The new right-field bar at Progressive Field will be dubbed “The Corner” by the Cleveland Indians after a fan vote, in an homage to Tom Hamilton’s signature introduction for game broadcasts.
Indians fans are very familiar with Hamilton’s traditional intro: “We’re under way from the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.” Carnegie and Ontario will be incorporated in the bar branding as well.
The new bar will feature almost 40 beers on tap, a firepit, as well as decor featuring reclaimed materials from the old Columbus Road Bridge in Cleveland’s Flats. Additionally, The Corner features free-standing furniture that incorporates bridge decking and hand-made sand-casting patterns recovered from a foundry formerly located on East 71st Street. The Indians commissioned Cleveland-based Rustbelt Reclamation to design and construct these features as means to bring some of Cleveland into the ballpark.
We’re guessing The Corner will be a huge smash: a $13 ticket includes a view of the game and the first drink (beer, soda, water). The Colorado Rockies installed a similar area to Coors Field last season and immediately drew a new level of clientele to the ballpark.
The improvements, undertaken with concessionaire Delaware North, will be mostly completed at the beginning of the 2015 season, though some work is expected to extend into the regular season. The changes are to only one part of the ballpark: center field to right field and Gate C. The result will be a slightly smaller ballpark when it comes to seating capacity, but one with a greater emphasis on group areas, families, and distinct neighborhoods.
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