Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the
Pastoral Ideal: A New Home for the Boston Red
Sox on Fort Point Channel
by Scott Raphael Schiamberg
S.B in Art and Design
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
June 1993
Submitted to the School of Architecture and Planning inPartial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degrees of
Master of Architecture
and
Master in City Planning
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, June 1996. 01996 Scott Raphael Schiamberg. All rights reserved. The author hereby
grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document inwhole or inpart
Signature of Author
School of Archite
Certified by
Professor of Urban
Scott Raphael Schlamberg
A re and Planning,
May 24, 1996
Gary Hack
egn, Deartment of Urban Studies and Planning, Advisor
Accepted by
Wellington Reiter
Chairman, Architecturj DepX/trnjent gorymittfe on Graduate Students
Accepted by
Mark Schuster
Chairmann Planning Depat'iment Committee on Graduate Students
OF TECH
JUL19 1996
&
ia
/At-
Readers
Michael Dennis
Professor of Architecture, Department of Architecture
John deMonchaux
Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Leo Marx
Professor of American Cultural History, Department of Science Technology and Society
2
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal:
ANew Home for the Boston Red Sox on Fort Point Channel
by Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Submitted to the School of Architecture and Planning on May 24, 1996
inPartial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degrees of Master of Architecture and Master inCity Planning
Abstract
Despite of the relationship between the development of the American
city, the pastoral ideal (a longing for a more rural and simple past) and
the game of baseball, the urban ballpark has been the focus of little
attention, particularly in the fields of architecture, urban design, and
American cultural history. The special qualities found in the ballpark,
specifically the "golden age ballparks" (built between 1909-1914),
offer valuable lessons in understanding the factors that have shaped
and influenced our urban centers. The contribution of the pastoral
ideal to the American urban experience, in the form of the ballpark, is
an example of a genre of urban environments such as parks and
cemeteries that reflect a concerted effort to incorporate an American
pastoral heritage within the city landscape. The ballpark, however, is a
unique example of this genre because it is a built structural landmark
that symbolizes a blending of the natural, or pastoral landscape, with
the brick, steel, and concrete of the city.
This thesis is an attempt at distilling the architectural and urbanistic
mannerisms and characteristics of the early twentieth century ballpark
into a proposed design for the new "home" for the Boston Red Sox on
Fort Point Channel. The primary objective is to determine how a new
ballpark might be integrated into the urban fabric of
Thesis Supervisor: Gary Hack
Title: Professor of Urban Design
Boston, accentuating the structure's special relationship with the
city, while using as a guide the paradigm of the successful golden
age ballpark (i.e. those which augment a sense of place, intimacy
and a blending of the pastoral and urban). The design of a new
ballpark on Fort Point Channel will have to address a dilemma in
the conceptualization of a modern ballpark. By contemporary
standards the classic golden age ballparks lack infrastructure,
modern amenity, and parking while their replacements of the
1960's and 1970's - the concrete multi-purpose stadia - lack
character, sense of place, and intimacy. Ironically, both the
golden age ballparks and the concrete multi-purpose stadia have
ignored the design of a public realm beyond the grandstands.
This represents a major design feature which has the potential for
further investigating the role of the ballpark within the city and for
reaffirming the stature of the ballpark as an urban landmark. The
challenge of the contemporary architect and urban designer,
therefore, is to re-invent the early 20th century golden age
ballpark in the context of the demands of the 21st century. As
such, this thesis is an investigation of the vitality of a ballpark
architectural tradition and a pastoral heritage rich in American
cultural meaning.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The following individuals provided invaluable assistance during this thesis. Without their essential contributions this work would not have
been possible.
Philip Bergen
Marlene Greene
Philip Bess
Donald Grinberg
Principal Architect
Bostonian Society
Boston
Principal
Thursday Architects
Robert Bluthardt
Chairman
Society for American Baseball Research
Michael Clay
Vice President
Ellerbee Becket
John Davids
Architect
Tiger Stadium Cochrane Plan
Margaret DePopolo
Research Librarian
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Michigan
Department of Architecture
HNTB
James P. Healey
Vice President Broadcasting
and Special Projects
Boston Red Sox
Professor John Hildebidle
Humanities Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dick Johnson
Curator
New England Sports Museum
Nancy Jones
MIT Architecture Headquarters
Glenn R. MacCullough
David M. Schwartz/Architectural Services
Professor Len Morse-Fortier
Building Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor Wellington Reiter
Department of Architecture
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Homer Russell
Deputy Director
Urban Design and Downtown Development
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Professor Mark Schuster
Department of Urban Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kairos Shen
Assistant Director
Urban Design and Downtown Development
Boston Redevelopment Authority
I would also like to thank my advisors and readers - Professors Michael Dennis, John deMonchaux, Gary Hack, and Leo Marx. It has
been an honor and a privilege to have studied under their tutelage, both in the classroom and during my thesis.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
DEDICATION
To my family - mom, dad, Bruce and Elizabeth.
1.Tiger Stadium, Detroit Michigan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DEDICATION
PART ONE: THE BALLPARK &THE AMERICAN CITY
Introduction0.
The Golden Age Ballpark and the City
PART THREE: THE BALLPARK PROPOSAL
Site Specific Intentions on Fort Point Channel
Site Analysis
5
Urban Analysis
8 Ballpark Proposal
J. Ballpark Proposal Issues
3
The Ballpark as American Cultural History
The Ballpark as Pastoral Oasis
The Ballparks as Home Away From Home
12i 12
14
14. 17
Site Specific Design Issues
Laers. ad. Linings
Site Specific Characteristics and the Ballpark Interior
Urban Integration
The Contributions of the Ballpark to the American City
20
CONCLUSION
Defining aSense of Place
Creating Civic Presence and Identity
Providing a Public Domain for the Urban Community
20
The Multi-Purpose Stadia
27
PART TWO: PAST LESSONS & FUTURE PROPOSALS
General Ballpark Design Guidelines
32
34
Elements Determining Sense oftPlace
Elements of General Ballpark Character
Ballpark Infrastructure/Service Requirements
42
Prototypical Elements of aReinterpreted BallparkTradition
51
Civic/Public Space
Residual Space and the Inner Ballpark Lnings
Connection with the City
51
21
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
25
45
APPENDIXES
Boston Ballparks
..
..
Grandstand Sections
Playing Field Geometries
Urban Figure Ground Precedent
a~ od....
Gn Gen
Mak'sGolen
Age Ballparks
BIBLIOGRAPHY'
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
"Building aballpark ismore work than you might imagine."
W.PKinsella, Shoeless Joe, 1982.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
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the ballpark as american cultural history
the ballpark as pastoral oasis
the ballpark as home away from home
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the contribution of the ballpark to the city
defining a sense of place
creating civic presence and identity
sight lines
providing a public domain for the urban community
C)
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
"Progress isthe result of the reinterpretation of basic ideas."I
Alfred North Whitehead
THE BALLPARK ANDTHE AMERICAN CITY
INTRODUCTION
Inthe next ten to fifteen years the Boston Red Sox will probably leave
Fenway Park for a new ballpark. Potential sites for the new park in
the Boston metropolitan area are currently being considered, including a promising fifteen acre site on Fort Point Channel at the corner of
"A"and Washington Streets (just North of the Gillette factory). The
purpose of this thesis isto design a new ballpark for the Red Sox on
this site, a task which requires that the architect address three
primary considerations. First, a background understanding and
appreciation of the ballpark and its relationship to the city isessential
in order that the design take into account the historical role of
ballparks in American cities. Second, the design of the ballpark will
have to include the intimacy and contextualism of the golden age
ballpark, the infrastructure and support services of the multi-purpose
stadia, and a public/civic space which has been ignored by both.
Third, the ballpark will need to fit into the existing context of Fort Point
Channel and the larger urban fabric of downtown Boston in order to
define a unique sense of place and help give direction to future
development of the city.
The lessons to be learned from both the ballparks of the past and
present are numerous and this thesis will attempt at to distill the
essential components as a basis for contemporary design. It will be
important that new ballparks successfully accommodate their role in
the urban fabric while neither pandering to misguided nostalgia,
artificial imitation, nor becoming non-descript concrete shells that
2.Proposed Fort Point Channel site.
1.Whitehead, Alfred North.
Symbolism: Its Meaning and
Effect, Macmillan, New brk,
1927.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
ignore the importance of our ballpark tradition. Therefore, a new ballpark
for the Red Sox will, in a sense, be a re-invention, re-discovery, or
reinterpretation of classic ballparks of the early twentieth century, adapted
to the technology, aesthetic, and urban fabric of the contemporary American city.
Inthe immediate future several cities, including St. Louis, Pittsburgh,
Cincinnati, Seattle, Detroit, NewYork, and San Francisco, will likely face
the challenge of designing a new ballpark. Itwould be most unfortunate,
for both the American city and the game of baseball, to forget the lessons
of the past from the golden age ballpark, to repeat the mistakes of the
multi-purpose stadia of late 1960s and 70s, or to simply design without a
full understanding of the historical relationship and importance of the
ballpark to the American city. This thesis will illustrate ballpark design
integrating both general design principles and site-specific attributes of
-Fort Point Channel which enhance a sense of place and redefine the role
of the ballpark as a pastoral oasis within the modern city,
4.As the American Industrial Revolution increasingly created an urban way of life baseball and its pastoral
associations served as an oasis of escape for both players and spectators (Boston Commons, 1850s).
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
THE GOLDEN AGE BALLPARK AND THE CITY
More than simply being an arena for viewing a game or a nostalgic icon of
a rural past, the ballpark has developed a specific role in the American
city. A ballpark defines space on a grand scale, creates a civic aura
bordering on the religious, and serves as a landmark evoking a distinct
pride of place. While its basic presence requires a large footprint, the
best ballparks are intimate, human scaled and attuned to the pedestrian.
The ballpark and its pastoral antecedents represent a tradition full of the
myth and memory of an accumulated American heritage, including the
Elysian Fields, Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, and the Mudville where
Casey struck out. Unlike many of the customs and culture that have been
borrowed or assimilated from European tradition, the ballpark istruly
indigenous and unique to the American city.
5.The Elysian Fields and the romantic origins of apastoral tradition (Currier and Ives Lithograph, 1865).
Insome ways the game of baseball has become a window into the
American soul and the ballpark presents us with the opportunity to "look
in." The traditional or golden age ballpark is an urban idiom of our mythic
past in the built form of the nineteenth and twentieth century American
city. It connotes a once
"dominant image of an undefiled, green republic of forests, villages, and farms
dedicated to the pursuit of happiness" 2
within the everyday realities of city life. The ballpark is one of our most
important urban landmarks and as such it is deserving of an appreciation
commensurate with that status. Thus, before an architect can responsibly
design one it is important to have a sense of the history of the ballpark
and its contribution to the American experience, including the following: 1)
the evolution of the ballpark as a distinct feature of the American urban
fabric and 2)the contribution of the successful ballpark to the city and the
design features which make this possible.
6.More than just the place to watch aballgame.
the American expereince.
2.Marx, Leo. The Machine inthe
Garden Oxford University Press,
London, 1964, p.6.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
THE BALLPARK AS AMERICAN CULTURAL HISTORY
In order to appreciate the importance of the ballpark as a landmark in the
city and as an element of American cultural history, it is necessary to
briefly consider the joint contributions of the pastoral ideal and the game
of baseball to its development. The pastoral ideal, in its most basic form,
represents a yearning for a way of life closer to nature - a longing for a
middle landscape inbetween the laws and customs of society and raw
wilderness of nature.
