Worcester Ballpark & Redev

[Equilibria]

A twitter user has the updated render we expected from the (still going on) groundbreaking:

https://twitter.com/agreenphotog/status/1149407249607118854

Looks like more of a steel bracing/industrial aesthetic than the Fenway lite in the concepts. Hard to tell in the sketch whether that's actually lighter/bluer or black a la Parcel P in the Seaport.

Also worth noting: no attempt to mimic Fenway's dimensions or to include a "monster" in left field, as the Red Sox affiliates in Fort Myers, Greenville, and Portland have done.

 

[whighlander]

A twitter user has the updated render we expected from the (still going on) groundbreaking:

https://twitter.com/agreenphotog/status/1149407249607118854

Looks like more of a steel bracing/industrial aesthetic than the Fenway lite in the concepts. Hard to tell in the sketch whether that's actually lighter/bluer or black a la Parcel P in the Seaport.

Also worth noting: no attempt to mimic Fenway's dimensions or to include a "monster" in left field, as the Red Sox affiliates in Fort Myers, Greenville, and Portland have done.

from Buildup another perspective on the full development of Kelley Square / Canal District around and including Polar Park

and from Biznow a bigger perspective of the potential for the immediate area

How The WooSox Could Birth A Central Massachusetts Building Boom Boston August 28, 2018 Cameron Sperance, Bisnow Boston

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/boston/news/...92269?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

and from Ballpark Digest [who knew there was one?]

Polar Park Capacity Details Emerge
by Zach Spedden on May 20, 2019 in Future Ballparks, Minor-League Baseball

Finally the website for the park itself with an animation of the transformation
https://www.polarpark.com/

https://www.polarpark.com/polarpark...ae75581af861d0&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-jkpzh87o#

and the masterplan document prepared by Beyer Blinder Belle
a veritable treasure trove of maps, renders, plot plans, massing studies, images and other historical and recent documentation [120 + pages]
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p5iys1im2...er Plan REVISED FOR CULVERT 5-8-2018.pdf?dl=0

 

[stick n move]

There is definitely a green monster and much more brick in the masterplan renders that I previously shared in the worcester thread.

 

[whighlander]

There is definitely a green monster and much more brick in the masterplan renders that I previously shared in the worcester thread.

Stick-- its kind of Fenway Park meets Camden Yards on a more intimate scale and with a distorted mapping [CF is LF [Green Monster @ Fenway] and LF is RF [B&O Warehouse @ Camden Yards]] -- not surprising as Janet Marie Smith, the architectural design adviser has been involved with both major league parks

from an official Worcester PR
http://www.worcesterma.gov/announcements/city-of-worcester-breaks-ground-for-polar-park

CITY OF WORCESTER BREAKS GROUND FOR POLAR PARK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 7/11/2019 5:33 PM

The City of Worcester, together with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, celebrated a historic milestone on Thursday, hosting a ceremonial groundbreaking for Polar Park, the future home of the Worcester Red Sox.

City, state and federal officials along with executives from the Worcester Red Sox, Gilbane-Hunt, D’Agostino Izzo Quirk Associates (DAIQ), Skanska USA Building Inc. as well as Canal District and Green Island community leaders, and fans gathered at an existing parking lot at the intersection of Plymouth and Washington streets, near the future Left Field Foul Pole, to shovel the first dirt on a site that will host the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox in 2021......

“This is an exciting moment for Worcester, for Massachusetts, for New England, and for all who love Minor League Baseball,” said the club’s Ballpark Design Advisor Janet Marie Smith. “DAIQ Architects has designed seating literally carved into the unusual topography of the site, while utilizing the adjoining streets as ideal urban appendages to the ballpark. Worcester has so many points of pride—from a baseball standpoint, a cultural standpoint, and a multi-cultural standpoint. We relish the opportunity to weave these elements into a vibrant city. We are jumping aboard a moving train, and we love that opportunity

 

[cubalibre]

I’m not sure any of these renders depict the final version of the ballpark yet. Lots of them say “artist sketch”

 

[whighlander]

I’m not sure any of these renders depict the final version of the ballpark yet. Lots of them say “artist sketch”

You may be right -- even the stuff that is "Official" from Worcester, Polarpark, etc., seems to lack a polished render -- no one is waling a goldendoodle, etc.

 

[lapradetom]

I'm hoping those "oil-derrick" style light poles don't end up being used to illuminate the park. They would look great in West Texas, not so much here. I would prefer something modern and clean looking.

