New England Revolution Stadium | 173 Alford Street | Boston-Everett

[Ruairi]

I'm a little worried about which design direction they'll go for here. With Encore across the street, I'm imaging they'll go faux-chic - lots of curvy bronze glass - like what's being designed out in Reno at the Grand Sierra Resort.
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What I'd LOVE is if they focused on keeping the "Powerplant" vibe. I remember a trip back in 2007(?) when LucasOil stadium was being built - I always really liked the industrial design - especially with the massive steel structure - and just wished it wasn't stuck in the middle of a field of parking lots. A industrial-masonry specific design would be amazing here.

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Or use the powerplant structure like a mini-Notre Dame

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Or even better - something with a little flair like the Arenas de Barcelona
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the new Everton stadium on the banks of the Mersey is a good template for me.
There are a lot of similar elements with each site. (down to wind turbines in the background!)
Both built in industrial river banks with port infrastructure near by and old industrial architecture on site.
Everton have kept and renovated the 19th century pump house.
Dan Meis did a great job incorporating the dock feel with a newer look.
I think it's going to be spectacular when done.

Also for stadium nerds, you can see Goodison and Anfield in the background.

 

[TC_zoid]

Why aren't we seeing a proposal for one that is covered? (And please, no "It's more expensive talk.") I'm in Houston, TX on a long-term job now, and both the Astros (MMP) and Texans (NRG) play in retractable domed stadiums. Why? The most brutally hot and humid summers I've ever experienced, and that includes Miami. This past summer I didn't do one thing outside from June to September, and that includes nights. Nothing, except to hurry back and forth from building to car. There is a soccer stadium and that's mostly a flop, a failure, because it's an outdoor one. Of course, Boston is the opposite with nice summers and brutal winters. Why build something that is only used for 6 months of the year? A 30 thousand (32-33 with surface) capacity indoor soccer stadium with a translucent roof (to feel like daytime) could be used for the entire year, including concerts. That would be over ten thousand more in capacity than TD Garden. A better profit model and use case in the long run. And add a sky bridge to Encore, and even more so.

 

[Arlington]

It’s going to look like a stadium, which, since Roman times is always a building that looms over its neighbors.

Whether glassy or power plant, the real question is not what the aerial drone sees, but what folks see at street level.

By excluding parking, Kraft has already done 80% of what’s needed. Let’s focus advocacy on the final 20% that’s about 40’ tall and 50’ deep at the base.

 

[Charlie_mta]

It’s going to look like a stadium, which, since Roman times is always a building that looms over its neighbors.

Whether glassy or power plant, the real question is not what the aerial drone sees, but what folks see at street level.

By excluding parking, Kraft has already done 80% of what’s needed. Let’s focus advocacy on the final 20% that’s about 40’ tall and 50’ deep at the base.

It's big, but not out of scale with the industrial neighborhood. It's not being plunked down into the middle of a residential zone. I'd say it will fit right in and improve the area.

 

[stick n move]

Hopefully a retail/residential zone will grow up around it. Patriots place meets assembly row wouldnt be bad.

 

[NoShJFK]

Hopefully the stadium can be a transition from the modern look of Encore to the industrial look of the power plants.

But what will make this area special is if it has the mass transit to go with it.

Commuter Rail before Encore and make the pedestrian bridge beautiful big and iconic to the OL

 

[NoShJFK]

But why are we talking like this is surely happening?

 

[stellarfun]

Everton stadium has more than twice the seating of what is planned for Everett.

Above, Red Bull arena in Harrison NJ. Seating 25,000.

Image from:
https://sbisoccer.com/2019/04/as-st...-de-grandpre-defends-rbnys-attendance-numbers

The article, somewhat dated, offers a judgmental perspective by the team that the Red Bull stadium design is outdated, hence the low attendance. What the team is calling for is something analogous to the Polar Park approach in Worcester. Gathering points and concourses rather than row-after-row of seats.

Don't know whether the Krafts have enough space in Everett to do that approach. The MoA sets aside significant square footage for a riverwalk, fairly large park, and substation electrical gear.

 

[DZH22]

The article, somewhat dated, offers a judgmental perspective by the team that the Red Bull stadium design is outdated, hence the low attendance.

I'd argue that low attendance is because it's a 2nd-rate league. There are already 9 major league teams in that area across the Big 4 sports (ie the ones where the best players actually play). There's also other top-level events such as the US Open. Tough to compare what's essentially a minor league soccer team (in spite of the league's name) to the Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils.

Polar Park in Worcester hosts a higher caliber of baseball than the MLS does for soccer.

 

[Patrick Winn]

I'd argue that low attendance is because it's a 2nd-rate league. There are already 9 major league teams in that area across the Big 4 sports (ie the ones where the best players actually play). There's also other top-level events such as the US Open. Tough to compare what's essentially a minor league soccer team (in spite of the league's name) to the Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils.

Polar Park in Worcester hosts a higher caliber of baseball than the MLS does for soccer.

Seriously? MLS attendance is off the charts lately. Hate to break it to you, but it's surpassed hockey and is about to surpass MLB in terms of average crowd size. Despite the fact that baseball players are peak physical specimens. https://soccerstadiumdigest.com/2023-mls-attendance/

 

[BronsonShore]

I'd argue that low attendance is because it's a 2nd-rate league. There are already 9 major league teams in that area across the Big 4 sports (ie the ones where the best players actually play). There's also other top-level events such as the US Open. Tough to compare what's essentially a minor league soccer team (in spite of the league's name) to the Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils.