It is this idealistic notion that has largely defined the pastoral ideal and
that which has shaped the origins of our ballpark history. Inthe opening
chapter of Moby Dick, Herman Melville expresses concern for the rapidly
emerging industrial metropolis of the American city represented by the
Manhattan of the 1850s.
7.Early origins of the pastoral ideal. The shepherd and flock inthe "middle landscape."
"Loitering under the shady lee of yonder warehouses will not suffice...
nothing will content... but the extremist limit of the land. How then isthis?
Are the green fields gone?" 3
The game of baseball has played a special role inthe definition of the
American character and the ballpark has come to symbolize these "green
fields" as a vestige of earlier agrarian visions coexisting within the midst of
our rapidly industrializing cities. The ballpark is"not paradise... but as
close as you're going to get in America."4
The mid-nineteenth century was a watershed in American history which
included the emergence of the industrial revolution, the increasing
urbanization of the city, and the origins of baseball and the ballpark. As
unique urban phenomenon evolving out of this period the ballpark became an urban metaphor for the pastoral ideal which has continued to
play a special role in American cultural history. Not unlike the recent
movie character, Forrest Gump, baseball has been in the middle of, or
influenced, a great many of our historical events, customs, and institu8.Defining elements of American cultural history - baseball, the landscape, and the Civil War.
3.Melville, Herman. Moby Dick.
4.Giamatti, A.Bartlett. Take Time
WW. Northon &Co., Inc.,
London, 1967, p.13.
for Paradise. Summit Books, New
'brk, 1989.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
tions. From stories of the game being played by soldiers during the
Revolutionary War, to the myth of its origins in Cooperstown, or the
folklore of its pastoral origins on the Elysian Fields, the game of baseball
and its urban form - the ballpark - together constitute a significant contri-
bution to the American experience. Infact, the ballpark pre-dates many of
our cultural institutions and landmarks while it has influenced numerous
others. For example, the game of baseball was being played in the
Boston Commons as early as the 1830's (see figure 3). During the Civil
War soldiers played baseball behind the White House, in prisoner camps,
and on the battlefields. A Union soldier once recalled a game played
between battle lines.
"Suddenly there came ascattering of fire... the center fielder was hit and
was captured... the attack was repelled... [and] we had lost not only our
center fielder, but... the only baseball inAlexandria"5
A decade after the Civil War baseball was being played on Staten Island
9.St. George Grounds inNew brk as the Statue of Liberty isbeing errected inthe background.
at a ballpark called St. George's Field as the Statue of Liberty was being
constructed inthe skyline beyond the grandstands (see figure 9). Even
our national anthem developed within the framework of the ballpark as the
tradition of singing it prior to games was started over 70 years before it
officially became the national anthem. Within these associations one can
appreciate and understand the sentiment Americans attached - and
continue to attach - to the ballpark.
However, as the reality of the pastoral ideal flickered and the city increasingly became industrialized and urbanized, the ballpark took on a distinct
role as a living artifact of that ideal. As the reality of the pastoral ideal was
vanishing
"somewhere back inthat vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields
of the republic rolled on under the night:' 6
the ballpark was increasingly serving as a reservoir of associations of the
game with an implicit admiration of the pastoral ideal - a simpler, more
THE NATIONAL GAME. THREE
UTS AND ONEbUlf.
10. Baseball as an American metaphor. Currier and Ives Lithograph of portraying Lincoln as the winner of
5.Ward, Geoffrey and Burns,
Ken. Baseball: An Illustrated
Histry Alfred AKnopf, New trk,
1994, p.13.
6.Fitzgerald, FScott. The Great
Gatsby. Scribners, New'trk,
1980.
"The National Game"- the presidency
MOM
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
consummate way of life.
"Baseball isour game -the American game. Itwill take people out of doors,
fill them with oxygen, give them alarger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us
from being anervous dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be ablessing to us.7
Walt Whitman
THE BALLPARK AS PASTORAL OASIS
"Ballparks exist... because there is in humanity a vestigial memory of an
enclosed green space as a place of freedom or play."8 In addition to
creating a sense of harmony between the natural landscape and the city,
the golden age ballpark served as a symbolic pastoral oasis or sanctuary
in the teeming industrial cities of the late nineteenth and early twentieth
century.
"Abaseball stadium does awonderful thing inthe city. Itbreaks up the grid.
When you get inside the stadium, you're confused geographically. You lose
contact with the outside. There's something pastoral within this greensward,
which iswhy we see itas apeaceful game and always try to transfer the game
out of the city and into the rural pastures. But it started inthe cities and spread
outward. Baseball reflects our society, but at the same time it offers this
wonderful refuge from it. Itislike an embassy to which one can flee for asylum' 9
11.Ballpark as pastoral oasis.
It is not entirely coincidental that the ballpark is the only sports venue, or
civic building type, for that matter, which is referred to, in its formal name
or design, as a field, park, or grounds (e.g. Wrigley Field, Fenway Park,
and The Polo Grounds). Such terminology appears to reflect the vestige
of an underlying pastoral tradition. Players called fielders defend an
outfield and an infield and home plate is the center of activity and attention. Within the ballpark the field is an oasis where "jaded urbanites can
renew their relationship with earth and sun."10 In fact, it is difficult not to
find pastoral associations in the tradition of baseball and ballparks.
7.Ward, Geoffrey and Burns,
Ken. Baseball: An Illustrated
History. Alfred AKnopf, New York,
1994.
8.Will, George. Men at Work.
Macmillian, New'trk, 1990, p.5.
9.US News &World Report,
August 29/September 5,1994.
10. Raitz, Karl B.ed. The Theater
of Sport, Johns Hopkins Press,
Baltimore, 1995, p.13.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
However, it is relevant to note that bucolic scenes such as the Elysian
Fields were largely mythical since, in reality, in most cities, the game was
played by young boys inthe streets. Indistinct contrast to the poetic
imagery of such pastoral scenes as the West Branch School in Geneva,
New York, a more realistic depiction of baseball was captured by the
famous Lewis Hines photograph taken at the turn of the century in the
North End of Boston (fig. 12 and 13). Ina similar fashion, the ballpark
was 3a far cry from a purist version of Washington Irving's "lovely green
hollow." Nonetheless, both the pastoral ideal and the ballpark, as one
source of that vision, were so ingrained in the American mind that their
metaphorical imagery may as well have been real.
"The image of this... became... acollective representation; apoetic idea...
that defined the promise of American life. The master symbol of the garden
embraced a cluster of metaphors expressing fecundity, growth, increase,
and blissful labor inthe earth"i11
12. West Branch School, Geneva, New Nbrk, 1870.
Given the stress and dislocation of the early industrial age, the ballpark
provided a symbolic escape from the rush of the city to an urban "park."
The ballpark emerged as "an oasis of the uncontrived... that reminds us
of an America that was - and, even more distantly, of a land of wonders to
which we can never return... [i]t is the game of our past, our nation's and
our own" 12 Baseball granted an escape from the monotony of industrial
life while, at the same time, serving as a cohesive focal point for communities kindling memories of avanished and mythical past.
As part of the developing city, the ballpark became a symbol of the
pastoral while blending in with the surrounding urban context. Much like
the attraction of the late nineteenth century cemetery as a picnic spot, the
ballpark was awelcome respite -"a Mecca for fans who would come by
the thousands on Sundays [in the days before games were played on
Sunday] just to look at the place."13 At the ballpark the fast-paced,
mechanical urban lifestyle outside gave way to a pastoral or prairie-like
vastness inside. Insuch a location "time move[d] differently, marked by
11.Smith, Henry Nash, Virg
Land: The American West as
Symbol and Myth, Cambridge,
1950, p.123.
12. Thorn, John. Baseball: Our
Game, Penguin Books, New brk,
1995.
13. Kammer, David. "Tke Me
Out to the Ballgame."
Dissertation, University of New
Mexcio: Albuquerque, 1981.
13. Turn of the century, North End, Boston, Massachusetts. (by Lewis Hines)
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
no clock except the events of [a] game" 14 of pastoral origin. The absence
of a clock in baseball was a product of a pre-industrial sensibility, wherein
"life was governed by just two things, daylight and its absence."15 The
ballpark served as a pastoral respite calibrated to the time cycle of nature
- a "cycle of mythic time to provide a needed psychic relief from the
tedium of western linear time."16 While surrounded by the hustle and
bustle of the teeming city inside the ballpark the game followed the
"rhythms of Nature... and not... city watches."17 Infact it is probably not
ironic that players even run counter-clockwise around the bases. A game,
based on outs and innings, not a ticking clock, could seemingly go on
forever, at least until darkness or rain - nature - intervened. But even
these phenomenon are just considered natural delays. "Banked around
this little green acreage. .. the sense of urgency that governs most lives is
pushed to one side like junk mail shoved to the back of a desk."18
Although serving as a type of urban sanctuary, the golden age ballpark
was not a purely escapist venue. Rather, it was a civic form of respite,
helping the harried urban dweller to symbolically balance or integrate the
14. Huntington Grounds - a turn of the century ballpark inindustrializing Boston.
hard scrabble life of the city with the natural landscape. The ballpark
served as a vehicle for reconstructing disparate elements of the urban
mechanical world and the pastoral vision or sentiment into a more
cohesive pattern. For example, the golden age ballpark, Wrigley Field,
interestingly has outfield brick walls (representing the city) covered with
the natural landscaping of ivy. From the stands one can view both the
green playing field and, in the distance, both the row houses of Chicago
and Lake Michigan. In a similar vein, John Updike's eloquent description
of Fenway Park, may be taken as a summary of all the golden age
ballparks as unique contributions to their urban context as well as to the
sanity of the city dweller.
"Fenway Park, inBoston isalyric little bandbox of aballpark [where] everything
ispainted green and seems incuriously sharp focus, like the inside of an
old-fashioned peeping-type Easter egg. It... offers, as do most Boston artifacts,
15. baseDal as asymbol otthe pastoral.
14. Thorn, John. Baseball: Our
Game, Penguin Books, New trk,
1995.
15. Will, George. p.130.
16. Guttmann, Allen. From Ritual
to Record:The Nature of Modern
Spors. Columbia University
Press, New brk, 1978, p107.
17. Bode, Carl ed. The Portable
Emerson. Penguin Books, New
tbrk, 1981, p.559.
18. Kinsella, W. Shoeless Joe,
Houghton Mifflin Company,
Boston, 1982, p.85.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
acompromise between Man's Euclidean Determinations and Nature's
beguiling irregularities."1 9
THE BALLPARK AS HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Going to the ballpark meant much more than just seeing a game of
baseball. Itwas a symbol of American values and ideals - a vicarious
relationship with the pastoral and a returning home. "Americanitis... [the]
instinct for home and for some tie that connects us with the land"20 and
the ballpark became the magical site where this happened. Infact, the
ultimate goal of this game, for both the players and the spectators, is not
centered around fourth base but home plate. The ballpark had come to
symbolize a rural and time-independent "reassurance [of]
....
traditional
small-town values" 21 in an urban setting where "the game... moved along,
gentle and unhurried as a brook in a pasture."22
Although celebrated in American folklore as a game of rural origins,
baseball was also a large-scale economic enterprise operating within the
city. Inthis sense the ballpark, in addition to serving as a pastoral oasis,
reinforced a connection or link to the past. Going to see a ballgame inthe
city was much more than just seeing a ballgame. "My God, it was like the
Emerald City, and as you got closer, you'd pick up your pace, and you'd
give your tickets and go charging inside."23 Much as it had in the nineteenth century, baseball continued into the early twentieth century as one
of the pillars of a romanticized perception of American society. At the
ballpark the city and the pastoral countryside were perceived as one, as
an integrated whole - as a home away from home. It became a place that
both "affirm[ed the possibilities of the city"24 while providing a respite
from it. Thus, the golden age ballpark takes us full circle - from the
imagery of the city in nature to simultaneously evoking nature inthe city.
