Citizens Bank Park
(continued)
First Base -- The Exterior
The Phillies' new stadium is quite attractive from the
outside, especially at night. A lot of thought went into the exterior
of the facility, and it shows.
In order to achieve a "flattened" area of the
seating bowl directly behind home plate (see the "Design" page
for more on that), the overall shape of the stadium's footprint is a little
different than other new parks -- or even old parks. Why is that relevant?
Because Citizens Bank Park is essentially shaped to fit into a square
city block. However, unlike old Connie Mack Stadium or Ebbets Field in
Brooklyn, the foul lines don't run parallel to two of the intersecting
streets. Instead, they point northwest and northeast, with home plate
in the middle of the southern edge of the block.
This unusual footprint was actually quite common -- in
the first half of the 20th Century in the Midwest! Otherwise, this approach
hasn't been utilized a great deal in modern times, and that's reason enough
to do it! The effect this has on the exterior of the ballpark is to create
a square-ish structure, one with its bottom corners cut off to make way
for the main entrances behind first base and third base. In other words,
unlike most parks, there is not a main entryway behind home plate. There
is a doorway there, though, that leads to the Phillies offices, suites
and (downstairs) the Diamond Club seats. If you have a chance, take a
look at the outside of this structure, as the word "PHILADELPHIA"
is spelled out in contrasting colored bricks across the second story.
If you're not looking for it, you'll probably miss it -- which would be
a shame, because it is one of the countless nice "touches" at
Citizens Bank Park.
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The entryway behind first
base features a driveway that allows fans to make a quick trip
to the ticket windows (at the bottom left of the photo) or to
drop off handicapped patrons. A statue of Robin Roberts, interestingly
done in black and white, is just to the left of the gates.
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The two main entryways are grand, I might add. With the
enormity of the structure towering in front of you, and with statues of
Hall of Famers greeting you, these two sets of gates are very attractive.
The one behind first base also has a very welcome driveway for dropping
off fans who might otherwise find it difficult to traverse the acres of
asphalt. It also makes it easy to swing by the box office to buy tickets
when a game isn't going on. Robin Roberts is the Phillie player immortalized
in a statue at this entrance. A shiny bronze statue of slugger Mike Schmidt
is positioned near the third-base gates.
There are also two entryways in the outfield, one at
each end of the now-famous Ashburn Alley (more on this on the "Design"
page). The more impressive of the two is beyond left field, and features
a statue of Steve Carlton and an immense picture of the beloved Phillie
Phanatic. The entrance beyond right field wasn't used when the ballpark
first opened, but the popularity of Ashburn Alley (and the fact that it
opens an hour before the rest of the gates) necessitated it.
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The colors of the lighting at
the entryway behind third base are excellent. On the right is the
statue of Steve Carlton and a picture of the Phanatic at the left-field
entrance.
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As nice as this ballpark looks during the day, it's the
evening hours when this place sparkles. I'm not sure I've seen an exterior
that looks as nice at night as CBP.
While it's true that CBP would be more photogenic if
it were in a different location, you have to give a lot of credit to the
architects who came up with the designs for the park's beautiful exterior.
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The BASEBALLPARKS.COM
Review: Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park
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Go to 2004 Major League
Ballpark Changes page
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