Anti-retro... from another perspective.

Just to take the whole car thing out of it for a bit... sometimes it helps clear the vision, so to speak.


Washington ballpark design bucks "retro" trend By David Lawder
Tue Mar 14, 6:04 PM ET



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington officials bucked a recent trend toward old-fashioned "retro" ballparks and unveiled drawings on Tuesday for a $611 million baseball stadium fashioned from stone, glass and steel.


The new Washington Nationals stadium, the subject of political wrangling on the city council and tough negotiations with team owner Major League Baseball, is scheduled for completion in April 2008.

"We felt D.C. deserved to distinguish itself. Another red brick ballpark would be just like those in other cities," said project architect Joseph Spear, referring to numerous designs over the past dozen years that evoke historic parks.

"We wanted something of this time and of this place," he added.

The stadium, to be built about a mile south of the U.S. Capitol building on the Anacostia River, will feature an angular facade of white limestone of the type used on many federal buildings and monuments in Washington, expanses of glass and exposed steel support beams on the upper deck.

Many seats, particularly those on the first base side, will have an outfield view of the Capitol dome.

Spear, a senior principal at stadium architects HOK Sports, based in Kansas City, Missouri, said he was striving for a design that could endure on the Washington skyline in the same manner as the city's monuments.

Among HOK's inspirations were the sharp-angled, I.M. Pei-designed East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, which Spear said "still looks fresh and timely after 30 years."

Nationals President Tony Tavares said the new stadium would be a "pitchers park," with generous field dimensions similar to those in Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, where the team will play the next two seasons.

Foul poles will be 335 feet to the right field fence and 332 feet to left, and the outfield will be symmetrically angled with deepest points at 409 feet and power alleys at about 378 feet.

Tavares said the exterior was "different than anything in baseball. I think it's unique in its look."

"But from a ballplayer's standpoint I guarantee you he cares more about the grass, the dirt and the field dimensions than the outside skinning of the stadium," he added.

The District of Columbia is expected to launch the sale of $535 million in revenue bonds backed by team rent, concessions sales taxes and a gross receipts tax on larger businesses over the next few weeks to finance the project. City officials said they plan to break ground in April.

Major League Baseball is soon expected to choose from among several groups bidding on the Nationals now that the stadium lease is signed. League owners are expected to reap hundreds of millions of dollars in profits on the sale after buying the former Montreal Expos and moving them to Washington last year.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060314/us_nm/baseball_washington_dc

That's an interesting article. It's too bad that they don't have more drawings. The new staduim will be practically down the street from where I live now. I think they designed it more inline with the buildings of the area. A red brick ballpark in that area would probably stand out too much.

There's retro (mustang) and then there's RETRO (Challenger). I see GM as trying to walk a fine line between retro and futuristic. Corvette is an excellent example of GM differentiating itself, as is the new Camaro design.

I'm glad they're getting away from the retro routine. I think everyone fell in love with Camden Yards, and there have been some nice parks after that, but a lot of the new parks look too similar, destorying their uniqueness. Btw, there are 5 photos when you click the one in the article.

Our new park in Cincinnati is fun and a big improvement from Riverfront, but from the inside you don't see much difference from Pittsburgh or Milwaukee. We do however have a first-rate team museum that is second only to Cooperstown.

As far as the auto industry goes, I'd say they're certainly still on the upswing of the retro slide. I imagine even after it plateaus, retro will still be a mainstay to some degree.

The Camaro to me is more of a modern evolution of the 1st and 2nd gen than a retro car. It looks very futuristic and even has a modern Art & Science feel. They recently did a new building on the Campus I work at. It is the same shape as the 40 year old buildings but instead of Concrete and small windows it is Stainless and glass. It is a modern but yet keeps with the tradition of the Campus. That is what the Camaro (and hopefully Impala) look like to me Modern, but when you see it you know what it is.

I guess the point is if you are doing a modern stadium, it still has to fit in with the city. If you are doing a modern car with a lot of history the car has to fit in with that brand and its own history.