16.Boston's ittle bandbox of aballpark." Surrounded bythe hustle and bustle of the city while providing for
atemporary respite and aglimpse of green within.
"Baseball isour most pastoral game, and its relation to open space is
fundamental to its importance to urban Americans. The baseball park with
19. Updike, John. "Hub Fans Bid
Adieu" from Assorted Prose,
20. Stickley, Gustave. 'The
Craftsman Idea of the Kind of
Alfred AKnopf, New trk, 1960.
Home Environment That Would
Result from More Natural
Standards of Life and Work,"
originally published 1909. Dover,
New brk, 1979.
21.Riess, Steven. p.209.
22. Kinsella, WP,p.86.
23. Ward, Geoffery and Burns,
Ken. p.239.
24. Prower, Donald. "Baltimore
Hits Home with New Baseball
Park' Progressive Architecture,
Vol. 73, No.6, June 1992, p.26.
17
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
its grassy spaciousness and sunlit diamond isavestigial remnant of the
rural landscape within the crowded, dirty asphalt city... Itisan oasis to
which tired urbanites can come for renewal -to feel atemporary connection
with the earth and sun... Inshort, baseball compensates for the loss of
the frontier."25
In essence, only in America where the pastoral ideal was interpreted as a
hope about a glorified past being possible in the present would the
ballpark come to symbolize a returning to nature and a coming "home." In
the summer of 1956 the distinguished American poet Robert Frost stated,
"I am never more at home in America than at a ballgame. Beyond this I
know not and dare not."26
Residenen.liThenext bestthingtohome.
17. Recent newspaper advertisement making use of the ballpark's role as ahome away from home.
Our nation's history has been carefully woven into the fabric of our
ballpark traditions such that the ballpark is like a thread in the cable rope
of our national character. The ballpark is a place where urbanites have
come to temporarily escape the anxieties, dislocations and lifestyle of
rapid urbanization. Amidst the bustle of teeming streets, overcrowded
living conditions and otherwise abrasive qualities of the cement paved city
the ballpark has come to represent a real place where the Edenic myth
remains as a flickering possibility - an ephemeral and soothing vestige of
our once rural and mythic past. The ballpark is one of the few, if any,
physical attributes of the city that in some way recaptures our longing for
the pastoral ideal - for a way of life closer to nature - and that which
simultaneously maintains the American inventiveness for progress and
modernization. Things that delineate a city culminate in the architecture
and the architecture of the ballpark represents one of the special contributions to the American city.
25. Oriard, Michael V"Sports &
Space," Landscape, Vol. 21,No. 1,
p.32-40, 1976. p.33.
26. Frost, Robert. "APerfect Day ADay of Prowess, "Sports
Illustrated, Volume 5,Number 4,
July 23, 1956, p.51-53.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
18. Baseball, the pastoral ideal, and the ballpark - a returning "home" and American myth.
19.Reference and association with the landscape was adefining element during baseball's development as
evident inthe background of this team photograph.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE BALLPARK TO THE
AMERICAN CITY
20. Ballpark as alandmark within the city Boston's Huntington Grounds.
Inaddition to the pastoral connotations and associations, the ballpark
represents a civic landmark in the truest sense of the word. Since the
1870's and the professionalization of the sport, many ballparks have
emerged as the defining elements of the city, eventually assuming the role
of an active civic monument. However, not all ballparks have attained this
stature. Many of the 1960's and 70's ballparks - more appropriately multipurpose stadia - failed to reach this potential. Therefore it is best to
analyze successful ballparks as a way of seeing how they have effected
their cities and why more recent multi-purpose stadia have fallen short of
their civic responsibilities. The golden age ballparks were particularly
effective, providing an example of three major contributions to the American city: 1)defining a sense of place and urban character; 2) creating a
civic presence and identity; and 3) providing a public domain where
urbanites can be an active part of a larger community.
DEFINING ASENSE OF PLACE
Probably the single most important contribution the ballpark has imparted
on the American city has been its place-making ability. This isall the
more impressive considering that the ballpark represents a single urban
artifact. What has enabled this one urban element to so clearly define a
sense of place has been a careful understanding, appreciation and
respect for (or in some cases the establishment of) its surrounding
context.
21.Ballpark and one of its civic roles (FD.R.seen marching inmiddle).
While the pastoral ideal was quickly vanishing as a realistic possibility at
this time, the ballpark was emerging as the embodiment of the ideals and
potential of an "Adamic vision of the 'New' World."27 The urban ballpark
represented the harmony of the natural/pastoral landscape and the
industrial city, not only defining architecture within the urban fabric of the
27. Candelaria, Cordelia. "Literary
Fungoes: Allusions to Baseball in
Significant American Fiction,
Midwest Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 4,
p.411-425, 1982, p.418.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
city but also offering a statement of identity and regional character.
"These modest early ballparks were alocus of attention... urban landmarks...
inthe process of psychological nation building." 28
At this stage in American urban development, the myths of baseball and
the pastoral ideal were readily incorporated in the form of the ballpark.
With the emergence of the post-romantic, industrial version of the pastoral ideal the ballpark would come to define urban identity, community and
association of place.
"As the new century was born, baseball parks had already become landmarks
of the consolidating industrial city. They were set inalandscape of voracious
and pitiless commercial energy, liberated appetites, and growing social
contradictions... Inthe middle of this burgeoning, bristling urban texture, the
new home of the democratic Everyman, was abaseball park" 29
These early ballparks were built on the fringes of rapidly expanding urban
core, within the existing city grid and amidst intersecting transit networks
of surface trolleys, subways and elevated lines, rail lines and yards,
warehouses, factories, commercial buildings, residential blocks and
industrial waste land. Despite the eclectic mix of surrounding uses and
activities, the ballpark was not only an urban destination in this new
industrial city but it "morally belong[ed] to the people of the community."30
22. Ballpark as afeature of the emerging industrial landscape. Lake Park, Chicago, Illinois, 1861.
CREATING CIVIC PRESENCE AND IDENTITY
The planning and design of the golden age ballpark was integrated with
the traditions "akin to the architecture of older American neighborhoods"31 while the inside echoed associations with a pastoral setting.
During the definitive six year period of the golden age ballpark (from 1909
to 1915), an essential theme that defined all the parks was the bridging of
the pastoral landscape and the urban context or setting. Within the city,
the ballpark was defining (or being defined by) the contextual qualities of
its urban neighborhood. This was the result of many factors such as the
28. Raitz, Karl B.,p.35.
29. Raitz, Karl B.,p.39.
30. Abe Stark, Brooklyn Borough
President cited inthe Antitrust
Subcommittee of the Committee
on the Judiciary, House of
Representatives, Organized Professional
Team Sports, Washington, DC, GPO, 1957,
Pt 2,p.1845.
31.Bess, Philip. "Mall Park: New
Comiskey Park and the State of
the Art" Inland Architect,
September/October 1991, Vol. 35,
No.5, pgs. 32-41.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
financial forces of subway and streetcar lines and real estate speculation.
However, it was the baseball team club owners who ultimately made the
decisions determining both the architectural style and the relationship of
the ballpark within its urban context. Always a constant was a view of the
downtown and vistas looking out to the city. "Gazing over the rooftops of
the row houses, chimneys, factories, warehouses, steeples and historic
buildings which gave each particular city its salt'3 2 an individual was
reminded of the two-way, reciprocal path from urban context to pastoral
enclosure, and vice versa. The ballpark provided a transition from the
industrial city, as expressed on the facade of the ballpark, to an enclosed
pastoral realm. In true form, the golden age ballpark was an urban
synthesis of its unseparable and unifying elements - the urban context,
baseball and the pastoral.
23. Within the urban fabric of the industrial city grid
- atemporary enclosed pastoral realm. Athletic Park,
Minneapolis, 1891.
Most golden age ballparks were built on a single block in middle income
neighborhoods on the site of earlier wooden ballparks. Each ballpark was
unique, as an architectural statement reflecting its respective urban
context and reinforcing perceptions of place. The defining characteristics
of these ballparks derived from a remarkable adaptability of programmatic
concerns within a stringent respect for contextualism. The existing site
constraints led to design elements resulting in charming irregularities (odd
nooks and crannies) that gave the game, the ballpark, and the neighborhood a unique character. The golden age ballparks were not only conscious of their surroundings but almost to a ballpark used such
contextualism to generate vital elements of ballpark design. Short outfield
fences, cropped grandstands, missing bleachers, odd angles and overhanging upper decks were all the result of urban site conditions. As such,
the experience a baseball game at such a ballpark provided for a unique
experience and singular sense of place. For each ballpark, design was
the product of location and "the architectural dialogue between two
opposed forces: the diamond, the outfield, and the stands pushing
outward, and the surrounding streets and structures containing them."33
32. Brown, Patricia Leigh.
"Baltimore Orioles Build Their
Field of Dreams With aView of
Reality Newibrk Times, Living
Arts Design Notebook, Thursday,
March 5,1992.
33. Raitz, Karl B.,p.41.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
The design of the golden age ballpark followed one of two options in the
design of the exterior: 1)reflecting the existing urban character, or 2)
creating its own architectural language in the absence of an existing
neighborhood. Ineither instance it was the exterior enclosure which
bridged the city and a pastoral interior. The exterior facade design
typically reflected and assimilated into the urban context, taking such
forms as a warehouse, factory, business or formal civic structure. Echoing the contemporary architectural trends of the early twentieth century,
the end result was an exterior facade or permeable (two-way) boundary
which served to connect with its neighborhood context on the outside
while capturing a vision of the pastoral on the inside. The transition from
city to nature was accomplished as individuals walked from the outside
urban context, through the facade, into the "bowels" of the boundary
structure (again, often reflecting the innards of a factory), and finally up
through a narrow entryway or tunnel to an expansive space of pastoral
greenery.
The mechanism for integrating the contained interior "greensward" with
the city was the transition through the facade, or outer urban shell. In
many ways, the golden age ballpark was "a refreshing realm of diversity"34 in an increasingly industrializing era. "These new parks were not
only urban but urbane, acknowledging the pre-modernist principle that
cities are (or should be) a continuous fabric of harmonies."35 Imbuing a
sense of local urban tradition on the outside and hearkening back to a
pastoral ideal within, golden age ballparks became city landmarks as
architectural structures. Like snowflakes, no one ballpark was like any
other, each reflecting the particular identity of a neighborhood or community as an outgrowth of nature in the industrial city.
The first golden age ballpark, Shibe Park in Philadelphia (built in 1909),
illustrated a specific approach to bridging the pastoral landscape and the
urban context. At the time Shibe Park was constructed there was little, if
any, neighborhood context inthe surrounding locale.36 It was built anew
34. Thorn, John. Baseball: Our
Game, Penguin Books, New ibrk,
1995.
35. Raitz, Karl B.,p.42.
36. Personal interview with
Robert Bluthard, Chairman, The
Ballparks Committee of The
Society for American Baseball
Research, May 13, 1995.
