Saturday, April 29, 2000

New ballpark still shrouded in mystery

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Latest rendering offers few details about Reds stadium

By Robert Anglen
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        Architects showing designs of the latest Reds ballpark Friday were short on details and long on unanswered questions.

        The latest drawings provide a new picture of how the $280 million stadium will look on the riverfront, including buildings on the perimeter of the park housing a Reds hall of fame and a team store.

Looking southeast.

        But there were no specific details available on materials, colors and other important design elements that have already been signed off on by a city-appointed review board.

        Chris Beghtel, of GBBN Architects, wouldn't say whether outer walls will be brick, cement or a combination thereof. He also refused to talk about costs or say when final designs will be ready.

Looking southwest.

Looking south.

        “That is still under consideration,” said Mr. Beghtel, whose firm is partnering with the stadium's primary designer, HOK Sport of Kansas City, Mo. “We will be designing this stadium for a long time.”

        He described the stadium as a mixture of contemporary and retrospective features, “with elements of Crosley Field and Cinergy Field.” He talked about views and perspectives from various places in the park — including river- and cityscapes — and about where buildings would be situated.

        Project spokeswoman Brooke Hill said the preliminary designs were shown in response to requests by The Cincinnati Enquirer and others to see designs of the stadium.

        Although architects have shown county and city officials renderings and scale models of the park and its surroundings, none of that has ever been made public. It was still unavailable Friday.

        “It is in Kansas City,” said Mr. Beghtel, who was one of five architects to make an April 7 presentation to the Cincinnati Urban Design Review Board.

        The stadium is a county project, but the city-appointed board has been asked to review its design and make recommendations to the city manager. The minutes from its last meeting show the board reviewed material samples, outbuilding facades, plaza design elements, light pylons and other features before “recommending approval of the design to date.”

        “I don't know when that will be available,” Mr. Beghtel said. “I just want to talk about the architecture.”

        County commissioner Bob Bedinghaus has asked HOK to make a more detailed presentation by May 15.

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