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.
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.
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.
MY TAKE: Looks incredible at least from the drawings. I'm digging the Kansas City inspired lake feature out beyond the outfield. Hell they could stock it with fish and use it as a fishing hole year round. I would pay to go fishing and drinking right next to the Braves stadium. The bars and shops should definitely attract more people for the games and give them something to do finally before and after. The stadium itself looks like a good mixture of classic and modern. They need to have some statues of Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux, Chipper, Murphy, Hank, Bobby, etc. to make it feel historic in it's own new way. I think making it seat 41,000 is smart. It will give it a more intimate feel. It will be interesting to see the final renderings but this is a great start. They still need to address the traffic situation and how accessible it will be for mass transit.