24. Ballpark design as the product of location and the "architectural dialogue" between the field and the
neighborhood containing it,Crosley Field, Cincinnati.
25. Ballpark design "creating its own architectural language inthe absence of an existing neighborhood,
Ebbest Field, Brooklyn.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
(not from aformer wooden structure on the site as was the case with
many other golden age ballparks) and, therefore, it was without a history
specific to Philadelphia. As a result, the owner, Ben Shibe, in effect
created a context for a pastoral park and neighborhood by creating an
urban structure that would define the direction of its future community. Its
French renaissance and neo-classical architecture (perhaps influenced by
the Columbian Exhibition of 1893) portrayed the presence of a civic
building on the outside, serving as a transition from the urban-industrial
city as experienced outside the ballpark and seen in the facade, and the
progression into the green expanse within. Most likely, in a conscious
effort to engage with and integrate contemporary urban design, the
ballpark promoted its street-side facades as public/civic spaces while
hearkening to an era of harmony with nature within.
26. Shibe Park, Philadelphia, 1909.
The designers of Fenway Park in Boston, took another approach to
assimilating the pastoral with the urban context. The brick outer facade of
Fenway echoed the nearby warehouse and factory buildings and was in
clear relation to its surrounding urban context. Furthermore, the progression into Fenway was much like the experience of entering a contemporary industrial factory. A maze of ramps and tunnels within a skeleton of
concrete columns and steel beams (the contemporary construction
technology) provided the transition to the pastoral. The transition was
experienced (and still is)as the spectator progressed through the industrial bowels of the exterior, emerging into a large expanse of greenery - a
bounded landscape within the city. In addition, its 37 foot tall green left
field wall, eclectic center field bleachers and view of the Citgo sign over
left field, has become a defining element of Boston. Today Fenway isas
much an icon of Boston as the golden dome of the state house, the old
north church or Fanueil Hall. Virtually all the other golden age ballparks
followed this pattern.
Other classic ballparks, including Griffith Park, Forbes Field, and Borchert
Field, are noteworthy examples of the relationship between the urban
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
ways."37
context, the ballpark and a "tendency to idealize rural
At Griffith
Park the outer envelope of the ballpark closely matched its surroundings so much so that, in fact, the ballpark had to be constructed around a tree
and five private houses in center field which could not be acquired by the
ball club owner. In a similar fashion, Forbes Field had an auto mechanic's
garage under the third base grandstands and atree lined city street
defined the left field wall. Borchert Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers
from 1887-1952, provides an excellent example of urban contextualism.
The field takes it shape, literally from its surrounding urban fabric, and the
sense of character and identity is unmistakable. Almost everything about
this ballpark is unique to its specific context in Milwaukee except for the
dimensions of the infield diamond and the rules of the game. However,
even the rules of the game were later amended in response to the
peculiarities of the park which included a motorized 60 foot tall chicken
wire fence mounted on the 266 foot right field wall and moved into foul
territory only when the Brewers were at bat.
Inshort, the facade and relationship of the outside of the golden age
ballpark often times took components which represented a clear response to nearby buildings, which gave the ballpark a relation to the
existing surroundings (even if that effect was dictated as much by the
particular demands of a setting or by intent).
PROVIDING A PUBLIC DOMAIN FOR AN URBAN COMMUNITY
The architecture of the golden age ballpark created a civic structure
tailored to a specific neighborhood as the narrative icon for uniting a
community with its pastoral heritage. What the architect, urban planner,
social scientist and the popular writer find in the ballpark relates to what
Kevin Lynch has called the "social role" of landscape. A building's
"imageability... facilitates the making of vividly identified, powerfully
structured, highly useful mental images of the environment."38 This same
environment provides a "vast mnemonic system" in which individuals find
"memories and symbols."39 As a welcomed break from the city, the
37. Marx, Leo. The Machine in
the Garden: Technology and the
Pastoral Ideal inAmerica, Oxford
University Press, London, 1964,
p.7.
38. Lynch, Kevin. Image of the
City MIT Press, Cambridge,
1960, p.9.
27. Griffith Park, Washington, D.C.,
1911.
Notice the unique acknowledgement of its context. Five houses
and atree could not beacquired bythe ballpark owner. The result made for aspecial sense of place, not to
menion an interesting centerfield wall.
28. Bochert Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Aballpark literally taking shape from its surrounding context.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
golden age ballpark became a symbol of the community within a pastoral
setting. Baseball supplied a common bond and strengthened communication helping those most in need of it - the urbanites and immigrants
living in the "anonymity and impersonal vortex of large industrial cities."40
As the traditional ties with society disappeared, going to the ballpark was
an opportunity to become and feel a part of the community. Cheering for
the home team "gave to the urban dweller the sense of belonging in a
community that in former times -when they may have lived in small towns
- was commonplace."41
"Abaseball club ispart of the chemistry of the city. Agame isn't just an athletic
contest, it's a picnic, a kind of town meeting."42
29. Forbes Field, Pittsburgh. Agolden age ballpark unique to its city and neighborhood.
39. Lynch, Kevin. p.126.
The ballpark was a symbol of the "greensward" where one might go to
picnic on a spring day - a version of the New England town green. Such
associations, of course, conjure up the imagery of a bygone era and a
nostalgia for the pastoral. In sum, the golden age ballparks exhibited a
remarkable capacity for giving the residents of cities a shared emotional
experience and tradition of pastoral association.
40. Seymour, Harold. Baseball:
The Golden Age. Oxford
University Press, New'trk, 1971.
41.Seymour, Harold. Baseball:
The Golden Age. Oxford
University Press, New rrk, 1971.
42. Michael Burke, New brk
Yankees President, 1967-73.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
THE MULTI-PURPOSE STADIA
Just as the turn of the century wooden ballparks had once become
outdated and replaced by the golden age brick and steel ballparks, multipurpose stadia began to replace the golden age ballparks in the 1960s.
While the intentions were the same - to build ballparks which could be
more profitable - the results were significantly different. The ballparks that
followed the golden age era addressed different aspects of the ballpark
such as the automobile, luxury boxes, unobstructed view seats, and the
ability to accommodate for professional football.
'What baseball should have everywhere isnot another ramshackle stadium
but abrand new baseball plant with brand new ideas and engineering. It
should be one with power brakes and steering. Itshould have escalators
and radiant heating, adjustable seats for box seat patrons. Itshould have a
spacious restaurant with adance floor. Itshould have
parking for 12-15,000
autos, with 1,000 spaces for season box holders."43
Reacting to a changing market and the automobile, the results of these
multi-purpose stadia were significantly different than the previous ballpark
upgrades in the golden age. For a generation of Americans who watched
the golden age ballparks fall prey to the wrecking ball, progress largely
meant accepting what was new because it was new, and disposing what
was old because it was old. While this might be a rule-of-thumb for
computer hardware and software it is not a good idea for urban continuity
and balance. Particularly, with such a vital element of the urban fabric. In
a more holistic sense, progress should be cumulative and the result of
accrued experience. When multi-purpose stadia of this time, such as
Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and the
Astrodome in Houston, were built they focused on parking lots, luxury
boxes and football games but virtually ignored the essential elements of
intimacy, character and urban scale of their predecessors. While many of
the golden age ballparks became out-dated for an age increasingly
dependent upon the automobile their replacements did little to accommodate the fans beyond the provision of oceans of downtown parking lots
43. Murray James. "The Case for
the Suffering Fan," Sports
Illustrated, August 20, 1956, p.
43.
30.The beginning of the end. The golden age ballpark makes way for a new era of ballpark design.
31.Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh. Prototypical 1960s -70s multipurpose stadia *marooned inasea of
asphalt parking lots and surrounded byhighways. Without the Pittsburgh skyline one would be hard-pressed
to discern this stadiumfrom any other multi-purpose stadia of this era.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
and the removal of obstructed view columns.
J. nouston aIstraone. Amum-purpose sTauIum
wan -power oraies ana sieenng- ou aung any goiaen
age character, intimacy or even natural grass. "The world's biggest pool table.' Leo Durocher
Most of these multi-purpose stadia provide for the same experience
independent of their site location. They look alike, feel alike and provide
the same placelessness. Games played and watched at such structures
are almost indistinguishable and little isoffered that the fan, or player, can
recognize as defining a sense of place.
"Istand at the plate inPhiladelphia and Idon't honestly know whether I'm
inPittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, or Philly. They all look alike."44
While the intention of the owners may have been the same -the profit
margin - the golden age ballparks and the multi-purpose stadia have
clearly effected different results. While the multi-purpose stadium works
much better as a facility, it is inferior as a place. The character and site
specific features which made the golden age ballparks so unique to their
surroundings have given way to mechanical space-eaters which reveal
"nothing except a desire to compete on equal esthetic terms with the
supermarket and the hot-dog emporium."45
Multi-purpose stadia have failed as replacements of their golden age
predecessors for the very reasons which they attempted to address and
people continue to go to these ballparks perhaps thinking or assuming
that they will escape from such elements. Today
"the Pittsburgh Pirates play inastadium that contains arestaurant that is
about as big - bigger, maybe -than the park they used to play in"46
Having forsaken a sense of character and intimacy, even the last vestigial
remnant of the ballpark and pastoral tradition - real grass - has been
replaced. The multi-purpose stadia have been such a disappointment
that the golden age predecessors are still mourned. For example, the
original home plate and a small section of the outfield - all that remain of
Forbes Field in Pittsburgh - are now enshrined within the office buildings
that replaced them. They are the American equivalent of holy relics and
people continue to make pilgrimages to visit their ruins.
33. Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium.
44. Bess, Phillip. "City Baseball
Magic,' AMinneapolis Review of
Baseball Publication, Wm.C.
Brown Publishers, Madison,
1989. p.5.
45. Mumford, Lewis. The
Highway and the City Harcourt,
Brace &World, Inc., New York,
1963, p.171.
46. Ray Miller cited inWill,
George. Men at Work.
Macmillian, New'trk, 1990, p.
130.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
What ultimately differentiates the multi-purpose ballpark from the golden
age predecessor isthe adaptation to context. While the golden age
ballparks were first opposed to by their communities for the very same
reasons that the multi-purpose stadia were (too big, noisy, and troublesome) they eventually became part of, or defined, their surrounding
context. I am convinced that this isthe direct result of the strong relationship between the ballpark and the surrounding urban fabric. The golden
age ballpark worked with its site and took advantage of what was or
wasn't available. The result was a distinctive sense of place based on the
context of the site and its city. However, the multi-purpose stadia ignored
this vital element and the surrounding context in favor of the need for
parking lots. As a result these stadia sit in the middle of the downtown
often in once populated areas bulldozed for vast oceans of asphalt paving
and easy access to the highway. This civic defacement has left ugly
patches of unhealed urban scar tissue in the place of once distinctive
areas and many of these cities have yet to fully recover.
34. Camdenards. Baltimore, Maryland.
Progress is not just about the new or current but about learning from our
past and improving upon it. 'We lose part of the gain offered by a new
invention if we automatically discard all the still valuable inventions that
preceded it."47 The multi-purpose stadia virtually ignored all that made
the golden age ballpark good while solving for its service and infrastructure deficiencies. Two recent ballparks, Camden Yards in Baltimore and
Coors Field in Denver, represent a beginning reinterpretation of the
golden age ballpark. The sense of place and character isdistinct and
particular to their cities and presents a destination for fans who have long
relished the opportunity to experience a ballpark as opposed to a placeless stadium.
