08 December 2010

LiveBlog: Yankee Stadium Upland Park Redevelopment

 Yankee Stadium Upland Park Redevelopment

Gary Sorge, FASLA, Stantec
Frank McCue, NYC Parks

Last LiveBlog of the semester.

While one is the client and one is the design firm, they really work as a team.  The project had over 450 submittals to review. 

Mill Pond Park was built on the site of the old Bronx River Market from the 1920s-1970s.  The old Powerhouse has been retrofit with a green roof, hoping to get LEED Gold.

The new park has been built just as it was shown to the community in early renderings. Macomb Dam Park was also overhauled with Heritage Field and Ruppert Plaza.  There are River Avenue Pocket Parks, including small play areas and a $3 million skateboard park.

MetroNorth built a new train station which had to be integrated into these design, too.

Stantec's approach emphasized the park as more than just a collection of ballfields, but a highly accessible park for the broadest possible audiences.  Some pieces of the old frieze (the white arched fencing that is part of the Stadium iconography) were saved for the new Heritage Field.  Layout and grading requirements prevented them from being able to save the location of home plate as the new home plate, where Lou Gehrig gave his famous address. (now it is at 2nd base)  But they did preserve the giant bat.  They are also installing 7 Viewmasters so you can see slides of the old Stadium.  They did preserve the footings of much of the Stadium, burying them under the berms.


Ruppert Plaza is the wide walk you see below.  The mound is above the roof of a parking deck.

The park will also have Yankee quotes and even a Bull Durham quote scattered around on the walls. 

  Work began this past summer.

1 comment:

sheds said...

creative design I must say. Every one should think like that.