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Cobb Field
Replacement / Billings Mustangs / 2008
(click
on the image for a larger version)
| Opening | June 2008 |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Cost | $12.5 million |
| Owner | City of Billings |
| Architect | HNTB Architecture (Kansas City) and CTA Architects Engineers (Billings) |
| Dimensions | 335L, 410C, 356R |
| Location | Site of Cobb Field: 901 N. 27th St., Billings |
(click
on the image for a larger version)
A large
concourse invites fans into the ballpark.
Billings will have a new ballpark for the first time since 1948 -- the year Cobb Field opened -- next season when its replacement opens. Replacing the venerable Cobb Field was not an easy decision for team management or city residents (indeed, more than one attempt was made to see if the wooden facility could be saved; the answer was a unanimous no), and it took one attempt at public funding before voters approved a $12.5 million bond issue in 2006. Cobb Field is truly a community resource -- besides housing the Billings Mustangs (rookie; Pioneer League) the ballpark also hosts two Legion teams and the Montana State University-Billings baseball team.
As it stands now, the Cobb Field replacement will be a utilitarian facility, lacking luxury boxes (the final budget didn't allow for them, although construction will include footings for their future installation) and some other amenities found in modern ballparks. Still, architects did manage to preserve one of the best things about Cobb Field -- the lovely view of the Rimrocks past the outfield fence -- but it would have been nice to see some other decorative echoes of Cobb Field, whether it be a stucco exterior, some real box seats or an old-fashioned grandstand roof. (The color of the masonry in the buildings will be chosen to evoke the Rimrocks, however.) At one time architects discussed the reuse of some Cobb Field materials into the new ballpark; you can expect some other elements of sustainable design to pop up as we get closer to the beginning of construction.
(click
on the image for a larger version)
The
street-level view as you approach the ballpark
going north on 27th Street.
However, many of the things wrong with Cobb Field will be addressed in its replacement. Cobb Field was built at ground level, and the infield angle makes fielding first base an adventure: much of the time the first baseman looks directly into the sun to catch a throw. The new ballpark's playing field will be skewed about 10 degrees from the current orientatation; this will also result in an asymmetrical outfield fence; this gives the first basemen and right fielder a little better angle to avoid staring into the sun. It will also be built closer to 27th Street, a main thoroughfare in downtown Billings, with parking facilities moved to the backside of the ballpark. (Keeping the ballpark downtown was a major triumph in the whole process: some wanted to see the ballpark moved outside of downtown to an area where there is more parking, but the downtown location does add some life to a downtown that could use a shot of adrenaline.) The new ballpark will feature an infield sunk eight feet below street level; this lowers construction costs, helps the facility better meet ADA guidelines (accessible seats can be left at ground level in the back rows of the grandstand) and gives some more sun relief to the fielders.
The playing field will be ringed with a concrete concourse, featuring a press box, concession stands and team facilities. Currently Cobb Field can't handle groups easily, but the current plan calls for a picnic area in left field. Fans will be able to watch the game from beyond the outfield fence -- something they can't currently do at Cobb Field -- and a children's play area is planned for a center-field pavilion. Though there's no traditional grandstand roof, the seating area will be covered with polypropylene canopies mounted on steel frames, giving fans relief from sun and rain. Twelve rows of seating will extend all the way down the third-base line and partially up the first-base line, with a berm installed in the left-field corner. The back row of seating will be no more than 32 feet from the field.
As mentioned, the facility doesn't include any luxury boxes. Plans are to add six boxes and a community room after the ballpark opens if finances allow for it. It would be surprising if they weren't built: Mustangs officials say there's demand for the boxes.
The ballpark is budgeted at $12.5 million -- the amount of the bond issue approved by voters -- but city officials will not end up selling that amount. Over $2 million in private contributions have been pledged for the facility, including a naming-rights deal that will in all likelihood ensure the Cobb Field name will be retired when the old ballpark shuts down at the end of the summer.
(click
on the image for a larger version)
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