The structural expressionist multi-purpose stadia neither defines a sense
of place nor an intimacy worthy of civic gathering. Rather they are
violently antiseptic concrete injection molds which have no particular
relation to their context, their use, or their inhabitants (unless one consid47. Mumford, Lewis., p.235.
35. Coors Field. Denver, Colorado.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
ers the car as an inhabitant). As a result, this thesis is an attempt at
solving for the loss of the golden age ballpark, the failures of the multipurpose stadia and the civic needs of the ballpark without false nostalgia
or mistaken caricatures.
36. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California. Much less integrated with the surrounding context than its
golden age predecessors.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
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general ballpark design guidelines
elements determining a sense of place
elements of general ballpark character
ballpark infrastructure requirements
,o
-
prototypical elements of a reinterpreted ballpark tradition
civic/public space
residual space and the inner ballpark linnings
connection with the city
C-
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
PAST LESSONS AND FUTURE PROPOSALS
The three distinct characteristics that "make for a good ballpark" previously
described - defining a sense of place, civic landmark status, and creating a
presence in the urban fabric - provide a useful beginning for the design of
future ballparks. These features have played a significant role in defining the
golden age ballpark as an urban landmark symbolic of our pastoral mythology.
These specific elements do not imply that ballpark architects abandon new
possibilities, ideas or interpretations. There is always room for innovative
design but it isimportant that this emerge first from an understanding of these
essential ballpark components. Ifarchitects forget the history of the ballpark,
they may well be vulnerable to the same temptations and errors that characterized the era of the multi-purpose stadium. To paraphrase Louis Kahn, we must
address what the ballpark wants to be and not what the architect wants the
ballpark to be.48
Heretofore, we have addressed those features which are a part of our ballpark
tradition. From the discussion of this ballpark history a general list of "ballpark
design guidelines" can be derived which illustrates how to design a ballpark for
the future that is based on past successes and failures. I will also suggest that
from this same analysis several important, but recently overlooked, elements
of good ballpark design which should be a part of a "reinterpreted" ballpark
tradition. These features, which will be addressed and illustrated later in the
design proposal, are as follows: 1)the provision for a civic space where the
public can congregate; 2)the residual space between the outside world of the
city and the inside greensward; and 3) integration of the site with the larger
urban structure of the city. While listing such ballpark guidelines might appear
formulaic and arbitrary, they represent an attempt at articulating and clarifying
some matters which have yet to be addressed, by both those who have studied
the game and those who have designed the ballparks. Taken together these
are important features of overall ballpark character. And in their balance rests
the distinction between a ballpark and a stadium.
37. Fenway Park, 1933 facade.
48.Venturi, Robert. Complexity
and Contradiction inArchitecture.
Museum of Modern Art Papers
on Architecture, Newbrk, 1992,
p.13.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
GENERAL BALLPARK DESIGN GUIDLINES
elements determining a sense of place
view of skyline
palpable tradition and urban contexturalism
transition zone
dowtown location
umistakable character
utilize dead space
public space
elements of general ballpark character
proximity to playing field
intimacy with ballpark
real grass
ballpark infrastructure requirements
luxury box dilemna
deck sloping
sight lines
setback precedent
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Camden Yards visually integrates itself with the city of
Baltimore. Inside the ballpark
the spectator isnot only part
of the game but part of the
city. Apanoramic skyline view
makes Camden Yards a part
of Baltimore and Baltimore a
part of CamdenYards.
elements determning a sense of place
VIEW OF SKYLINE: This provides adirect connection with
the urban context as a starting point for defining a sense of
place from within. However, since the layout of the field
dictates that the ballpark face a northerly direction (home
plate must face a northern direction due to the path of the
sun), it may be necessary to consider partial skylines or
shoreline vistas.
38. View of downtown Baltimore skyline at CamdenYards.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
Philadelphia's Baker Bowl
represents the special golden
age proclivity for urban
contextualism. Built within the
confines of an urban industrial landscape the Baker
Bowl was aPhiladelphia landmark. Aparticularly unique
feature of the park was the
rail lines that actually ran under center field.
PALPABLE TRADITION AND URBAN CONTEXTUALISM:
When a proposed site provides (and the architect acknowledges) an urban context with character, history, and local
tradition the potential for a ballpark has a rich palette from
which to paint. Elements of the nearby urban fabric and city
history need not be re-created into the design but there
should be a clear and underlying relationship between the
site and its surroundings
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Tiger Stadium, like many
golden age ballparks, provides for an experiential transition from the industrial surroundings of Detroit through
ramps and tunnels into a sequestered green expanse
within. The "transition zone"
represents an urban labyrinth
of concrete and steel that protects a manicured garden of
grass inside.
TRANSITION ZONE:
The progression from outside (urban fabric) to inside (pastoral park) isan element of the ballpark which adds an experiential quality. The transition from city to park, from urban density - through tunnels/ramps - into the open green-
sward is an essential element of going to the ballgame.
Furthermore, the incorporation of site specific features as
part of this progression enhances the distinction of place
while making the journey more memorable.
40. Aglimpse of green within Tiger Stadium.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
Fenway Park, inthe "Fens"
neighborhood of Boston's
Back Bay, islocated off asubway line and within walking
distance of most of the city.
As a result the ballpark's
downtown location provides
for ahealthy pedestrian ervironment and connection with
the greater Boston area.
DOWNTOWN LOCATION:
This is independent of design, planning or ballpark intentions - either the site is downtown or it isn't. When the
ballpark parcel is located in an urban setting the potential
for intimacy, character and sense of place is significantly
enhanced. Somehow many of the multi-purpose stadia
failed to take advantage of this opportunity, in part, because
they bulldozed their surroundings. Nevertheless, the lessons of this error have become clear.
41.Fenway Park within the Boston skyline.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Wrigley Field, with its ivy-covered brick outfield wall, represents perhaps one of the
most distinguishing features
of the American ballpark unmistakable character.
"...and on the seventh day the
Lord rested, and came to
beautiful Wrigley Field to
watch his own game, on his
own grass, under his own
lights."
-- bleacher
bums
UNMISTAKABLE CHARACTER:
The ballpark should serve as an active urban artifact which allows for dialogue between the site and location yet independent and able to stand on its
own. Excessive nostalgia or imitation should be avoided as much as nondescript structural expressionism. New ballparks should not be remakes of
old golden age classics nor ventures outside the realm of a ballpark for
baseball.
42. An icon of baseball and the classic ballpark -Chicago's Wrigley Field.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
Comiskey Park 11is an example of amenities and modern day conveniences. However, the massive amounts of
unused dead space necessitated by these amenities has
precluded the character,
sense of place, and intimacy
of experiencing aballpark in
favor of a mall-park.
43Comiskey Park land brand new 'dead space Egress ramps, space below the upper deck, and ner-endng parking lots provide
for no-places.
40,
UTILIZE "DEAD SPACE:"
The typical ballpark leaves large amounts of interior space
unused and unplanned. Specifically in multi-purpose stadia and more recent ballparks (primarily due to the code
requirements for egress ramps). However, these elements
should not be used as excuses but rather as opportunities
to integrate with site-specific features or surrounding context in order to provide a richer experience through the transition zone.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Because of its urban location
Fenway Park provides forapedestrian friendly environment.
Seemingly by default the
ballpark has served as atown
square or an Americanized pazza even though no such
space was designed for this
use. Urbanites just spill into
nearby streets and sidewalks.
Little ifany public or mixed-use
civic space has been designed
into the ballpark or its environs
including the multi-purpose stadia and golden age ballparks.
However, the masses of pedestrians and ballpark surroundings would surely benefit from
such public space.
PUBLIC SPACE:
One element of that has yet to be built as part of the ballpark
has been a civic/public realm. Mixed-use office, retail, commercial and entertainment space can be incorporated into
an exciting American version of the Italian piazza.
44. Public space bydefault at Fenway Park.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
The demands of unobstructed view seats and
skyboxes have dramatically
altered the ballpark intimacy
and proximity. For example,
virtually all of the original
Comiskey Park could fit inside
of its replacement. Today's
front row seat in the upper
deck isactually further from
home plate than the last row
inthe original Comiskey Park.
45.
PROXIMITYTO PLAYING FIELD:
The closer the fan is to the playing field is directly proportional to the experience of the game and the ballpark. While
recent ballparks (e.g.Three Rivers Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, and Busch Stadium) have all but removed structural
columns in favor of having no obstructed view seats. This
are at the same scale).
has pushed back the upper deck such that the spectator is
no longer as close to the game.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Proximity to the field is
perhaps the best inbaseball
inthe upper deck of Tiger
Stadium. Structural posts
largely provided for this
intimacy. Fans are closer to
the field than inany other
major league ballpark. ExTiger, George Kell, once
recalled afan relentlessly
heckling theTiger pitcher.
George went to the mound
to calm the pitcher telling
him he was doing just fine
and not to listen to the
heckler. When he returned
to third base the same
heckler replied "George,
you're not doing too well
yourself."
46. Tiger Stadium. View from upper deck.
INTIMACY WITHIN BALLPARK:
While closely related to proximity to the field, the intimacy of
the ballpark can be understood as more general category which
includes the overall massing and seating layout of the ballpark.
Ballparks like Tiger Stadium provide an experience where one
can actually hear the players talking on the field, the smack of
the ball hitting their gloves and the crack of the bat. While there
is generally a small trade-off in sight line angles, more recent
ballparks have all but ignored the importance of the snugness
and tightness of the intimate ballpark.
47. Tiger Stadium. View from lower deck.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
The well tended grass of the
playing field represents the
most basic notions of the pastoral ideal. Replacing this
"garden Hwith synthetic green
plastic of Astroturf isakin to
colorizing classic black and
white movies.
REAL GRASS:
This is the ultimate connection to the pastoral ideal and our
American rural mythology. Even without many of the good
features of a ballpark, the one common element that says
"ballpark" is the greensward within. One cannot mention
the American pastoral ideal and Astroturf in the same
breath. An ex-player once said, "if cows don't eat it, I don't
want to play on it."
48. Tiger Stadium. Detroit, Michigan.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Joe Robie Stadium, Miami.
Home of the NFL Miami Dolphins and the MLB Florida
Marlins. The epitome of the
multi-purpose stadia - infra-
structure in favor of place
making or the individual.
ballpark Infrastructure requirements
This issue has been the single most difficult element of the
post golden age ballpark to address. The demands for truck
docks, commissary storage, TV and satellite vehicles, parking, and egress ramps have all transformed the golden age
ballpark into a much bigger operation. While they are necessary elements and must be integrated into the overall
ballpark design, the multi-purpose stadia simply chose to
focus on these infrastructure features while ignoring the
components that give meaning to a ballpark. It is the responsibility of the architect to address these infrastructure
elements while at the same time minimize their impact and
presence.
49. Joe Robie Stadium, Miami, Florida.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
While skyboxes push the upper deck further back they are
significant revenue generating features of the modern
ballpark. Therefore, the architect must accomodate their
presence while still preserving view angles and upper
deck proximity. At Fort Point
Channel this has been accomplished by tucking the
skyboxes under and behind
the upper deck.
LUXURY BOX DILEMMA: Much like the other service and
infrastructure elements, the demand for luxury boxes is a
reality that will have to be accepted. The economic gains
demand their presence. As such, it is the architect's responsibility to minimize their presence while maximizing
their revenue.
50. Typical grandstand section from the Fort Point channel proposal.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Tiger Stadium has perhaps
the optimal deck sloping of
any ballpark. This is made
possible by structural columns which support the upper deck. Because this creates lower deck obstructed
view seats itwas not considered viable for the multi-purpose stadia a generation
later.
