Hershey, Pa. -- Featuring accommodations for approximately 6,000 spectators in its three-level design, preliminary plans for the new baseball park at Penn State's University Park campus were approved by the University's Board of Trustees Friday (March 18).
The ballpark, which is being designed by the architectural firm of L. Robert Kimball and Associates of State College, will be the new home for the Penn State baseball team as well as a minor league baseball team to be acquired by the owners of the Altoona Curve franchise. The facility is scheduled to be ready for use by the minor league team in June 2006.
Located near the intersection of Curtin and Porter Roads and adjacent to Beaver Stadium and the Bryce Jordan Center, the ballpark's preliminary designs call for three levels -- a concourse level, suite level and field level, said Gary C. Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business/treasurer of the University.
At the concourse level, a ticketing and retail pavilion will provide access to a gated entry plaza and future entertainment plaza -- spaces that will accommodate special outdoor events and concessions.
The concourse itself will provide access to all facilities. Seating accessed from there, though not yet finalized, is projected to include about 3,600 chair-back seats, 500 bleacher seats, a picnic deck for 600 and standing room only for about 1,038 people on berms and decks.
Minor league offices, general concession stations, picnic concessions and a grille area, along with restrooms, a commissary, first-aid station, service and storage areas and mechanical rooms will be located on the concourse.
The suite level is slated to include two decks, a lounge and approximately 18 suites with capacities ranging from 12 to 23 people, with a total capacity in these spaces of about 262. Offices for Penn State baseball and media rooms will reside on the suite level, along with a catering pantry, storage and restrooms.
At the field level, plans include the clubhouses for Penn State baseball, the minor league team and visiting team, as well as a shared clubhouse, batting tunnels, umpire locker rooms and a multi-purpose room. A corridor will link the clubhouses with the field adjacent to the home dugout. Bullpens will be located along the right field line and past left field.
The project will also include 500 new paved parking spaces along Porter Road, with 385 on the north side of the ballpark for patrons and 115 on the south side for staff, officials and players. The new spaces will satisfy parking deficiencies for daily commuters and Bryce Jordan Center events, while existing parking at the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium can support the new ballpark.
A new, landscaped pedestrian plaza will complement the Porter Road entrance to Beaver Stadium and will also serve visitors during football games, Fourth of July fireworks and other events.
Reinforcing an "athletic village" concept, the designs for the new ballpark complement the nearby Bryce Jordan Center, Beaver Stadium and the Multisport Indoor Facility, with plans to feature brick, pre-cast, metal and glass in the construction. Field lights and a scoreboard will be integrated into that design.
The ballpark will be oriented to the east, offering excellent views of Mount Nittany.
Pursuing an aggressive schedule to complete the project in time for use by the minor league team next June, the board also gave the authorization to obtain bids and award site, foundation and steel contracts. Final plans for the ballpark will be presented to the board in May. Following approval by the board, construction can begin, allowing 12 months for completion.