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Nationals Park

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Nationals Park is the new ballpark for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. The facility is projected to open in time for the 2008 baseball season-opening game against the Atlanta Braves on March 30. It is located along the Anacostia River in southeast Washington, D.C., and replaces RFK Stadium as the Nationals' home ballpark. The new ballpark was designed by HOK Sport and Devrouax & Purnell Architects and Planners, will seat 41,000 fans, and is projected to cost at least $611 million. It will sit across the river from the D.C. United's proposed soccer-specific stadium at Poplar Point. The site is Metro-accessible via the Navy Yard station. Fans will be able to view the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol building from certain areas of the stadium.

The park's name echoes the original name of the old Washington Senators' ballpark, Griffith Stadium, which was once known as "National Park" when its tenants were called the "Nationals" more than a century ago.

Location

The ballpark is being constructed on a 21-acre plot of land in the Near Southeast neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Although it is near the Anacostia River, the site is landlocked, bounded by South Capitol Street to the west, N Street to the north, 1st Street SE to the east, and Potomac Avenue to the south. The park will face to the north-northeast, in the general direction of the U.S. Capitol (located approximately 15 blocks away) and Union Station.

The park's orientation was controversial, because some expected it to have a full view of the Capitol's dome. However, construction of proposed stadium parking garages and future commercial development on plots north of the ballpark will block direct view of the Capitol from most seats in the park.

Transportation

Nationals Park is located just one block south of M Street, SE, a main (and until very recently, underused) artery bisecting Southeast and Southwest Washington, D.C. The ballpark is also accessible from I-395 via the Southwest Freeway, and from I-295 via the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, which carries South Capitol Street across the Anacostia River. The Douglass Bridge was renovated so that South Capitol Street will continue at ground level past the stadium (it was previously 15 feet above ground level).

The new ballpark is also accessible via the Navy Yard station, which is served by Metro's Green Line. The station, which is located a block and a half from the ballpark's gate in left-center field, is expected to be heavily used by fans on game day. Plans call for the Navy Yard station's ballpark entrance and farecard mezzanine to be expanded, along with the addition of an extra escalator and elevator to handle the crowds.

Other options, such as Metrobus access, satellite parking arrangements, and even water taxi service, have been discussed in the media, but no specific plans have been announced to date.

Financing and controversy

Financing for the stadium was expected to be provided by a banking syndicate led by Deutsche Bank. However, finalization of the financing deal, as of December 2005, stalled due to complex negotiations between the city government, MLB as owner of the team, and the bank. The bank requested a letter of credit or comparable financial guarantee against stadium rent to cover risks such as poor attendance or terrorism. The requested guarantee was $24 million, with the city requesting that MLB provide the guarantee. The financing situation was since solved and construction began in May 2006.

Construction

The site of Nationals Park was chosen by Mayor Anthony Williams as the most viable of four possibilities for a future ballpark. The ballpark's design was released to the public at a press conference on March 14, 2006. Ground breaking was in early 2006. With an ambitious construction schedule of fewer than two years to complete the stadium, a design-build approach was selected to allow the architects and builders to work in concert with one another. Ronnie Strompf, the project superintendent, coordinates the efforts of numerous subcontractors on a daily basis.

The ballpark will have 41,000 seats and will feature 66 suites, all around the infield. Other amenities include the "Oval Office bar." Team President Stan Kasten also said that the team might sell the naming rights to the levels of the luxury suites, which bear the names of presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. While the city has agreed to spend up to $611 million, Kasten has stated that the principal owners, the Lerner family, are spending tens of millions of dollars more on "jazzing up the park."

On March 13, 2007, Kasten announced that not only was the Nationals new ballpark on schedule to be ready by Opening Day 2008, but that there would be a grove of cherry blossoms located just beyond the left field bleachers. Kasten stated that the cherry blossoms will provide a look that Americans associate with the nation's capital. The Nationals also have plans to erect three statues in the ballpark, honoring Walter Johnson of the original Washington Senators, Frank Howard of the expansion Senators, and Josh Gibson of the Negro League Homestead Grays, which played many of its games in Washington.

The George Washington University and the Nationals announced that the GWU baseball team would play the first game in Nationals Park on March 22, 2008 . GWU will play Saint Joseph's University in the afternoon game.

On December 18, 2007 the Nationals announced that they would open the 2008 season in Nationals Park with a rare one-game series against the Atlanta Braves on March 30, which will serve as the first official MLB game at the park. True to tradition, the team has formally invited President Bush to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, which will be the season debut of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball schedule for the 2008 season.

According to the official website of the Nationals, the park has been planned to receive LEED accreditation, which would make it the first major stadium in the United States to do so.

Food Vendors

Nationals Park has 11 food vendors representing the D.C. Metro area located around the ballpark.

  • Ben's Chili Bowl
  • Boardwalk Fries
  • Cantina Marina
  • Gifford's Ice Cream & Candy
  • Hard Times Cafe
  • Koshers Sports
  • Krazee Ice
  • La Piccola Gelateria
  • Mayorga Coffee
  • Noah's Pretzels
  • Red Hot & Blue

Nationals Park will also have a Center Field Restaurant (dubbed the "Red Porch") featuring food & beverages at additional cost to tickets seating in the Center Field Lounge & Center Field Club area.

References

External links



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Last updated on Saturday March 08, 2008 at 16:09:55 PST (GMT -0800)
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