's dream and we believe it will serve as a catalyst to further development on the western edge of downtown."

The one-million-square-foot ballpark will have approximately 40,000 seats. Similar in size to PNC Park in Pittsburgh and AT&T Park in San Francisco, the new Twins ballpark will provide fans with fantastic, baseball-focused sightlines in an intimate setting.

Nestled on an eight-acre site next to the downtown Minneapolis Warehouse District, the ballpark will be an urban architectural icon. The site dictates the ballpark's lean physique, and the design's form follows the function of the events on the field. The seating bowl swathes the field; the exterior walls are shaped by the seating bowl; and a roof canopy spanning nearly the entire seating bowl crowns the ballpark.

"The new ballpark will reflect Minnesota's dynamic blend of urban sophistication and outdoor vitality," said Earl Santee, AIA, HOK Sport senior principal leading the architectural effort. "Minneapolis' downtown skyline will provide dazzling views beyond the outfield, creating a wonderful connection to the city."

The ballpark's exterior is a modern interpretation of the state's natural creations. Hearty, weather resistant, native Minnesotan limestone forms the mass of the ballpark's façade. Glass and metal details punctuate the limestone surface, creating a sophisticated composition.

Fissures, or gaps, in the stone enclosure of the ballpark will create unique viewing opportunities for fans both inside and outside the ballpark.

In addition to a modern façade, the ballpark will illuminate its mark on the urban skyline with distinct entry beacons. These prow-like icons are a direct reflection of the city's style at each of the ballpark's entry points.

"This project creates a new standard in urban integration," said Santee. "The ballpark connects with fans whether they arrive by foot, bike, bus, car, light rail or commuter rail."

Minnesota's new ballpark promises to be one of the most accessible sports facilities in all of American sport. The ballpark site sits at the convergence point of the Light Rail Transit (the existing Hiawatha Line and future lines such as the Central Corridor), the future Northstar commuter rail line, the Cedar Lake Bike Trail and Interstates 394 and I-94. Moreover, fans will take advantage of the more than 20,000 parking spots within a five-block radius of the ballpark.

The new ballpark strives to be one of Major League Baseball's most environmentally friendly ballparks as well, incorporating conservation, sustainability and energy efficiency into the design.

"A green ballpark was one thing hundreds upon hundreds of fans requested," said Rebecca Greco, AIA, HGA principal. "Because this is a ballpark for all of Minnesota, we placed a high priority on fan input. Minnesota's new ballpark will be a defining testament to a team, a state and its people."

HGA is serving as local architect on the project. They are joined by lead design firm HOK Sport, a Kansas City-based architectural firm which has designed 14 new professional ballparks and M. A. Mortenson Company, a local construction firm which is one of the top three national builders of sports venues.

"We look forward to bringing to life this great ballpark that will celebrate outdoor baseball in Minnesota," said Ken Sorensen, vice president and general manager of Mortenson's Minnesota Office. "Working closely with HGA and HOK Sport, we will build a ballpark for all Minnesotans to call home."

The development agreement signed between the Twins and the county gives the County Board approval over ballpark design; the board is expected to review the ballpark design at its April 17 meeting with a final vote scheduled for the April 24 meeting.

Under the state of Minnesota's authorizing legislation, the county's share of financing the ballpark is $350 million for construction and infrastructure costs, while the Twins organization is contributing $130 million. The Hennepin County/Minnesota Twins proposal for a new ballpark was approved by the Minnesota Legislature and signed into law in May 2006. Construction is expected to begin this spring, and the ballpark is scheduled to open for the 2010 season. For more information on the ballpark, visit the new ballpark page.
 
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#144 ·
Man Minneapolis has allot of surface parking lots... Lots of room to develop. Hopefully if Wilf and the Vikings can get their new football stadium built on the Dome site, allot of that will change. That is if Wilf follows through on his promise to spend money developing all those lots around the dome in downtown east.

That picture does a nice job of showing Target Fields size and location though. Because it’s squeezed into that little lot, so many of the pictures are close up, which makes the ballpark look pretty small and un-dominating. But from that aerial you get a pretty good sense of just how big of a ballpark they squeezed into that tiny little lot. The canopy looks awesome from up there as well.

Also, has anyone heard anything about the north loop village plans lately? Are those plans on hold or have they been trashed? Would be nice to see some condos and retail go in around the new Twins stadium. Besides who wouldnt want to live over there? You have access to the light rail and North Star commuter rail. Its next to the beautiful new ballpark. And a hot skip and a jump from the warehouse district.
 
#145 ·
Man Minneapolis has allot of surface parking lots... Lots of room to develop. Hopefully if Wilf and the Vikings can get their new football stadium built on the Dome site, allot of that will change. That is if Wilf follows through on his promise to spend money developing all those lots around the dome in downtown east.
Would it be possible to play in the new Minnesota football stadium (TCF) while the new Vikings stadium is being built? the Bears did that with the Illini stadium when Soldier field was getting renovated.