LI
DECK SLOPING:
Typical deck sloping (the slope of the seating plane) varies
from ballpark to ballpark. However, a rule-of-thumb based
on precedent suggests that the lower deck range from 12
to 17 degrees and the upper deck range from 28 to 33
degrees. Once seating decks approach anything near the
mid-thirties it becomes increasingly uncomfortable for the
fans. InToronto at the Skydome the upper deck is so steep
that railings in front of all seats were installed out of the fear
and anxiety of those who were unlucky enough to have to
sit in the upper deck.
0
51. Tiger Stadium. Detroit, Michigan.
5
25
50
10(
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
Inorder to follow a typical
baseball fly-ball asight line of
12 degrees is necessary.
Golden age ballparks were as
low as 6degrees. As such,
the Fort Point Channel proposal not only provides for a
15 degree sight line but also
optimizes deck sloping, upper
deck proximity and "hidding"
the skyboxes from
interfereing with any of the
above.
SIGHT LINES:
View Angles - Minimal view angles are necessary so that
those sitting in the back rows underneath cantilevering upper-decks can see fly balls. Typically, the minimum angle
acceptable in the modern ballpark varies from 12 to 15
degrees. Golden age ballparks were sometimes as low as
6 degrees.
52. and 53. Fort Point Channel proposal and Tiger Stadium, respectively.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Obstructed view seats at
Fenway Park. While the view
of those sifting under the roof
structure is compromised
with structural posts the view
isstill one of the best inall of
baseball.
OBSTRUCTEDVIEW SEATS:
The trade off between obstructed view
seats and the overall proximity and intimacy of the ballpark suggests that
a compromise is necessary. Unless
one is sitting directly behind a structural post the actual view of the playing field isonly occasionally awkward
and the benefits to the rest of the
ballpark make this a necessary sacrifice. Inthe Fort Point Channel proposal structural posts are included in
order to provide for this sense of intimacy. However, this trade-off only
effects those sitting in the last 6 rows
of the lower deck and includes only
half the total number of structural
posts required in the typical golden
age ballpark.
54. Third base seats at Fenway Park. Boston, Massachusetts.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
The original Comiskey Park
(like most golden age
ballparks) attempted to blend
into its urban context with external facade setbacks. In
particular, the upper deck is
pushed back from the street
leaving a more human scaled
facade. The multi-purpose
stadia all but overlooked this
small but important feature
adding to the increasing antipedestrian, anti-human scale
ballpark.
SETBACK PRECEDENT:
This point/guideline comes directly from the golden age
ballpark which almost to a park, integrated the height differential between the ballpark and surrounding context with
setbacks. As a result the full height of the ballpark was rarely
evident on the street facade, but rather broken up according to surrounding building heights. This minor adjustment
played a significant role in the blending of the ballpark with
the city because there were no overwhelming 125 foot tall
facades on the street.
55. and 56. The original comiskey Park and the new comiskey Park, respectively.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
PROTOTYPICAL ELEMENTS OF A REINTERPRETED
BALLPARK TRADITION
The general design guidelines and principles discussed
above reflect more than a century of American ballparks. As
such, they provide essential design parameters for a new
ballpark prototype. At the same time however, the traditional
golden age ballpark and the multi-purpose stadium have
omitted necessary and appropriate features. For example,
the civic space and inner lining or residual space has all been
but ignored. Inaddition, integration with the surrounding
urban fabric and city at large have sometimes occurred by
accident or unintentionally, while at other times completely
failed to emerge. The role of a modern ballpark must reclaim
its special urban status and reclaim the mythical associations
of its history with three essential prototypical design elements
- civic space, residual space, and urban integration.
57. Lacking apublc or civc realm. Royals Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri.
CIVIC SPACE
Intentionally designed public or civic space has long been a
missing element of the ballpark. While such a space was not
originally necessary for this type of structure, as the game
evolved and the ballpark became a more integral element of
the national character this need emerged. However, this has
never been addressed and such public space has, more or
less, been a default characteristic. That is,the ballpark has
literally borrowed space from the existing context of neighboring streets and adjoining property in order to accommodate
this goal, as necessary. Eventually, this element of the
ballpark became such an important component of the
experiential quality and perception of going to the
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
ballpark that it literally created itself wherever and whenever possible.
For example, at Fenway Park in Boston, Landsdowne Street literally
transforms itself on game days from a typical, everyday street to a
pedestrian arcade (fig. 44). At the same time it serves as the place to
buy souvenirs, hot dogs, and programs it is also the place where
people gather, mingle and congregate. Because there is no other
place for such activity it simply spills out onto the street. This situation was much the same at most of the golden age ballparks and
substituting Shibe Park, Ebbets Field or Forbes Field with that of
Fenway Park would describe the same phenomenon.
The golden age ballpark, however, was more fortunate in this regard
than the multi-purpose stadia. Even though the golden age ballpark
and the multi-purpose stadia both neglected to accommodate a
preconceived civic space, the added dislocations of the multi-purpose
stadia, isolated within endless concrete parking lots and ribbons of
highways, prohibited any such activity. Even the potential of spilling
out onto the surroundings was precluded primarily because any
urban fabric which could accommodate this was demolished for
parking. Furthermore, the sterile and non-descript facade of the
multi-purpose stadia further discouraged the possibility of providing
this activity outside the structure. Perhaps Camden Yards isthe only
recent ballpark that attempts to provide such a public space at an
appropriate urban scale. The right field B &0 Warehouse (fig. 58)
serves much the same function as Fenway Park's Landsdowne
Street.
58. Civic space at Camden Yards.
While this "spilling out" is actually a sign of vitality and integration with
the site, it issimply not the equivalent of providing for the necessary
public space. Individuals within the ballpark can congregate as a
"community," but this becomes a default characteristic once outside
the realm of the grandstands. Designed and planned civic space is
an essential element of any new ballpark.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
RESIDUAL SPACE AND THE INNER BALLPARK LININGS
Another element that has been ignored isthe transition zone which
negotiates the passage from the outside world of the city into the inside
world of the ballpark. While the ballpark originally evolved as a way of
keeping nonpaying fans out, the increasing size of these structures
eventually created a middle zone of structural columns, ramps, and
concourses which the spectator had to decipher in order to reach the
ultimate end - a glimpse of the green within. Today this zone has developed into a cavernous volume, devoid of a once minimal and tight fit.
Much of this is unavoidable and the result of providing for unobstructed
view seats. As such, the upper deck is pushed back and a large dead
space underneath isthe result (fig. 59). Often times this residual space is
so large that even the new codes demaning massive egress ramps are
hard pressed to make use of all this space.
"Architecture should be conceived of as aconfiguration of intermediary places
clearly defined. This does not imply continual transition or endless postponement
with respect to place and occasion. On the contrary, it implies a[departure] from
the contemporary concept of spatial continuity and the tendency to erase every
articulation between spaces, i.e., between outside and inside, between one space
and another (between on reality and another). Instead the transition should be
articulated by means of defined in-between places which induce simultaneous
awareness of what issignificant on either side. An in-between space inthis sense
provides the common ground where conflicting polarities can again become twin
phenomena"49
Aldo van Eyck
Therefore, it would seem most appropriate to create an opportunity for
intermediary places to occur rather than simply ignore it. By combining
the experiential tradition of progressing from outside to inside with the
new result of leftover/dead space, it would seem that an architect could
enhance the experience of the ballpark and its sense of place by developing a transition zone/residual space which could sharpen the character of
the ballpark and the urban context within. To date, no ballpark has
49. Aldo van Eyck, Architectural
Design 12, vol. XXXII, December
1962, p.560.
.ine cavernous wasteland under the upper deck at the new Gomiskey Park.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
.-
ever addressed this matter. The typical dead space underneath the upper
deck isa vast wasteland of concession stands and restrooms that neither
sharpens an awareness of the inside or outside nor makes the transition
from one to the other a richer experience. Such in-between spaces have
yet to play a defined role in the ballpark. This will be addressed later, as a
specific design proposal issue.
A-
2~loon
The transition from the city to the playing field within this residual space
progresses through three distinct "zones." First, there isthe outside
urban zone which reflects contextual elements of the site and city. Second, there isthe residual middle zone. This has yet to become a contributing element of the ballpark, however in it lies the possibilities of creating
linings, or layers, which would take advantage of the large space resulting
underneath the upper deck and simultaneously celebrate the urban fabric
on the outside and the green playing field on the inside.
60.The golden age ballpark
tightly fit into its neighborhood
context. Tiger Stadium (1912).
61.The multi-purpose
stadium within acontext of
asphalt parking lots and
arterial feder streets.
Dodger Stadium (1954).
F
62. Proposed Fort Point
Channel Ballpark
attempting to carefully
address context while
providing for all modern
infrastructure and
developing aresidual space
linking the two.
Y
Finally, the third zone isthe protected and sheltered inside greensward or
pastoral zone. For many the passage through such a transition zone is
the magical journey from an outside zone of the city through a residual
middle zone, reflecting both the outside and the inside, and into the inner
greensward or pastoral zone. The greenness and wide expanse of the
field isa breathtaking image, especially in relation to its history and
juxtaposition within the city.
The entymological root of the word'paradise'is an ancient Persian word
meaning enclosed park or green. Ballparks exist... because there isin
humanity a vestigl memory of an enclosed green space as a place of
freedom or play.'
50, Will, George. p.5.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
CONNECTION WITH THE CITY AT LARGE
Finally, the connection of the ballpark with the larger urban fabric is an
essential, if not vital, element of the ballpark. This greatly adds to the
character and sense of place of the city and the ballpark. The ballpark is
itself a unique experience and this integrated within the framework of the
urban anatomy of the city - linear parks, major pedestrian pathways,
waterfront activities - would make for a better ballpark and a better city. To
incorporate such a prominent civic structure within the hierarchy of the
city's central elements isonly fitting for this uniquely American building
type. Furthermore, the separation of the pedestrian from major traffic
arterials allows for both the reliance on the automobile and the case of
walking from one urban destination to another.
This way of thinking about the ballpark - as a component of city building is currently being considered (such as Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Coors
Field in Denver, and Camden Yards in Baltimore) at the most basic levels
of our most recent ballpark designs.
"The desire behind this isnot to imitate, but for experience and feeling to
assimilate, for spiritual nourishment beyond that which isoffered by the
immediate environment or a brief present moment."51
51.Mumford, Lewis., p.174-75.
63.While this isunrealistic for amodern ballpark, architect Eric Owen Moss' soccer stadium proposal for
Havana represents the complete synthesis of urban context and stadium -atown square redefined. Ina
sense, this isavision of the role of the ballpark inthe American city.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
Ve
site specific intentions on fort point channel
site analysis
regional
ballpark site
site area plans
9'.
A
ballpark proposal issues
site specific design issues
layers and linings
site specific charactersistics and the ballpark interior
urban integration
cr>
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xJ
4.'
LA.'.".
4.
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
PARTTHREE: BALLPARK PROPOSAL
SITE SPECIFIC INTENTIONS ON FORT POINT CHANNEL
64. Dewey Sqaure at the turn of the century (looking
towards Fort Point Channel and over the Summer
Street Bridge).
