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Dickey-Stephens Park

Arkansawyer

Should a new stadium be constructed in War Memorial Park or by the Broadyway Bridge in North Little Rock's downtown?  

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  1. 1. Should a new stadium be constructed in War Memorial Park or by the Broadyway Bridge in North Little Rock's downtown?

    • Downtown (NLR)
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    • Midtown (LR)
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Architect Town

Architect

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Dickey-Stephens is going to have one the best urban views of any park in the Texas League and possibly will rival any view in minor league baseball.

You may be right, but I actually think that that particular vantage/viewpoint from the north end of the Broadway Bridge is the least dramatic of any along the river (I remember being glad when the arena site opted for a location further east which has a great perspective on the skyline) - mainly because its in line with First Commercial and Metropolitan which block each other. Furthermore, the stadium is oriented to the streetgrid, which it should, but it means that the view down the centerline of the field is to the southeast (to the burgeoning Rivermaket skyline admittedly!). The "meat" of the skyline is directly south, and the two tallest buildings are in line with the right field stands, which won't see those buildings at all.

I'm not really complaining because its a beautiful piece of property and the edge of the stadium should reinforce the street edge, but its location and orientation unfortunately don't realize the nicest skyline view in my opinion.

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theman Hamlet

theman

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You may be right, but I actually think that that particular vantage/viewpoint from the north end of the Broadway Bridge is the least dramatic of any along the river (I remember being glad when the arena site opted for a location further east which has a great perspective on the skyline) - mainly because its in line with First Commercial and Metropolitan which block each other. Furthermore, the stadium is oriented to the streetgrid, which it should, but it means that the view down the centerline of the field is to the southeast (to the burgeoning Rivermaket skyline admittedly!). The "meat" of the skyline is directly south, and the two tallest buildings are in line with the right field stands, which won't see those buildings at all.

I'm not really complaining because its a beautiful piece of property and the edge of the stadium should reinforce the street edge, but its location and orientation unfortunately don't realize the nicest skyline view in my opinion.

You are right that the view is more dramatic from Alltel Arena, but at least Dickey Stephens Park will have a downtown view. They are building a new baseball stadium in downtown Nashville for their AAA team and last set of drawings I saw had the stadium positioned that fans would not have a view of the Nashville skyline.

The River Market skyline is beginning to come into its own and fans will get a great view of it.

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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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I'm sure we will see more and more high-rises in the eastern area of downtown (just west of I-30). I don't see much in the way of development to the west or south.

Things will change in a few years. The River Market is becoming more and more built out and as new developments happen East of I-30 they will likely be low rise. I think as things move South along Main we might see some new high rise activity nearer the CBD core but the milieu will really have to change, which I bet it will after the Donaghey and Lafayette Square projects are completed. If the old Gazette building is redone as planned that would help as well.

There are a couple of lots currently used for parking that have terrific potential. The one near the Capitol Hotel across from the Main St Parking deck is one. Also, something really nice could be done with the site of the old bus station that was recently torn down. That's the most prime site in LR.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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I found this article in the NLR Times and it had some things I didn't already know about the new stadium.

Public gets first glimpse of ballpark

By Jeff Reed, Staff Writer

Thursday, October 19, 2006 2:31 PM CDT

Arkansas Travelers General Manager Bill Valentine signs his name on the beam. Photo by Randy Metcalf.

Last year, Arkansas Travelers manager Bill Valentine had tears in his eyes when he learned voters in North Little Rock approved a sales tax to provide a new home for the minor league baseball team.

A little more than 15 month later, there were no tears in the eyes of the man North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays calls "Mr. Baseball in Arkansas," but a big smile on his face at a ceremony last Thursday to give locals and Traveler fans their first look at Dickey-Stephens Park. The stadium is under construction at the foot of the Broadway Bridge.

"I used to come over here about once a week to see the progress," Valentine said. "Now there is something new and exciting happening every other day.

"I could talk a long time about this ballpark," he said.

The event was put on as part of the Argenta Adventures series sponsored by North Little Rock's Advertising and Promotion Commission and attracted a crowd of around 300 on a breezy, cool, cloudy evening.

The official opening of the stadium is planned for April 12, when the Travelers host the Frisco Rough Riders in a Texas League baseball game.

The ballpark is being built on 11.6 acres of land donated by Warren Stephens

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theman Hamlet

theman

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Looks like the condos and marina that were suppose to go up near the ballpark are not going to be developed. The developers said that cleaning up the brownfield and moving Entergy lines will take to long so they have decided to back out. Hays says they are in early discussion with another developer.

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Architect Town

Architect

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Hmm...okay. So let me get this straight. We build this beautiful new stadium with a prominent roofline, and none of it covers the seats!?! What the hey.......sheesh. That's what I loved about Ray Winder Field was that all of the seats were covered (except for the extension along the third base line). Also, I suppose only have 10-12 rows is somehow intimate, but it just comes off looking dinky to me. Ray Winder has presence...a sense of scale that this somehow doesn't have (its a least 30-40 rows high). This of course has the "ornament" that Ray Winder was never adorned with. I guess I should reserve judgement until I've had a chance to attend a game.

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Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

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Hmm...okay. So let me get this straight. We build this beautiful new stadium with a prominent roofline, and none of it covers the seats!?! What the hey.......sheesh. That's what I loved about Ray Winder Field was that all of the seats were covered (except for the extension along the third base line). Also, I suppose only have 10-12 rows is somehow intimate, but it just comes off looking dinky to me. Ray Winder has presence...a sense of scale that this somehow doesn't have (its a least 30-40 rows high). This of course has the "ornament" that Ray Winder was never adorned with. I guess I should reserve judgement until I've had a chance to attend a game.

I asked Bill Valentine about expanding the stadium over on Travelerocity and he basically said there's no room to add any further seating. I agree, they went too small.

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skirby Town

skirby

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That's a good idea. I wonder if the trolley company would allow it. It would be a good promotional tool as well.

No company has taken them up yet but you can pay to have a trolley with you name on it. For $250k you can purchase a sponsorship for 10 years. I think CAT should rethink this. In Portland you can do the same for $20k per year without a 10 year contract. I think you get more bang for your buck in Portland.

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cozmosis Whistle-Stop

cozmosis

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I asked Bill Valentine about expanding the stadium over on Travelerocity and he basically said there's no room to add any further seating. I agree, they went too small.

The vast majority of games I watched at Ray Winder, the stands were less than half-full. Sure, the new park will generate renewed interest, but I would still think having 5,500 fixed seats would be more than enough for almost all home Traveler games.

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