Nationals Ballpark

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Nationals Ballpark
Computer rendering of stadium design
Location	South Capitol Street and N Street, SE
Broke ground	May 4, 2006
Opened	Opening Day 2008
Closed	-
Demolished	-
Owner	D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission (DCSEC)
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$611 million ^[1]
Architect	HOK Sport, Devrouax & Purnell Architects - Planners
Tenants
Washington Nationals (2008—)
Capacity
41,000
Dimensions
Left Field - 332 ft (101.2 m) Left-Center - 364 ft (110.9 m) Left-Center (deep) - 370 ft (112.8 m) Center Field - 409 ft (124.7 m) Right-Center - 377 ft (114.9 m) Right Field - 335 ft (102.1 m) ^[2]

Nationals Ballpark, the planned new ballpark for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball, is projected to open in April 2008. It will be located along the Anacostia River in southeast Washington, D.C., and will replace the Nationals' current facility, RFK Stadium. The new ballpark is being designed by HOK Sport and Devrouax & Purnell Architects and Planners, will seat 41,000 fans, and is projected to cost at least $611 million ^[3]. It will sit across the river from the D.C. United's proposed soccer-specific stadium at Poplar Point. The site is Metro-accessible via the Navy Yard station. Fans will be able to view the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building from certain upper deck seats and terraces of the stadium. It isn't known if the naming rights will be sold to a corporation.

1 Location
2 Transportation
3 Financing and controversy
4 Construction
5 References
6 External Links

[edit] Location

The ballpark is being constructed on a 21-acre plot of land in the Near Southeast area of the District. While near the Anacostia river, the site is actually landlocked, bounded by South Capitol Street to the west, N Street to the north, 1st Street, SE to the east and Potomac Avenue to the south. The park itself will face to the north-northeast, in the general direction of the U.S. Capitol (located approximately 15 blocks away) and Union Station.

The park's orientation was the subject of a fair amount of controversy in the local media, as the park was expected to have a full view of the Capitol's famous dome. However, construction of proposed stadium parking garages and future commercial development on plots north of the ballpark will block direct view of the Capitol from most seats in the park. The Capitol (and Washington Monument) will be viewable from certain sections of the park's upper deck.

[edit] Transportation

Nationals Ballpark under going construction in late March 2007.

Nationals Ballpark will be located just one block south of M Street, SE, a main (and until very recently, underused) artery bisecting Southeast and Southwest Washington, DC. The ballpark will also be accessible from I-395 via the Southwest Freeway as well as I-295 via the Frederick Douglass Bridge (which carries South Capitol Street across the Anacostia River). A new Douglass Bridge is in the planning stages, although completion is not expected until at least 2010.

The new ballpark will also be accessible via Metro's Navy Yard station, which is served by the Green Line. The station, which is located just a block and a half from the ballpark's future gate in left-center field, is expected to be heavily used by fans on game day. Plans call for the Navy Yard station's ballpark entrance and farecard mezzanine to be expanded, along with the addition of an extra escalator and elevator to handle the large crowds.

Other options, such as Metrobus access, satellite parking arrangements and even watertaxi service, have been discussed in online forums, but no specific plans have been announced to date.

[edit] Financing and controversy

Early rendering of ballpark design, prior to site selection. Since that time, the design has been changed significantly.

Financing for the stadium was expected to be provided by a banking syndicate led by Deutsche Bank. However, finalization of the financing deal, as of December 2005, stalled due to complex negotiations between the city government, MLB as owner of the team, and the bank. The bank is requesting a letter of credit or comparable financial guarantee against stadium rent to cover risks such as poor attendance or terrorism. The requested guarantee is $24 million, $6 million for each of the four years of stadium construction. The city had requested that MLB provide the guarantee. The financing has since been cleared up and construction has begun as of May 2006.

[edit] Construction

Ballpark site layout prior to demolition and excavation.

The site of Nationals Ballpark was chosen by Mayor Anthony Williams as the most viable of four possibilities for a future ballpark. Negotiations with residents and businesses to acquire the necessary land have begun. The ballpark's design was released to the public at a press conference on March 14, 2006. Ground breaking was in early 2006.

The ballpark will have 41,000 seats and will feature 66 suites, all around the infield. Other amenities include the "Oval Office bar." Team President Stan Kasten also said that the team might sell the naming rights to the levels of the luxury suites, which bear the names of presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. While the city has agreed to spend up to $611 million dollars, Kasten said that the principal owners, the Lerner family, are spending tens of millions of dollars more on "jazzing up up the park."

On March 13, 2007, president of the Washington Nationals, Stan Kasten announced that not only was the Nationals new ballpark on schedule to be ready by Opening Day 2008, but there would be a grove of cherry blossoms will be located just beyond the left field bleachers, Kasten said Tuesday at the launch of a campaign to sell luxury suites. Kasten also stated that the cherry blossoms will provide a look that Americans only associate with the nation's capital.^[1]