The incorporation of site specific peculiarities on Fort Point Channel presents a significant challenge for the design of a new ballpark. Unlike other more common elements of the American city,
such as office, commercial and retail space, designing a ballpark represents much more than just
erecting a singular building or building type. The ballpark is both an essential and rare city structure. It isthe American summation of an Italian piazza, medieval European market square, and
French Versailles all wrapped into one. The good ballpark takes what the site has to offer and
integrates it into defining features, peculiarities, charms and quirks that give it character and a
sense of place. Deep outfields, jutting upper decks, water and landscape features should find
themselves as elements of a ballpark based on surrounding site conditions and urban texture such
as block patterns, street networks, and the city fabric (not just the whim or fancy of the architect).
The design of ballparks, based on an understanding of their history, tradition, and mannerisms has
long been neglected, despite the importance of this American symbol. We have yet to provide the
architectural and urbanistic form appropriate to the important associations these urban monuments
evoke. However, a window of opportunity for a new era of ballparks is on the horizon (new
ballparks are now being proposed in San Francisco, Detroit, Cincinnati, Seattle, etc.). These
design issues will be at the architect's call waiting for appropriate expression - in fact demanding
it - to accentuate the building's special relationship with the city. What follows isthe integration of
basic design guidelines, the site-specific features of my proposal, and the incorporation of the as of
yet unbuilt ballpark elements of a future ballpark on Fort Point Channel.
After a brief site analysis this design proposal will attempt to incorporate the three major elements
of this thesis: 1)the lessons of our ballpark history in the form of general ballpark design guidelines; 2) addressing the elements which have yet to be designed into the ballpark including civic/
public space, residual/lining space, and the linkage with the urban fabric of the city at large; and 3)
the ballpark's role within the surrounding context and urban fabric. The underlying premise is that
the integration of these three elements will provide a template for ballpark design adaptable to any
site and flexible to any architect. These elements will be addressed as ballpark proposal issues,
site specific design issues and urban design issues.
65. Within the Leather Distric of Ft Point Channel.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
/*
SITE ANALYSIS
The proposed location for a new ballpark for the Red Sox on Fort Point
Channel presents an exciting opportunity, not only for the special role of
the ballpark, but for defining the direction of future growth of one of
Boston's last undeveloped regions. Situated on the channel waterfront
and within the historic Leather District (see Urban Analysis: Existing Site
Area Plan), this area has remained virtually untouched since it was first
constructed in the 1870s by the Boston Wharf Company. However, the
44 L
BOSTON1
vitality of the area (and Dewey Square across the channel in Boston
BALLl#R
SITE
Ytion
SO/TH
8OSTOW
proper) has still yet to recover from the construction of the Central Artery
in 1959. This highway from the urban renewal age effectively cut off the
Fort Point harbor area from the downtown and destroyed the pedestrian
atmosphere of Dewey Square (see figure 64). Today, with the construcof the third harbor tunnel, the submergence of the central artery, a
new federal courthouse on nearby Fan Pier, and talk of a possible
convention center off Summer St., the proposal for a new ballpark could
be very well be a driving force to reconnect the Fort Point Channel of the
future with the once active and pedestrian atmosphere of Dewey Square
and downtown Boson of the past. This site presents itself as an area
prime for a ballpark and the next phase of Boston urban development.
7
Currently the parcel is in the middle of a mix of primarily warehouse, loft,
and small commercial space. Bounded on the north by water, the east by
the Leather District, on the south by a handful of reclaimed loft buildings,
and on the west by the Gillette razor blade factory, the site provides for
just enough space to fit a new ballpark, while at the same time cozy
enough to force the recognition of the peculiarities of the site and its
immediate urban context.
66. Proposed Fort Point Channel ballpark sie - on the water and atop the Ted Williams Tunnel.
The area is readily accessible to the downtown with all modes - mass
transit, vehicular traffic and, most importantly,the pedestrian. The
historic South Station Terminal provides for commuter rail access and a
high-capacity subway line while a proposal iscurrently underway to
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
construct another subway line from the Boston Commons, through
the Leather District, to Northern Avenue (see Urban Analysis: Mass
Transit Lines). Commercial and vehicular transportation will be
accommodated with direct linkage to the Massachusetts Turnpike
and East Boston.
Perhaps it isonly fitting that this site be selected as the future
home of the Boston Red Sox. Proposing a building type symbolic
of American identity and cultural history could be no more
appropriate at the corner of Washington and "A"where a new
ballpark would be above the Ted Williams Tunnel segment of the Third
Harbor Tunnel and within a stone's throw of the site where colonists
once demonstrated American independence by throwing British tea
into the channel. Simply put, this site presents a very exciting opportunity for a new ballpark and might very well serve as the springboard
for future urban development in the downtown and Fort Point Channel
region.
67. Panorama of existing conditions at the proposed Fort Point Channel site. Ballpark site is located where current Ted Williams Tunnel construction is underway
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
existing urban condition
existing site area plan
existing site area iso
proposed site area iso
proposed block pattern
proposed figure ground
mass transit lines
major buildings
pedestrian and vehicular corridors
view corriodors
regional urban block diagram analysis: before &after
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
EXISTING URBAN CONDITIONS
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
EXISTING SITE AREA PLAN
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
EXISTING SITE AREA ISO
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
Inner
Harbor
PROPOSED BLOCK PATTERN
64
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
IWIWU
=W l
70IJ
PROPOSED FIGURE GROUND
65
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
Aquarium
/
LU l
I r'L_]
MAJOR BUILDINGS
U-f
=J
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Subway
Lines
Bus
Lines
Third
Harbor
Tunnel
Central
Artery
Commuter.........
Rail
MASS TRANSIT LINES
67
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
Primary
Pedestrian ---------Streets
Primary
Vehicular
Streets
PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICULAR CORRIDORS
68
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
BOSTON SKYLINE VIEW CORRIDORS
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
REGIONAL URBAN BLOCK DIAGRAM ANALYSIS: BEFORE
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
REGIONAL URBAN BLOCK DIAGRAM ANALYSIS: AFTER
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
plans
service level
lower deck
skybox
upperdeck
roof
sections
grandstand
right field
williams corner
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
FORT POINT PARK
73
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
18
7:
SERVICE LEVEL PLAN
74
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
LOWER DECK PLAN
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
LUXURY BOX SUITES LEVEL
76
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
UPPER DECK PLAN
77
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
ROOF PLAN
78
Schiamberg
Scott Raphael
1.ballpark entrance
2.public pedestrian arcade
3.bullpens
4."a"street plaza
5.ted williams plaza
6.restroom &concession
7.office
8.press &media
9.home team club house
10. visiting team club house
11. mechanical
12. commissary
13. truck dock/receiving
14. groundskeeping
15. employee lockers
16. dugout luxury box suites
17. special parking
18. picnic grounds
19. pitching/batting cages
20. luxury box suites
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
GRAND
SECTION
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
V /
\-1
/JW
|l
OUTFIELD
SECTION
0
5
25
50
100
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
RIGHT FIELD
SECTION
0 5
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
BALLPARK PROPOSAL ISSUES
site specific design issues
entry as termination of urban corridors
pedestrian v.infrastructure
ballpark civic spaces and waterfront connection
leather district bricks
mitigation of summer street
layers and linings
site specific characteristics and the ballpark interior
right field seating
melcher street "cut"
left field "wildcat bleachers"
intimacy and proximity of upper deck
urban integration
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
BALLPARK PROPOSAL
ISSUES
The proposal for a Fort Point
Channel ballpark is more than
just the design of an individual
building. It represents a major
step in the development of a
new region of Boston. Much like
the golden age ballparks that
predated and largely defined
their urban context (such as
Shibe Park in Philadelphia), the
design of new ballpark at the intersection of "A"and Washington Streets will have a significant influence on the future of
the Fort Point Channel area and
the neighboring downtown of
Boston.
A necessary first step in a
ballpark proposal is the incorporation of the "ballpark design
guidelines" mentioned previously. Regardless of site, these
components are essential
ballpark features and provide a
well grounded set of "rules" to
follow. The integration of these
elements with more site-specific
features is a second step. Bellow isa brief list of essential site
specific design issues addressed in the proposal.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
entry as termination of urban corridors
Main entries should be positioned on axis with major streets or pedestrian corridors. This empathizes
the ballpark as adestination within existing urban conditions and reinforces the ballpark as a termination node or point of public/civic activity.
pedestrian v.infrastructure
Pedestrian Emphasis v. Urban Infrastructure. Ifthis issue is addressed properly no one should ever
know, or more appropriately, have to experience "theme park" parking lots or blocks of surrounding
parking. If this component is not adequately integrated within the overall urban context we will simply
get a more recent version of the 1960's multi-purpose stadia.
ballpark civic spaces and waterfront connection
Connection of ballpark public spaces with waterfront activity and use. It will be essential to capitalize
on this unique waterfront site. Home runs being hit over the left field wall into the channel, the smell of
the ocean and the integration of a future harbor park pedestrian corridor will all significantly contribute
to a unique sense of place in the ballpark experience.
leather district bricks
Inorder to further reinforce a sense of character specific to the site itwill be necessary to address the
"brick feeling" of the Leather District. This can be accomplished by integrating brick elements into the
overall ballpark design. While this is a minor issue the incorporation of this element will help to integrate a late twenty-first century design into an early twentieth century site.
mitigation of summer street
The mitigation of Summer Street, which istwenty feet above grade, will be another vital element of the
proposal. Connecting pedestrian, existing grade, and water levels with the existing Leather District
street and pedestrian context will be essential in making this a successful proposal. Instead of working
around this obstacle, the proposal takes advantage of this twenty foot discrepancy. Most of the region
between the ballparkand Summer Street will accommodate all service/infrastructure needs below the
twenty foot level while providing smooth transition from Dewey Square and a public space at the Summer Street level. Addressing this level change is essential not only to the viability of a pedestrian
attuned ballpark but also to the fact that the third harbor tunnel (recently renamed the Ted Williams
Tunnel) runs directly below the site and precludes the depression of the playing field or service levels.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
layers and linings
A mixed-use "shell" of layers or linings will be essential to the viability
of creating agood place (inaddition to the primary role of a ballpark).
Major elements to be included are pedestrian arcades, a large civic
space connecting the ballpark, Leather District and the channel, and
pedestrian friendly streets. Possible components of this layer zone
could include: office space, night clubs, micro-breweries, restaurants,
small hotel, loft space, movie theaters and parking facilities (sandwiched within the aforementioned elements). All of these potential
lining elements provide activities and uses for the residual space which
to this point have been ignored in ballpark design. In general they
should help to activate the otherwise dead and monstrous leftover
space underneath the upper decks, both when games are and are
not being played.
oW.
summer sireei looKing norin towaros mri
Boston skyline.
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69. Summer Street from South Statoin looking towards the Fort Point
Channel leather district.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
At a minimum the overall "interior design," or arrangement of seating
(i.e., lower deck, luxury boxes, and upper deck) ultimately defines the
character and ballpark experience. This isthe essential ballpark litmus test. Without an interior that responds and reacts to its urban
context all other ballpark elements will be much like a beautifully framed
canvas which has yet to be painted.