As far as Target Field goes, i like it! :yes:
 
#146 ·
From what I've understood, if the Vikings get their new stadium, they would play a few seasons at TCF Bank Stadium on the U of M campus. At least thats what I've heard. If the case, it would make for a few fun seasons of outdoor football in MN. I wonder if this did happen, if they would beable to then sell alcohol at the Vikings games, since they wont be for Gopher games.
 
#148 ·
Yes, the Vikings most certainly would play two seasons in TCF Bank Stadium if the Metrodome site was used for the proposed new Vikings stadium. It would be very similar to the Bears using Illinois' Memorial stadium - and for about the same duration.

This plan has been communicated several times over in the Twin Cities. It could also be assumed some temporary bleachers would be added to get the TCF capacity to 60K for Vikings games. It would really be a couple throw back seasons with snowy December and January games for the Vikings.
 
#149 ·
Here is a late 2008 rendering showing where the Twins Ballpark could fit in the fabric of the North Loop Village



The developer's original plan allowed for at least six new buildings scattered between 5th Street and Washington Avenue that would range from 15–35 stories. At the time the press reported that Hines hoped to start construction in the following 12 months, before the ballpark would have been scheduled to open. Not much is known about the eventual fate of this grand proposal...
 
#154 ·
Ramps, ramps, and more ramps. Parking and traffic have been pretty much a non-issue since the Dome's opening in 1982. Now, it is even better since a light rail line runs right next to the stadium. A surprising number of fans arrive via light rail now too, although the mix of ramp parking and surface lots (even tailgating) still take up the bulk of the arriving fans.
 
#156 ·
I agree! Maybe I'm a curmudgeon, but the Value Added Development (VAD) offered by ANY NFL stadium is suspect, to say the least. The NFL is little more than a large TV studio that doesn't care one bit about what goes on beyond it's seating chart, and what looks good on camera.

As such, it's silly to depend upon an NFL stadium to encourage ANY development to the city. All the NFL cares about is getting people into the seats so it looks good on network TV. And their model is hundreds of acres of parking lots so people can conveniently drive to their spectacle.
 
#181 ·
I am, too, but \ion a thread discussing the construction of this park on Baseball Fever, I criticize the exterior as disharmonious and uninviting. It seems like they tried to do too much with it -- just a messy convolution of glass and kasota stone.

I would've preferred a more continuous, free-flowing design as featured by the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita:

 
#175 ·
The Vikings' lease with the Metropolitan Sports Commission expires after this season (I think...). They have a proposal to build a stadium on the site of the metrodome and to develop a lot of the area around it in East Downtown. Zygy Wilf (vikings owner) has already bought a lot of land around the dome from the city....

although if you ask me, a retrofit is a much better idea....
 
#187 · (Edited)
I think one of the big issues is that MLB is just trying to extend the season too long. Even in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Boston, etc. I think they are running a real risk for a World Seasons or whole stretch of early season games to be effectively ruined by unseasonably bad weather. At least early in the season they could mitigate this by placing most of the home games in the South/West/domes stadiums for the firs few weeks but they seem reluctant to really do this.

With post season TV coverage and scheduling the World Series is now playing well into November which is a recipe for disaster. The solution for that I think getting rid of more rest days within and between series trying to find a way to move up the whole post season a bit earlier.

Here are the daily April and October averages for Minny, Chicago, Detroit, and Boston........

Minneapolis
April
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/USMN0503?climoMonth=4
October
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/USMN0503?climoMonth=10

Chicago
April
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/USIL0225?climoMonth=4
October
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/USIL0225?climoMonth=10

Detroit
April
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/USMI0229?climoMonth=4
October
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/USMI0229?climoMonth=10

Boston
April
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/USMA0046?climoMonth=4
October
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/USMA0046?climoMonth=10
 
#188 ·
I think one of the big issues is that MLB is just trying to extend the season too long. Even in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Boston, etc. I think they are running a real risk for a World Seasons or whole stretch of early season games to be effectively ruined by unseasonably bad weather. At least early in the season they could mitigate this by placing most of the home games in the South/West/domes stadiums for the firs few weeks but they seem reluctant to really do this.

With post season TV coverage and scheduling the World Series is now playing well into November which is a recipe for disaster. The solution for that I think getting rid of more rest days within and between series trying to find a way to move up the whole post season a bit earlier.
It's the freaking divisional playoffs that are screwing up the season weather-wise. A series that shouldn't even exist. On top of it the division winners call themselves "champions". Divisional play is not a championship, therefore they are not champions of anything.
 
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