When it comes to the ongoing downtown revitalizations in cities throughout the nation, destination points always are part of such plans, since they bring in visitors. A good downtown revitalization always includes a sports stadium or two, since such spots create a vitality that radiates out into the neighborhood surrounding it.
In St. Louis, plans for a proposed Major League soccer stadium downtown are meant to build upon the success of recent developments there. The design plans dovetail into plans of the MLS league to expand to 30 teams.
Recently, MLS4TheLou released a conceptual design of the Major League Soccer Stadium that the booster group would like to see built in the city. The mixed-use, soccer-specific stadium will have a capacity of 22,500 to 25,500 visitors. Fans will be able to enter the stadium from all sides of the facility. A large entry plaza will serve at different times as a pre-game or post-game gathering spot for fans. The stadiums’s pitch will extend 40 feet below ground level—which will provide a unique sports viewer experience. The design plans resulted from a whirl of activity by organizers of the stadium push.
“It has been an amazing 36 hours for our effort to bring an MLS team to St. Louis. With Major League Soccer’s announcement that the league will expand to 30 teams, combined with being able to share our initial stadium design plan, we are inching closer to making this a reality for St. Louis,” says Carolyn Kindle Betz.
See Also: HKS unveils retractable-roof ballpark in Japan
The stadium will be configured so that it is open to the north and east, offering views of the Downtown West District neighborhood. Adjacent to the stadium, as part of the development, will be a grouping of mixed-use buildings and restaurants, which will add more character and definition to the surrounding neighborhood. The design concept for the stadium was partly informed by researching what many others have done in developing their city’s soccer stadium.
“Over the last six months, we’ve visited numerous MLS stadiums to review designs and learn best practices in order to be as thoughtful as possible to our proposed stadium here in St. Louis,” Kindle Betz says. “While they’re still a work-in-progress, we’re excited to finally give fans a glimpse at our proposed stadium.”
The design plans will bolster St. Louis’s chances of winning a new MLS team. Such a team would have about 20 regular season games and three exhibitions per season and be capable of hosting concerts and other events. The ownership group has been working with the partnership of HOK and Julie Snow, co-founder of Snow Kreilich Architects, as the design team helping to shape the initial vision of this project.
Related Stories
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 23, 2015
Japan announces new plan for Olympic Stadium
The country moves on from Zaha Hadid Architects, creators of the original stadium design scrapped last week.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 17, 2015
Japan scraps Zaha Hadid's Tokyo Olympic Stadium project
The rising price tag was one of the downfalls of the 70-meter-tall, 290,000-sm stadium. In 2014, the cost of the project was 163 billion yen, but that rose to 252 billion yen this year.
Cultural Facilities | Jul 13, 2015
German architect proposes construction of mountain near Berlin
The architect wants to create the world’s largest man-made mountain, at 3,280 feet.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 14, 2015
Guy Holloway proposes multi-level urban sports park for skaters
The facility will include a rock climbing wall and boxing space.
Cultural Facilities | May 13, 2015
MVRDV selected to design High Line-inspired park in Seoul
The garden will be organized as a library of plants, which will make the park easier to navigate.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 5, 2015
Architect scouts investors for underwater tennis court
While off duty, the tennis complex could double as exhibition space.
Mixed-Use | May 5, 2015
Miami ‘innovation district’ will have 6.5 million sf of dense, walkable space
Designing a neighborhood from the ground-up, developers aim to create a dense, walkable district that fulfills what is lacking from Miami’s current auto-dependent layout.
Hotel Facilities | Apr 30, 2015
Atlanta Braves partner with Omni Hotels & Resorts to build hotel near new Suntrust Park
The Omni Atlanta Northwest Hotel will feature 16 floors with 260 guest rooms and suites, rooftop hospitality suites, 12,500 sf of meeting space, a signature restaurant, and an elevated pool deck and bar overlooking the plaza and ballpark.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 27, 2015
Qatar unveils Al Rayyan, fifth World Cup stadium
After the World Cup, part of the stadium’s seating will be donated to other countries.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 24, 2015
HOK unveils renderings and video of new St. Louis NFL stadium
Retractable seating in the corners will allow the stadium to be used for FIFA or Major League Soccer matches, as it expands the field to a FIFA-regulated 120 yards long and 75 yards wide.