Petco Park

(continued)

Second Base -- The Design

Did you know that 1909 was an incredibly relevant year for Petco Park?  That's because two interesting structures were constructed that year -- 2,400 miles apart.  In Pittsburgh, Forbes Field became the new home of the Pirates, and in San Diego, the Western Metal Supply Company building opened.  What's the connection?

The connection is that both were very influential in creating Petco Park.  First, Forbes Field was, according to the Padres, the last big-league stadium to have a public park beyond its outfield ... and Petco was designed to include a "Park at the Park."  This 2.7-acre area lies beyond the outfield, and it includes a kid-size ball diamond and "Picnic Hill," which is a raised area beyond right-center where families can sit on a blanket and watch the Padres play -- a la spring-training ballparks and many in the Minors.  Watching a game from here isn't "roughing it" like at other venues, as Petco Park provides a large, color video screen on the back side of the "batter's eye" backdrop showing a live feed of the game.  Not only do you get to see replays, you also can observe plays made in parts of the field not visible from the hill.

The Western Metal Supply Company building is important because, well, it is still standing.  Normally it would have been demolished to make way for the construction of the ballpark, but early on, the architects decided to leave it in place as an integral part of the stadium -- in much the same way the B&O Warehouse is in Baltimore.

This rustic brick building is functional in countless ways.  First, the largest souvenir shop at the park is housed on its first floor.  The second and third floors have party suites, complete with four rows of seats built onto the field-facing front of the building.  The fourth level has a huge eating area called the Hall of Fame Bar and Grill, with a limited number of tables on a patio that look out at the action on the field.  It also features "lockers" of memorabilia of members of the Padres Hall of Fame, including Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield and Randy Jones.

Even the rooftop of the building is utilized.  Here, groups can hold private parties and just like on Waveland and Sheffield Avenues in Chicago, there are bleachers from which to watch the game on the field below.

So the Park at the Park and the 95-year-old brick building are the two most interesting elements of Petco's design, but there is another that demands mention -- well, two, really.  They are the two towers that rise up through the stands behind first base and behind third.  Aesthetically, I like them a lot because they break up the monotony of endless sections in the upper deck.  Functionally, they each hold five luxury suites (the top three are high above the field), one contains a small souvenir shop, and on top of both are large banks of lights. 

Two brilliant elements of Petco Park's design are the 95-year-old Western Metal Supply Company building and the Park at the Park.  Note the large video screen (in the right-hand  portion of the shot on the right) that permits those sitting on "Picnic Hill" to follow all aspects of the action.

How did this novel design come about?  Because some of the brightest architectural minds in the business teamed up to create, according to the Padres, the "world's best ballpark in America's Finest City."  First, Antoine Predock, known far and wide for designing some of America's most stunning museums, libraries and arts centers, was the "design architect," which means that the park reflects his concept -- a concept carried out flawlessly by the biggest name in sports-facility architecture, HOK.  Predock had never applied his skills to a ballpark before, and it shows -- in a very, very good way.  Never before had a baseball stadium been designed with outer buildings like this -- and from the outside, and once you are inside roaming between the structures, I have to say that it is brilliant.

Towering presence

I give the architects credit for doing things differently at Petco.  Behind 1B and 3B are huge towers that not only support banks of lights, they also provide aesthetically pleasing breaks in the upper decks.

These outer "garden buildings" contain offices, stairways, concession stands, restrooms and areas for season-ticket holders.   

The Home Plate Plaza on the street level at the main entry to the park certainly deserves mention.  It not only pays tribute to the founding partners of the team and park (like Budweiser and Petco), it also features water flowing down the facing of a wall and beautiful landscaping.

The landscaping around the park is special in its own right.  A local firm, Spurlock Poirier, was the landscape architect, and the vegetation they used, and the places they selected, can only be described as stunning.  Brightly blooming coral trees and palms are strategically placed along the concourses, and flowering vegetation, that will only become more beautiful as it grows in, hangs from the edges of walkways and on trellises on the top of the "garden building" behind third base.

So this is a "scenic" park, but there are also countless vantage points from which to stand and watch the game (or from which to take pictures).  In this regard, Petco is quite similar to Safeco Field in Seattle.  In other words, two things you must do when attending a game in San Diego:  bring your camera; and spend some time during the game roaming around the park and taking pictures from all of the great vantage points.

There are two quirky elements of Petco's design.  First, the outfield dimensions are anything but symmetrical!  Get this:  334 feet down the left-field line; 358 to left; 402 in left center; 396 in dead center; 411 in right center; 322 down the right-field line.  And the area near the foul pole in right is especially treacherous for right fielders, because the stands jut out into fair territory there.  All in all, the dimensions are anything but uniform -- much like Minute Maid Park in Houston.  However, I've never been crazy about the quirkiness in Houston.  I like the way it's executed in San Diego, though.

The other quirky element is the placement of the bullpens.  One is just beyond the fence in left field.  The other is in foul territory along the seats down the first-base line.  Again, not very symetrical.  But here's the oddest aspect of this:  the home dugout is on the first-base side, but the home bullpen is the one way out in left field.  This means that the visitors use the third-base dugout and the bullpen down the first-base line.  Not only is this illogical to me, it also strikes me as a little unfair that the visiting team's relievers have to warm up in an area that is in play, and inches away from the enemy spectators.

Go to 2004 Major League Ballpark Changes page