Inaddition to some of the other ballpark components, the most memorable and lasting contribution isthe character defined within. As such,
this proposal attempts to combine the essential ballpark requirements
set forth inthe above "ballpark design guidelines" while incorporating
the features unique to the site and Fort Point Channel. When all is
said and done the ballpark, especially the inside, should fit the site
like a glove. The following are a few elements that have emerged as
a result of taking advantage of what the site has to offer.
right field seating (upper and lower deck)
In order to maximize the public plaza/civic space and allow for the
residual space within the right field wall, a shorter right field foul line is
necessary. This resulted in a minimal change that shifted right field
approximately twenty feet closer to home plate. As a result of the
right field foul line distance became 325 feet and the right field wall
was made twenty feet tall inattempt to counter the shortened outfield
distance. This significantly maximizes intimacy and proximity of the
right field upper deck (especially in the outfield) and the right field
stands are closer than elsewhere in the ballpark. Inshort, the simple
move of maximizing the public space beyond right field greatly effected the inside and created a unique feature adding character and
sense of place to the experience within.
melcher street "cut"
The "cut" inthe right field upper deck and the building that bridges the
inside of the ballpark with the public/civic space are both in-line withthe
primary entry off of Melcher Street. This combined with aformal gated
entry addresses a relationship of the ballpark to its context. Furthermore, this echoes existing street patterns and contextual elements of
site.
left field "wildcat bleachers"
Reminiscent of the golden age ballpark wildcat bleachers, the proposed ballpark isboth aware of the site conditions and historical precedent. The adjoining harbor cuts off the left field before the waterline
making it a shorter than average distance down the left field foul line.
By taking advantage of this and the realistic possibility of a future
harbor park the ballpark makes this feature a signature element of
the ballpark. The result is a minimal left field grandstand much like
the old-fashioned wildcat bleachers of the turn of the century and a
waterfront park promenade that passes directly behind it. As such
the ballpark takes advantage of the waterfront edge by making it a
unique element of the interior experience and makes use of what will
eventually become a public pedestrian corridor that can see into the
greensward within. This pedestrian promenade will be a permanent
element of the ballpark and provide everyone visual access to a
ballpark during game days and a "park" during times when one just
experiences the waterfront promenade.
intimacy and proximity of upper deck
Significant attention has been focused on sectional studies and the
mitigation of luxury boxes with intimacy and proximity of the fan. One
of the highest priorities was afforded this effort so that the qualities of
good ballparks could be maintained even when faced with the demands that helped to create the 1960s and 70s multi-purpose stadia.
The luxury boxes are tucked under the upper deck and out of view in
addition to respecting lower deck sightline requirements.
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
urban integration
The ballpark isa special element of city building and requires athorough understanding of the city's anatomy and hierarchical structure.
Having already addressed the ballpark guidelines and site specific
issues the remaining component to be integrated are the larger urban
design strategies. The proposal suggests several characteristic elements which could link features of the ballpark with the city and elements of the city back to the ballpark. The proposed site lies in the
hear of a soon to be booming region of Boston and could serve as
one of the civic/public nodes or points of destination linking major
elements in the area such as the new federal courthouse, the
Children's Museum, and the historic Leather District, Dewey Square
and the central artery parkway and harbor park. For example, the
urban waterfront promenade/waterfront park of greater Boston will
be incorporated with the ballpark and the two will actually overlap in
the form of a pedestrian concourse that passes above and behind the
70. The Boston skyline from the Fort Point Channel leather district.
left field wall, allowing for visual access to the green playing field within.
Another major move to integrate with the larger urban development/
planning of the area isthe proposal of the civic/public space behind
right field.
Taken together these elements give the city much more than just a
ballpark. Many of the elements which were present on and near the
sites where the golden age ballparks were built are part of the Fort
Point Channel parcel and region. For example, the site is on the
fringe of the downtown, near rail yards, on the waterfront, and within
comfortable walking distance to mass transit. This would suggest
that many of the same elements that made the golden age ballparks
successful will be available for integration in a new ballpark proposal
and should be taken advantage of.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
"[Ballparks] are like snowflakes and fingerprints; no two are ever the same."
----
W.PKinsella, Shoeless Joe, 1982.
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
CONCLUSION
It is ironic that the ballpark, one of our most cherished civic buildings, is
at the same time one of the buildings we know the least about. Therefore,
this thesis represents a beginning attempt at defining the essential
elements that make for a good ballpark and their incorporation into a
proposal for a new home for the Boston Red Sox on Fort Point Channel.
It is important that we not overlook preserving the qualities of the classic
or golden age ballparks while at the same time it isour responsibility to
provide for the amenities necessitated by the modern ballpark.
The urban ballpark represents a significant element, not only of the
American city, but as a unique contribution to the American experience
and inthe words of the distinguished American cultural historian, Studs
Terkel, "we definitely don't know where we're going as a society if we can't
remember where we've been." Our ballpark tradition and its pastoral
heritage are rich in meaning, and will continue to be, if only we can
remember what they know.
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
"We're not just ordinary people, we're a congregation. Baseball is aceremony, a ritual... Aballpark at night is more like a church than a church."
W.PKinsella, Shoeless Joe, 1982.
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
page 2, figures 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 19, 21, 25, and 36
Ward, Geoffrey and Burns, Ken. Baseball: An Illustrated History. Alfred A Knopf, New
York, 1994.
figure 34
Fraser-Reid, Bertram Terrik. "The Inside Pitch: Recent Efforts at Planning the Urban
Stadium." Masters Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, June 1992.
figures 1, 13, 46, 47, and 48.
Betzold, Michael and Casey, Ethan. Queen of Diamonds: The Tiger Stadium Story,
Altwerger and Mandel Publishing Company, Inc., West Bloomfield, Michigan, 1992.
figure 35
HOK photograph.
figure 2
landslides, rotch visual collection, MIT.
figure 37, 44, 54
"Fenway Forever," Boston Globe Magazine, March 31, 1996, p.20-21, 32-37.
figures 3 and 4
Alvarez, Mark, The Old Ball Game, Redefinition Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, 1990.
figure 38, 58
Katz, Peter. The New Urbanism:Towards an Architecture of Community. McGrawhiill,
Inc., NewYork, 1994, p.xli.
figure 7
Lee, Guy ed.The Eclogues, Penguin Books, New York, 1984.
figure 40
Schiamberg, Bruce. photograph, 1995.
figure 9, 15, 18, 20, 23, 24, 30, 39, and 48
Gershman, Michael. Diamonds: The Evolution of the Ballpark. Houghton Mifflin Co.,
Boston, 1993.
figure 41
Abts, james T.Eastern Illustrating, Union, ME.
figure 11, 16, 27, 28, and 29
Benson, Michael Ballparks of North America: A Comprehensive Historical Reference to Baseball Grounds, Yards and Stadiums, 1845 to Present. McFarland &Company, Inc., Publishers, North Carolina, 1989.
figure 14
Godine, David R.A Book for Boston, The Boston Foundation, Boston, 1980.
figure 17, 32, and 33
USA Today, Monday April 1, 1996, p.13C.
figure 22
Reps, John W.Cities on Stone: Nineteenth Century Lithograph Images of the Urban
West, Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, 1976.
figure 26
Kuklick, Bruce. To Everything a Season: Shibe Park and Urban Philadelphia 19091976. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1991
figure 31
Norman W.Schumm, Gold Star Photography, Prospect, PA.
figure 42
Okrent, Lawrence. Photoscapes, Glencoe, IL, 1988.
figure 43
Bertsch, Werner J. Pitt Souvenirs, Northbrook, IL.
figure 57, 59
Bess, Philip. "Mall Park: New Comiskey Park and the State of the Art." Inland Architect, September/October 1991, Vol. 35, No. 5, pgs. 32-41.
figure 63
Moss, E.Owen. Buildings and Projects 2. Rizzoli, New York, 1996.
figure 64
Channing, Susan R.The Leather District and the Fort Point Channel: The Boston
Photo-Documentary Project, Artists Foundation, Inc., 1982.
Urban Figure Ground Precedents c/o Philip Bess, Univ. of Michigan.
BALLPARK FIGURE GROUND ANALYSIS: Philip Bess, Univ. of Michigan.
unless otherwise noted all other images are by the author
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APPENDIXES
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
boston ballparks
1.braves field
1915-1952
2.fenway park
1912-date
3.huntington avenue ground
1901-1911
4.walpole street grounds
1888-1914
5.congress street grounds
1890-1894
6.fort point park
thesis proposal
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
1.golden age ballparks
comiskey park
tiger stadium
fenway park
fort point park proposal
2.multi-purpose stadia
riverfront park
royals stadium
new comiskey park
fort point park proposal
3.neo-traditional
camden yards
jacobs field
the ballpark at arlington
fort point park proposal
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
fenway park
tiger stadium
comiskey park
boston, massachusetts
1912-date
detroit, michigan
1912-date
chicago, illinois
1910-1990
fort point park
boston, massachusetts
thesis proposal
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
riverfront stadium
cincinnati, ohio
1970-date
new comiskey park
chicago, illinois
1990-date
royals stadium
kansas city, missouri
1973-date
fort point park
boston, massachusetts
thesis proposal
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
camden yards
baltimore, maryland
1992-date
jacobs field
cleveland, ohio
1993-date
the ballpark at arlington
arlington, texas
1995-date
fort point park
boston, massachusetts
thesis proposal
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
golden age ballparks
polo grounds
tiger stadium
griffith park
crosley field
multi-purpose stadia
riverfront stadium
busch stadium
oakland coliseum
houston astrodome
neo-traditional ballparks
camden yards
jacobs field
the ballpark at arlington
new comiskey park
100
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
polo grounds
crosley field
cincinnati, ohio
griffith park
washington, d.c.
fort point park proposal
boston, massachusetts
new york, new york
tiger stadium
detroit, michigan
101
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral ideal
busch stadium
houston astrodome
houston, texas
riverfront stadium
cincinnati, ohio
102
fort point park proposal
boston, massachusetts
st. louis, missouri
oakland coliseum
oakland, california
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
camden yards
baltimore, maryland
the ballpark at arlington
arlington, texas
new comiskey park
fort point park proposal
boston, massachusetts
chicago, Illinois
jacobs field
cleveland, ohio
103
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
league park
cleveland, ohio
shibe park
baker bowl
philadelphia, pennsylvania
tiger stadium
detroit, michiagn
crosley field
cincinnati, ohio
forbes field
pittsburgh, pennsylvania
104
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
league park
cleveland, ohio
circa 1915
105
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
shibe park
baker bowl
philadelphia, penn.
circa 1921
106
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
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107
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
crosley field
cincinnati, ohio
circa 1922
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
forbes fiel
pittsburgh, pennsylvania
circa 1925
109
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
The golden age ballpark has emerged as one
of the few uniquely American structures/building types that distinctively defines itself as an
urban landmark and a cultural icon. Each ballpark had a peculiar shape, a unique outfield
geometry, and a special way of blending within
the urban fabric.
The following images were drawn by Gene Mack
in the 1950s as part of a series of ballpark drawings. What is so interesting about these cartoons is not the nostalgic events that are depicted, but rather how the ballparks helped to shape
such events. Each home run or great catch is
remembered in relation to the ballpark in which
it occured. The overhanging right field upper
deck and in-play flag pole in Tiger Stadium, the
bathtub shape of the Polo Grounds, and the
center field fence built around the trees and buildings at Griffith Park are only a few of the countless features that made the golden age ballpark
just as, if not more, important than the events
that they witnessed.
These simple cartoons magnificently capture the
charm and character of the golden age ballpark.
110
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
shibe park
philadelphia, pennsylvania
1909-1970
111
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
griffith park
washington, d.c.
1911-1961
112
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
A
2.
7
forbes field
pittsburgh, pennsylvania
1909-1970
113
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
polo grounds
new york, new york
1911-1963
114
Scott Raphael Schiamberg
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tiger stadium
detroit, michigan
1912-present
115
Reinventing the Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal
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116
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Scott Raphael Schiamberg
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