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Mets can picture this

Unveil final rendering of new park

BY ADAM RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

VERO BEACH, Fla. - The exterior will bring back memories of Ebbets Field. Capacity will be 45,000 spectators.

And now there are pictures of the new Mets stadium, too. Page 39 of the Mets' new media guide includes the first glimpses of the final version of the state-of-the-art, open-air stadium, scheduled to open in 2009.

Groundbreaking for the estimated $609 million project is planned for this summer in the parking lot behind Shea's outfield picnic area.

"It kind of looks like Camden Yards," Mets infielder Chris Woodward said.

Said outfielder Victor Diaz, who said the pictures reminded him of Cincinnati's new park: "It looks nice. I hope I'll be playing in it. The first year it opens it will give us good memories, and hopefully we can win a championship one year in the new ballpark."

According to a plan submitted to the Empire State Development Corp., the exterior will be reddish-brown brick and limestone, with concrete arches and exposed steel included to resemble bridges. The stadium would open to provide a view of the northern end of Willets Point.

A restaurant in left field, enclosed with glass, will be available for season-ticket holders, while a second restaurant will be located in the upper level behind home plate. Plans also call for the three-deck stadium to include suites behind home plate, below the main concourse.

Among the other features touted by the Mets:

• Wider seats angled toward the infield, and more leg room.
  
  
• A main concourse that encircles the stadium.
  
  
• A rotunda at the entrance reminiscent of Ebbets Field, the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Shea Stadium is expected to be demolished after the new stadium's construction. It opened April 17, 1964, with the Pirates beating the Mets, 4-3. Only Fenway Park (1912), Wrigley Field (1914), Yankee Stadium (1923) and Dodger Stadium (1962) are older.

Originally published on March 18, 2006

quote:

$609 million project

Wow. That's a serious chunk of change right there. The facade and overall architecture look amazing. I can't wait to see more renderings of the field. So far, however, quite impressive. That's a ballpark.

Makes you wonder about SA's $300 million estimation, doesn't it?

New York prices.

But, seriously, owner Fred Wilpon spent some of his formidable years as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan. His experiences certainly had an influence on the design of the ballpark. In a way, this takes a further step in acknowledging the past of National League baseball in NYC. I've always thought that the new Mets ballpark would be the ultimate in retro design if built, going all the way back to the Ebbets Field days, more so than the Yankees, which actually tries to combine the façade of the old Stadium with the interior and field dimensions of the current Stadium (the 1976 edition).

Also, the dollar figures quoted in the article aren't just for the ballpark. It the total when you add infrastructure costs, etc., that go in a major project like this. The ballpark itself would probably cost around $440m when all is done. I don't think this would have any direct effect on the San Antonio proposal, though. Different city.