Retro vs Modern has less to do with semantics and more to do with being attractive. Retro for the sake of being retro can be just as ugly as any soulless looking ultramodern concept that had its design predetermined by the unholy trinity of focus groups, wind tunnels, and CAFE standards.

The best designs are those that look to the future but keep attractive design elements of the past but interject them in unique ways. Sometimes in history their are certain shapes that captivate the masses and its stupid to ditch those shapes for the sake of modernity.

Regardless if its modern or retro, making something that's ugly is always a step backwards.

Design isn't about Retro vs modern. It's all about being different which makes a design stand out from everyone else's, yet at the same time isn't ugly or an un necessary gamble. I think the article shows that it goes beyond just car design.

Going back to cars, at what point does a design become retro? To me the Dodge Challenger is retro. Someone else might lower that threshold to the new Mustang. Quite a few people move it all the way to the new Camaro concept. But you can also consider the Chrysler 300 and the new Corvette retro.

I guess something that stood out to me is the following:

Baseball is a sport that is dripping with nostalgia. More than any sport, I would think. Possibly more than any business, period.

Now, a major league team has thought out and made a purposeful effort to specifically go away from a retro design with a building that will represent the team, is something they will live with for a LONG time, and is a VERY costly item....

Automobiles follow pop culture in many ways...... from the retro-trend, down to the color's that the manufacturers paint their cars.... if the Washington ball park is a sign of things to come... domestic manufacturers could be putting their eggs into a basket that is already starting to come apart.

I know this is only one building..... I'm sure I am making more out of it than it's worth..... but it is interesting to see something outside of the world of cars that relates.

I guess something that stood out to me is the following:

Baseball is a sport that is dripping with nostalgia. More than any sport, I would think. Possibly more than any business, period.

Now, a major league team has thought out and made a purposeful effort to specifically go away from a retro design with a building that will represent the team, is something they will live with for a LONG time, and is a VERY costly item....

Automobiles follow pop culture in many ways...... from the retro-trend, down to the color's that the manufacturers paint their cars.... if the Washington ball park is a sign of things to come... domestic manufacturers could be putting their eggs into a basket that is already starting to come apart.

I know this is only one building..... I'm sure I am making more out of it than it's worth..... but it is interesting to see something outside of the world of cars that relates.

The whole DC baseball thing is a unique situation. If you have ever been to Washington...you will know that a big red brick statium would be out of place majorly. Glass and Limestone dominate the whole city. Since the city had much of the say in the design of the ballpark (they are paying)....they kinda overuled the baseball guys.

Trust me....if MLB had it's way we would be seeing a modern day Griffith Stadium. Also...it's not in that article...but the outfield is designed to mimic Griffin Stadium, and there is a section of the bleechers designed to "rock" like RFK....so it is somewhat retro....

Also....if you take the virtual tour below...you will see a bit more of stadium detail. The glass is really badassed!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2006/03/14/VI2006031401066.html

Quite a few people move it all the way to the new Camaro concept. But you can also consider the Chrysler 300 and the new Corvette retro.

Heck, if you move it back that far, why not consider the Monte Carlo retro?! I mean, look at the rear profile and the fender creases.

Heck, if you move it back that far, why not consider the Monte Carlo retro?! I mean, look at the rear profile and the fender creases.

I saw showcar version the 2000+ Monte and the guy tapered the trunk down so that the tailights stuck out like and 1950's Chevy. It was clever but it looked out of place on the mostly generic-looking car.

Even though the last gen Mustang had some minor retro styling ques it was that 25+ year old fox-platform** underneath that made it a 'true' classic ;)

** Yes- I know it was re-worked, re-tooled , and improved over the decades it was in production, but nevertheless it still was old. :)

I always wondered what happens AFTER the modern craze? Do you go back through 70's and 80's designs? Do you jump back into modern design??? It's going to be interesting to see how they "relive" the evolution of these cars...

-Steve