Polar Park in Worcester hosts a higher caliber of baseball than the MLS does for soccer.

Literally the best player in the world plays in MLS.

 

[Ruairi]

Everton stadium has more than twice the seating of what is planned for Everett.

Above, Red Bull arena in Harrison NJ. Seating 25,000.

Image from:
https://sbisoccer.com/2019/04/as-st...-de-grandpre-defends-rbnys-attendance-numbers

The article, somewhat dated, offers a judgmental perspective by the team that the Red Bull stadium design is outdated, hence the low attendance. What the team is calling for is something analogous to the Polar Park approach in Worcester. Gathering points and concourses rather than row-after-row of seats.

Don't know whether the Krafts have enough space in Everett to do that approach. The MoA sets aside significant square footage for a riverwalk, fairly large park, and substation electrical gear.

I wasnt proposing the Revs build a 52k stadium...
More that Meis did a great job keeping the industrial maritime theme while incorporating a state of the art modern stadium.
They have thoughtfully preserved the pump house and dock wall while also rebuilding old dock tram tracks (just decorative).
There are even preserved WW2 air raid sirens.
The Encore is way better than a superfund site but I find it boring and unimaginative, sticks out like a sore thumb.
Theres a chance to do something truly different with a stadium here, maybe even more so at 25k

 

[Ruairi]

Gathering points and concourses rather than row-after-row of seats.

wait, you want gathering points and concourses in the actual seats????
have you ever been to a football/soccer game?

That RB arena is a lovely stadium, prob in the wrong place.

 

[stellarfun]

wait, you want gathering points and concourses in the actual seats????
have you ever been to a football/soccer game?

That RB arena is a lovely stadium, prob in the wrong place.

Not what I want, What the owner of the Red Bulls wants.

The RB stadium apparently has little parking to speak of; Access via the PATH station at Harrison.
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If one factors an Orange Line train capacity of 700 passengers, it would take 35 otherwise empty trains to transport 25,000 fans to the stadium in Everett. Assuming empty trains, and five minute headways in each direction, that's 90 minutes worth of trains in each direction before and after a match, --just for the fans.

 

[Equilibria]

Not what I want, What the owner of the Red Bulls wants.

The RB stadium apparently has little parking to speak of; Access via the PATH station at Harrison.
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If one factors an Orange Line train capacity of 700 passengers, it would take 35 otherwise empty trains to transport 25,000 fans to the stadium in Everett. Assuming empty trains, and five minute headways in each direction, that's 90 minutes worth of trains in each direction before and after a match, --just for the fans.

Fenway Park is larger than that, and Green Line trains have less capacity. By that logic, Fenway shouldn't work.

 

[ritchiew]

Fenway Park is larger than that, and Green Line trains have less capacity. By that logic, Fenway shouldn't work.

I was wondering about exactly that. Is there any good study of how people get to Fenway on game days? What the various mode shares are?

If one factors an Orange Line train capacity of 700 passengers, it would take 35 otherwise empty trains to transport 25,000 fans to the stadium in Everett. Assuming empty trains, and five minute headways in each direction, that's 90 minutes worth of trains in each direction before and after a match, --just for the fans.

I think this is a good point to show the scale of the transportation problem with this stadium. I also do hope this is a solvable problem. Better MBTA busses through there would help. Special game day busses could move people to/from other rapid transit lines, CR, South Station, remote parking lots, etc. Ferries might make a dent. If the site is nice with bars and restaurants, people might actually want to linger and not just immediately leave all at once. But all of this is just me handwaving. I really have no idea what it would take to move 25,000 people in and out of the stadium.

Right now all we know is there will be virtually no parking, so people shouldn't get to the stadium by car. That's a promising first step. But there's no visible planning for how people should get to the stadium. Until there are some reasonable plans for overcoming this transportation problem, it feels like there's the chance Kraft is just waiting to spring some huge parking garage on Everett.

 

[jklo]

I was wondering about exactly that. Is there any good study of how people get to Fenway on game days? What the various mode shares are?

Dunno for sure but a lot do drive and park. Want to say it's 50-50.

 

[DZH22]

Fenway Park is larger than that, and Green Line trains have less capacity. By that logic, Fenway shouldn't work.

There's 4 different viable green line trains though, B-D for Kenmore and E for those who don't mind walking from the Pru/Symphony areas. Overall the frequency is much higher than orange.

 

[HenryAlan]

There's 4 different viable green line trains though, B-D for Kenmore and E for those who don't mind walking from the Pru/Symphony areas. Overall the frequency is much higher than orange.

There is also the Worcester line at Landsdowne station, and it's even a reasonable walk to Ruggles for Orange Line, and four more commuter lines. Fenway has much better transit access than the proposed Everett soccer stadium. But what we really need is a study. Everything we are all saying here is just semi-informed speculation.

 

[kingofsheeba]

Fenway Park is larger than that, and Green Line trains have less capacity. By that logic, Fenway shouldn't work.

Agreed to an extent. However, as others have mentioned that there are several transportation options available to people going to Fenway. You also have the lion’s share of fans who can walk or take the T from BU, BC, and Northeastern.

With that said, speaking as someone who will probably die on “Revs Stadium” hill, I would concede that having 25k fans getting off at Sullivan Square in its current form, is a non-starter. There needs to be additional Silver Line options and an extended Orange Line.

Sidebar: I was having this discussion with someone in my class not too long ago and they brought up the notion that none of us probably think about but should. He said that “with police details at Fenway, Gillette and the Garden, taxpayers are paying for these stadiums in one form or another.”