Teeny stadium draws first crowd

A scale model of the new Twins stadium was unveiled for Hennepin County Board members Tuesday, before next weeks vote on whether to approve the design.

A model of the new Twins ballpark gave county board members a look at the future.

By Her, oacute;n M and aacute;rquez Estrada, Star Tribune

Last update: October 30, 2007 - 11:51 PM

The building has a limestone facade, evergreen trees, huge glass windows and beautiful views of the downtown Minneapolis skyline.

In other words, it's everything the Minnesota Twins wanted in their new $390 million ballpark, scheduled to open in time for the 2010 baseball season.

A scale-model of the proposed stadium was unveiled Tuesday to Hennepin County Board members, who will vote next week on whether to accept or reject the design.

"We're thrilled with the design," said Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Inc. "We wanted to have a Minnesota ballpark, and we think the look and feel of this ballpark is that. It has the river stone, the blue-green glass is reminiscent of the lakes ... and the outfield with the evergreen trees."

Judging by the comments from commissioners, it appears that the design will be accepted pretty much as is. The only real objection that commissioners raised was the lack of landscaping around the exterior.

"I think this will be a beautiful stadium," said Board Member Gail Dorfman, but she urged more landscaping in the final design.

"The community is surrounding the ballpark. So we want to think about more than just the people coming to the ballpark. We want to make sure it is beautiful 360 degrees."

The model was created by HOK Sport, which is building the stadium and considered one of the world's leading sports-facilities builders.

"It's going to be a great building," said Earl Santee of HOK, which over the years has built baseball stadiums for the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates. "It's great for the state, great for the Twins and great for the site. A lot of the materials we're using are local."

Santee said one of the best features of the new ballpark is that it will have easy access for pedestrians, drivers and riders of mass transit.

The stadium will have stations for light rail and the coming North Star commuter train. There is also a new parking structure next to the ballpark and bridges connecting to downtown.

Santee said the signature design element of the stadium will be the crescent-shaped canopy that will sit atop the structure. Almost all of the stadium lights will be imbedded into the canopy. "The canopy is the iconic piece," he said. "It will look like a halo above the stadium."

Another interesting feature of the ballpark will be a number of "knotholes" placed purposely around the stadium so people outside can catch a glimpse of the games inside.

Also, the park is asymmetrical, with concourses running throughout. Fans wandering around the stadium will be able to see the action on the field.

"We're trying to find creative niches for people to hang out in," Santee said.

Bell was among a number of people who spoke on behalf of the proposed stadium design.

He told the board that the Twins are committed to paying any cost overruns that might surface before the 40,000-seat stadium opens in 2010. "I can assure you, if we have to pay more to build the ballpark, the quality won't suffer," Bell said.

As Bell was finishing his talk, Dorfman had one last question: What are the chances that the Twins will re-sign center fielder Torii Hunter and pitcher Johan Santana?

Hunter filed Monday for free agency. Santana is entering the last year of his contract and could be gone before the new stadium opens.

"It's disappointing that [Hunter] filed for free agency," Bell said. "He could have waited. Maybe we'll get [Yankees slugger] Alex Rodriguez. Who knows?"

Herón Márquez Estrada • 612-673-4280

Herón Márquez Estrada • hme@startribune.com

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