I remember when Royals (Kaufmann) Stadium was first built, I took an engineer from the New York area there who had grown up in Philly and whose baseball experiences were all the old northeast stadiums.
He was blown away — the cleanliness, the fountains, the nicely dressed and behaved fans — “its like a fricking country club” he said. He couldn’t get over it.
The twin stadiums for the Royals and Chiefs (Truman Sports Complex), were the first in a modern wave of stadium architecture. Kivett and Meyers Architects, soon merged with engineering giant HNTB began a whole new era of stadium design. Eight guys spun off and opened HOK Sports (now Populous) and also a Sports venue office for Ellerbe Beckett Architects.
Sports venue architecture’s biggest shift came from Kansas City and a lot of it is still designed there.
I'm inclined to agree. Royals Stadium was the first of the new-old style baseball venues that are so refreshing, though being below ground level in the upper deck takes some getting used to. I've never been to Camden Yards but it looks fantastic as well and the new Bush Stadium is near perfection as long as it's not too hot. ;-)
That stadium deserves a better team. The team might not be that good, but it looks like a great place to catch a ballgame.....PNC Park is another park that looks great, I love the ballparks that are in the city and not in the burbs....I love the Ballpark in Arlington, but it would be nicer with the Dallas skyline in the background.