The construction boom of the 1990s and 2000s has come to a complete halt. Back then, with access to easy funding and a strong economy led to 22 of the 30 MLB stadiums being built in the last 25 years. At the boom’s peak, from 1993-2003, 86 Minor League Baseball stadiums were built at a total cost of $1.5 Billion, with the average stadium price nearly doubling from $12 million to $21.5 million over the course of ten years.
The golden age was among us. Officially kicked off by Buffalo’s retro-classic Pilot Field (now Coca-Cola Field) at a then-unheard-of $56 million — For a minor league park, mind you — in 1988, most of the credit goes to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which brought the retro-classic look to the bigs. And from that point onwards, the arms race took off. Twenty stadiums, most of which had shades of Oriole Park in them. Fans almost demanded them, with popular referendums passing in many cities (though notably absent is Kansas City, who opted instead to upgrade their existing stadium, a practically unheard of decision at the time). Sacramento built a $46.5 million stadium for their AAA team. The Marlins spent $634 million, which was a bargain: the Yankees new stadium cost $2.3 BILLION.
And then, the economic collapse of 2008 dried up the funds, and with it the desire to publicly fund stadiums of all sorts. Since March of 2008, only one new stadium in Major League Baseball has been announced: the upcoming SunTrust Park in Atlanta’s northern suburbs. On the minor league side, the story was much of the same, with many cities opting for renovations rather than replacements, as municipal bonds became harder to finance.
That brings us to today. Less than a week before the start of baseball season, and across all 19 leagues of the MLB/MiLB spectrum 1 only two new stadiums will open their doors this season. Both are not replacement stadiums, but instead are a function of teams relocating.
The first new stadium is at the Class A level, where the Savannah Sand Gnats have relocated 150 miles north to Columbia, South Carolina where they will be known as the Columbia Fireflies. Spirit Communications Park, a $37 million Single-A stadium, was built in only 15 months, having broken ground in January of 2015 and ready for opening day on April 14th. Designed by –big surprise– Populous, the 9,000 seat stadium has a phenomenal view of everything that Columbia, South Carolina has to offer.2 The conceptual drawings have it being a sweet multifunctional venue, potentially aiming to host America’s 85th college bowl game:
And apparently the fans will all be well-dressed and transparent, because who doesn’t like wearing a wool jacket in a South Carolina summer:
The good news is that the stadium appears to be done, according to this picture taken by Jimmy Sawczuk.
The Fireflies have committed to a 30 year lease, which means that the stadium will average out at $1.2 million per year, assuming no further renovations are needed. Meanwhile, the Fireflies’ old home in Savannah has been taken over by the amazingly named Savannah Bananas of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer league.
On the other side of the Mason-Dixon, we have the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. Formerly known as the New Britain Rock Cats, the Yard Goats are moving into their yet-to-be-completed stadium this April. Except that their stadium won’t be completed in April. So they will play the entire first two months of the season on the road. I’m just getting you ready for the inevitable “This is life in the minor leagues” story from a Rick Reilly wannabe that will come out around day 25 of the road trip. Consider yourself warned.
For as seamless as the Columbia Fireflies’ move was, the Hartford Yard Goats have had quite the opposite. Dunkin’ Donuts Park, as it will be known, broke ground in February of 2015, and was part of a larger urban renewal project. A $56 million budget for a Double-A stadium in a $400 million revitalization project went about as smoothly as most urban revitalization projects. After going $10 million over budget, the Yard Goats’ owner Josh Solomon told the Hartford Courant that the project was “Awful, depressing, disconcerting. Really disappointing for me, all of our fans and the city of Hartford.” Clearly not holding back. Lucky for him, Hartford has a history of not being able to cross the finish line in regards to stadiums. That deal fell apart after –you guessed it– construction delays. At least this time, they got the thing partially built!
Despite the delays, the 6,056 seat stadium is set to open on May 31, and unlike Columbia, it will have some tall buildings as a backdrop. One of the few stadiums NOT designed by Populous, this was put together by the collaborative work of Pendulum Studio, The S/L/A/M Collaborative, and Newman Architects. Something tells me that with the cost overruns and delays, this won’t exactly be their flagship project. In fact, the Yard Goats hardly mention their stadium, with only one conceptual drawing to give you an idea what it will look like when finished:
The image certainly makes it difficult to say how retro-classic or retro-modern it will be as a completed project. It has shades of interesting design, but seems to lack some charm. Perhaps the view from behind home plate will be better.
With that, it seems safe to say that the second golden age of baseball stadiums has finally come to an end. With one MLB stadium to look forward to in 2017, it may just be that the ballparks of today may end up being the same ones that our children will take their children. The timeless charm that they possess will make everyone forget that almost every stadium was built in a single twenty year span of ample public funding for sporting venues.
Long live the golden age.
- MLB, AAA: International League & Pacific Coast League, AA: Eastern, Southern and Texas Leagues, High-A: California, Carolina and Florida State League, A: Midwest and South Atlantic League, Short A: NY-Penn and Northwest League, Rookie advanced: Appalachian and Pioneer League, Rookie: Arizona, Gulf Coast, Dominican Summer and Venezuelan Summer leagues
- Nothing