Translude15
Frank the Tank
While we're on the topic of actual renovations, Andrew Stoeten from the Athletic came out with this piece a few weeks back:
Perhaps that's obvious, given the talk about extending the building's life by 30 years, but what would that even look like?
A source with knowledge of proposals made by an architectural design firm working with the Blue Jays on the project told The Athletic it would be a “dramatic reconfiguration.” For example, one consideration is to rotate the entire field clockwise. In this scenario the Flight Deck would now sit along the left field line, and when the roof is open the CN Tower would be in view as backdrop for fans sitting behind the plate. The giant video scoreboard that's now in centre would remain, helping to break the too-symmetrical cookie cutter nature of the current setup. To that end, the fence line in this reconfiguration could change to have a bit more “real ballpark” character, and the area that would become right field might become an open concourse — something that is perhaps made possible by the fact that there is still room on that side of the building to expand its footprint to the east. (The source adds that, were they to do this, much would need to be done to reconfigure the roof for sunlight/shadow reasons, but tells me that there is a solution for this.)
Rotated field or not, not only does reconfiguring and upgrading the building's seats seem to be a given (having all seats actually face the action on the field would be a huge improvement), but openness seems the order of the day, whether that be more patio spaces like the ones at Petco Park in San Diego, or simply by widening concourses by expanding the building outward and removing seats. Interestingly, the source adds that another large part of the plan involves making the Dome a destination that can generate revenue during the offseason. This doesn't mean more Monster Truck rallies, but by making the Dome a destination people go to when the Jays aren't playing. For example, one of the things that was pitched was to open/run local restaurants throughout the 200 level to give the ballpark a more “Toronto” feel.
Essentially, Rogers is considering the possibility of rotating the entire field clockwise in order to open up the eastern areas facing the CN Tower. It would also be interesting to see how renovation proposals may incorporate the potential Rail Deck Park.
Perhaps that's obvious, given the talk about extending the building's life by 30 years, but what would that even look like?
A source with knowledge of proposals made by an architectural design firm working with the Blue Jays on the project told The Athletic it would be a “dramatic reconfiguration.” For example, one consideration is to rotate the entire field clockwise. In this scenario the Flight Deck would now sit along the left field line, and when the roof is open the CN Tower would be in view as backdrop for fans sitting behind the plate. The giant video scoreboard that's now in centre would remain, helping to break the too-symmetrical cookie cutter nature of the current setup. To that end, the fence line in this reconfiguration could change to have a bit more “real ballpark” character, and the area that would become right field might become an open concourse — something that is perhaps made possible by the fact that there is still room on that side of the building to expand its footprint to the east. (The source adds that, were they to do this, much would need to be done to reconfigure the roof for sunlight/shadow reasons, but tells me that there is a solution for this.)
Rotated field or not, not only does reconfiguring and upgrading the building's seats seem to be a given (having all seats actually face the action on the field would be a huge improvement), but openness seems the order of the day, whether that be more patio spaces like the ones at Petco Park in San Diego, or simply by widening concourses by expanding the building outward and removing seats. Interestingly, the source adds that another large part of the plan involves making the Dome a destination that can generate revenue during the offseason. This doesn't mean more Monster Truck rallies, but by making the Dome a destination people go to when the Jays aren't playing. For example, one of the things that was pitched was to open/run local restaurants throughout the 200 level to give the ballpark a more “Toronto” feel.
Essentially, Rogers is considering the possibility of rotating the entire field clockwise in order to open up the eastern areas facing the CN Tower. It would also be interesting to see how renovation proposals may incorporate the potential Rail Deck Park.
