Official rendering for a potential Las Vegas baseball stadium which would be the future home of the Athletics. Image courtesy of the Athletics, BIG, and HNTB
The Oakland Athletics have finally unveiled their updated renderings for a potential Las Vegas baseball stadium.
On Tuesday, the organization revealed to the world their latest visuals for a future ballpark. The $1.5 billion stadium would be located on the current Tropicana Hotel site, which is due to be demolished soon. The stadium is being designed by architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), in collaboration with infrastructure design firm HNTB.
“We wanted a design that was unique and would fit in with the incredible innovations and excitement that is the Strip,” Athletics owner John Fisher told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Bjarke and I actually came in a little over a year ago, and we walked to the site, we went up to the Tropicana and we looked at the Strip from the roof and looked south, east, north and west, and were just thrilled with the opportunity.”
Stadium Specifics
The new 33,000-seat stadium would feature an enclosed structure anchored by a massive shell-like roof with overlapping layers, resembling the Sydney Opera House. Out in left field will be a giant cable glass window allowing for natural light to enter the ballpark. The ballpark will face toward the Las Vegas Strip, allowing unprecedented views of the various casinos.
The A’s relocation to Las Vegas is all but certain. It was announced last April and approved by an owner’s vote in late 2023. An initial rendering was released last summer, featuring a circular stadium with a retractable roof. But the team later confirmed those visuals were scrapped in favor of a new design, which was unveiled yesterday.
“Our design for the new Vegas home for the A’s is conceived in response to the unique culture and climate of the city,” BIG said in a statement. “Five pennant arches enclose the ballpark shading from the Nevada sun while opening to the soft daylight from the north. A giant window frames a majestic view of the life of the Strip and the iconic New York-New York hotel skyline. All direct sunlight is blocked, while all the soft daylight is allowed to wash the field in natural light.”
Retractable Roof?
According to the plans, the new stadium will feature the largest jumbotron video board in MLB. The screen is planned to be 18,000 square feet in size, which would beat out the Mets’ 17,400 square foot screen at Citi Field. However, after much speculation, it has been confirmed that the new stadium’s roof will not be retractable, despite the original renderings.
“Now that I think about it, the window is too big,” YouTuber and stadium critic Depressed Ginger posted. “It’s overbearing. I understand the focus on natural light but it’s massive.”
“Our design for the new Vegas home for the A’s is conceived in response to the unique culture and climate of the city,” BIG said in a statement. “Five pennant arches enclose the ballpark shading from the Nevada sun while opening to the soft daylight from the north. A giant window frames a majestic view of the life of the Strip and the iconic New York-New York hotel skyline. All direct sunlight is blocked, while all the soft daylight is allowed to wash the field in natural light.”
Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, features a translucent but not retractable roof. The roof was initially completely transparent in renderings. However, due to the harsh Nevada sun, the roof had to be slightly dimmed.
The hope is that the A’s new stadium will not suffer that same fate as the roof is not transparent. But whether or not this stadium will actually be built remains to be seen.
