The Atlanta Braves released on Wednesday conceptual drawings of their planned 41,000-plus seat Cobb County Stadium.
The images show a stadium with three main decks, including a split upper deck, and a broad sun canopy that’s about three times the size of the overhang at Turner Field. The drawings also provide a glimpse at the design concepts behind the $400 million mixed-use complex to sit around the ballpark.
“This is a very early look at how our vision is shaping up and, even though we are still months away from final plans and drawings, we are very pleased with the progress,” said Braves President John Schuerholz, said in a news release. “The renderings represent the sense of place we intend to create 365 days a year in addition to a world-class ballpark.”
The Braves announced in November their intention to move to Cobb into a new $622 million stadium for the 2017 season. The team also plans to open the first phase of its surrounding mixed-use project, a blend of bars, shops, restaurants, office space, hotels and residences, in 2017 with full completion slated for 2019.
The stadium will have a seating bowl closer to the diamond, Braves officials said.
Derek Schiller, the Braves head of marketing, told reporters in a conference call that the ballpark will be oriented to the southwest. It’s not a typical ballpark layout – given the position of the sun in late afternoon hours and the view for fans and players at-bat.
But Schiller said there are a handful of other stadiums with a similar orientation, and the team and its designers have performed sun studies that have dismissed concerns about the issue. But a listing of ballparks on the Baseball Almanac website did not show any major league stadiums that point west or southwest.
Later, a Braves representative said the position would be closer to due south. That too would be an atypical layout in the game.
Unlike Turner Field, the stadium also will likely have more character in its outfield. Rather than a curved outfield wall, Schiller said the team is looking at other arrangements with more defined power alleys.
He said, however, that he wouldn’t label the new stadium a hitter’s ballpark, and that the new venue will likely retain Turner Field’s reputation as a more pitcher-friendly field.
The renderings also show green space and a small lake of about 1-to 1.5 acres that will be a prominent feature on the site.
Also Wednesday, the Braves announced a new waiting list for non-season ticket holders interested in buying season packages for the new stadium. More information is available at www.braves.com/newballpark and www.homeofthebraves.com
Read more about this story later today at our premium website, www.myajc.com, or in the Thursday print edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
About the Author
