Edmonds Field
Sacramento, california
Major League Ballpark Study
Since the inception of the Pacific Coast League, Sacramento has been a hotbed for baseball. Despite being the smallest of all the PCL host cities, Sacramento routinely outpaced the attendance of their PCL counterparts, leading the league. With the prospect of the Oakland A’s seeking a new home since the mid-1990s, this project studies the potential for gentrifying the north end of Downtown Sacramento in preparation for a new MLB ballpark.
Taking cues from the defunct Edmonds Field, the original home of the Sacramento Solons, the design of the proposed Edmonds Field seeks to make the city as much a part of the ballpark as the ballpark is a part of the city. To this end, the field opens up toward the downtown skyline, which plays a prominent backdrop to the game. An open, sidewalk-level wrought-iron fence atop the left-field porch provides a pedestrian view into the ballpark, reminiscent of the old “knot-hole gangs” of ballparks of yore. And located on the historic site of the Southern Pacific Railyards, there is ample opportunity to celebrate Sacramento’s contributions to both baseball and the growth of the Western United States.