Featuring a translucent roof, plenty of club and group spaces and an updated cownose rays tank, new Tampa ballpark renderings were released by the MLB Rays during last night’s game.
We’ve already seen exterior renderings of the new ballpark from the Rays—see more here–but these are the first interior renderings from the Rays and ballpark architect Populous. The exterior renderings had shown an expansive translucent roof and hinted at a large footprint; the new indoor renderings reaffirms those design plans and add some details, including the inclusion of some popular features from Tropicana Field.
That translucent roof is key to the new ballpark design. For a team that played its entire history indoors–save a rough season under the Florida sun at Steinbrenner Field when the roof was ripped off the Trop–incorporating the feel of outdoor play while eliminating the threat of inevitable late-afternoon summer showers and hot temperatures was a prime consideration. Also key in this design: ensuring there were plenty of views of the new development accompanying the ballpark, providing an anchor to the fan experience. Promised in the roof design: a new dynamic lighting system.
“Ballpark design is always in motion, but we felt it was time to pause and share with our fans where we are today and anticipate going in the future,” said Rays CEO Ken Babby in a press release announcing the new renderings. “What we are unveiling today is a response to what Rays fans have told us they want–a comfortable and inviting ballpark that honors the intimate connection between fans and the game, while at the same time incorporating modern amenities and design innovations that they expect and deserve. We’re listening and working hard to deliver on what we feel will be the best ballpark experience in the game, bar none.”
The main plaza entry, currently sized as around an acre, to the new ballpark will be in center field–as shown below–and it will carry a direct echo from the Trop: an expansion of the popular Rays Touch Tank. The new feature is billed by the Rays as being a larger, deeper aquarium feature than the current ray tank, sized at 10,000 gallons.
Other highlights from the Rays announcement: a general seating bowl with a three-level grandstand and outfield seating promising plenty of intimacy from every location in the ballpark; club spaces at a wide variety of price points and locations, including adjacent to both bullpens; a bar overlooking center field positioned above a retractable batter’s eye; and two videoboards among the largest and most technologically advanced in Major League Baseball.
The new ballpark will feature approximately 30,000 fixed seats and a larger capacity when SRO areas are taken into account, but the Rays foresee usage past the expected 81 regular-season games in an MLB season: seating can expand for special events, ensuring flexibility for concerts, conventions, and other major gatherings.
The new Rays ballpark will anchor a new entertainment complex at the college, which would also see a redeveloped campus as part of the overall plan. An entertainment complex could have an economic impact beyond Rays game: the 113-acre Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough Community College is located south of Steinbrenner Field (spring-training home of the New York Yankees) and west of Raymond James Stadium (home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and the assumption that an entertainment district would draw fans for both Yankees spring training and Bucs games.
The plan divides the site into four quarters: A Champions Quarter containing the $2.3 billion ballpark at the corner of Dale Mabry and West Tampa Bay Boulevard; an Invention Edge housing the rebuilt Hillsborough College campus; The Row, a street running through the development; and The Canopy, open parkland marked by shade and greenery. The goal to create an environment that brings fan in early and keeps them after a game, while also attracting interest from Yankees and Buccaneers fans. If the plan seems familiar, it should be: this is the same exact blueprint the Atlanta Braves used to create Truist Park and The Battery mixed-use district in Cobb County.
The Rays would sign a 35-year lease with three five-year options at the end and include a nonrelocation clause. The team would manage the ballpark operations and cover repairs and insurance. The goal is a March 1, 2029 opening; the Rays’ Tropicana Field lease ends after the 2028 season.
Rendering courtesy Tampa Bay Rays.
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