 

[found5dollar]

from Buildup another perspective on the full development of Kelley Square / Canal District around and including Polar Park

and from Biznow a bigger perspective of the potential for the immediate area

and from Ballpark Digest [who knew there was one?]

Finally the website for the park itself with an animation of the transformation
https://www.polarpark.com/

https://www.polarpark.com/polarpark...ae75581af861d0&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-jkpzh87o#

and the masterplan document prepared by Beyer Blinder Belle
a veritable treasure trove of maps, renders, plot plans, massing studies, images and other historical and recent documentation [120 + pages]
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p5iys1im2...er Plan REVISED FOR CULVERT 5-8-2018.pdf?dl=0

id assume these are the most up to date renderings as they are the ones from the website.
https://www.polarpark.com/worcester-red-sox-master-plan

 

[Equilibria]

id assume these are the most up to date renderings as they are the ones from the website.
https://www.polarpark.com/worcester-red-sox-master-plan

Again, they aren't. The website does not have the most recent renderings from last week.

The renders in the master plan are out-of-date conceptions that don't represent the actual design.

Whigh's post from Friday has the current renders.

 

[stick n move]

Idk Im hearing conflicting things. I believe the brick buildings with polar park signage are correct.

 

[Equilibria]

Idk Im hearing conflicting things. I believe the brick buildings with polar park signage are correct.

There is nothing conflicting here. They were preliminary. They were produced before the project had an architect and before Janet Marie Smith was even involved. They have been replaced by the lavender drawings. Those were distributed to attendees at last week's groundbreaking. The lavender drawings are the current design. There is zero debate to be had about this.

People are repeatedly posting the master plan whenever they discover it as if it is new, when in fact it's a year old. What Whigh said (correctly) is that last week's drawings don't show the larger project on the Wyman Gordon site across the street and the master plan gives an idea of what that could look like.

 

[Gameguy326]

Wow, the Walgreens Red Sox park looks great!

 

[SlothofDespond]

Significant site prep work now underway both on the ballpark site and the apartment/condo development site across the street. A small army of workers with excavators and reticulated dump trucks are tearing up the ground and moving stuff around. They look very busy indeed.

 

[citydweller]

For those interested, the polarpark web site has a couple of new posts (very short video). It's a beehive of activity now.

 

[Equilibria]

Some new info coming out before the 10/2 Planning Board meeting:

Plans for Polar Park call for seating atop a 'Worcester Wall'

WORCESTER — Much-anticipated plans for the Polar Park project and associated private developmen proposed for the Canal District and Kelley Square area have been filed with the Planning Board. Five …

www.telegram.com

No new renders in that one, and of course the WPB has no way to read/download the documents, so I guess we have to take the reporter's word for it.

Also, plans for an autonomous checkout (think Amazon's store) in left field:

Polar Park will feature the world’s first autonomous checkout store in a pro sports venue

The ballpark will have the world’s first autonomous checkout store in a pro sports and entertainment venue, the ballclub said Tuesday, announcing an agreement with tech startup Standard Cognition.

www.masslive.com

At least that one has some renders.

 

[BeeLine]

Mods can we move this thread to the Greater New England thread to join all the other Worcester threads? Also when will we be making a thread for Greater Portland??They have been asking for ever.

 

[George_Apley]

Mods can we move this thread to the Greater New England thread to join all the other Worcester threads? Also when will we be making a thread for Greater Portland??They have been asking for ever.

I think organizational changes to the forum are on the to-do list. Hopefully we'll here more about it soon. If you want an answer from management I'd recommend putting it in one of the threads Ed made in the Board Issues subforum.

 

[Equilibria]

APPROVED (not that it's a surprise):

Polar Park gets green light on construction

WORCESTER - The Planning Board voted Wednesday to give definitive site plan approval to the Polar Park project and associated private development proposed

www.telegram.com

The article has a render that suggests that the blue/lavender coloring may have revered to Fenway-esque green.

Also can a mod please move this to "Outside of Boston Metro" and rename it "Polar Park | Madison Street | Worcester".

 

[George_Apley]

FYI - moved this thread to Greater New England, which is where Worcester threads should currently be. The redirect link in Developments will go away tomorrow.

 

[cubalibre]

I haven’t been to the area since last summer but was quite impressed by the scope and the progress made. They’re on a tight schedule with the 2021 season opening date.

This is the parcel which is the future site of the baseball stadium

On the other side of Madison street, preparations are underway for the hotel, residential buildings, and parking. This areal is probably more than twice as big as the stadium parcel: