.MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Twins are adding a few more leftfield seats, hanging a few rows of seats over the warning track in rightfield and making some room for family time beyond centerfield in what could be the final design of their new downtown ballpark.
But the field retains the signature architectural strokes revealed last April when the design was announced, such as its limestone exterior, the Norway pines behind the centerfield fence and a heated canopy over the upper deck.
“The core of the field is the same, and we’re very happy with it,” Twins President Dave St. Peter said.
The changes were revealed Tuesday in a 6-by-6-foot model and on a TV screen in the county’s government center. The Hennepin County Board is slated to vote next week on the design. Groundbreaking on the $522 million ballpark is already under way in the city’s Warehouse District.
St. Peter described the changes as “subtleties that were in part the result of fan feedback” on the earlier version.
A light stanchion in leftfield, for instance, was moved so that it will sit directly over a scoreboard in straightaway left, and a sports bar planned for left-center will be shifted to the leftfield corner. Those moves will allow for two additional sections of seating and a clearer view of the sky over the bleachers.
The team didn’t say how many more seats the changes would create.
The terrace protruding over track in rightfield, meanwhile, will sit atop a 23-foot-high fence; just a few rows of seats will extend over the playing field, giving fans sitting there an even closer look at the game.
Other new touches include a family picnic area above the pines beyond centerfield – where a club was once planned – and a bike path ringing part of the stadium.
Minnesotans walking toward the stadium from downtown will see the biege limestone exterior that is intended to reflect Minnesota’s natural environment. Project manager Earl Santee of HOK Sport described the canopy as “iconic” and said fans outside the park will see a “glowing halo” rimming the field during night games.