Efforts at bringing a new stadium for the Oakland Athletics continues and officials with the franchise released details on the stadium last week including artist renderings of the venue.
Plans call for a $1.5 billion stadium on the Las Vegas Strip at the current site of the Tropicana, which closes in April. The 33,000-person capacity stadium is designed to provide an “outdoor feel” with views of the city’s skyline.
“Our design for the new Vegas home for the A’s is conceived in response to the unique culture and climate of the city,'” founder and creative director of the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) design firm said. “Five pennant arches enclose the ballpark – shading from the Nevada sun while opening to the soft daylight from the north. A giant window frames a majestic view of the life of the Strip and the iconic New York New York hotel skyline. All direct sunlight is blocked, while all the soft daylight is allowed to wash the field in natural light.”
The venue features a tiered design with split upper and lower seating bowls to bring fans closer to the action than traditional ballparks and allow for clear sight lines from every seat. The roof’s five overlapping layers are inspired by traditional baseball pennants and open to the north to allow for natural light and views up the Strip.
These features also limit direct sunlight and heat from the south. Additionally, the outfield features the world’s largest cable-net glass window, facing the corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevards. The ballpark is currently designed to include an 18,000-square-foot jumbotron, the largest screen in Major League Baseball.
Bally’s, the gaming company that owns the Tropicana, has a 50-year land lease for the property and agreed to partner with the A’s to bring the stadium to the site. The stadium will be constructed on nine acres of the site with the remaining 25 acres eventually hosting another Bally’s hotel and casino property. Local and state leaders expressed their support for the project after the details on the stadium were released.
“We’re excited to welcome the Athletics to Las Vegas and to see their state-of-the-art ballpark come to life,” Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) said. “The Athletics and their new home on the Las Vegas Strip will further Nevada’s reputation as an international sports destination, and we look forward to welcoming generations of baseball fans to our city and state.”
