BY LUCY MAY and GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Reds heartily embraced Tuesday's decision by Hamilton County commissioners to have HOK Sport Inc. design a new home for Major League Baseball's oldest franchise.
Reds Managing Executive John Allen indicated the Kansas City, Mo., firm will be looking to tie in elements of the club's previous ballparks, such as League Park, Crosley Field and Cinergy Field, to give the design a distinct Cincinnati feel.
"With their track record, their past performances and number of successes, we're very pleased," Mr. Allen said of HOK. "They seem to be very cognizant of the need for a happy medium from an aesthetics standpoint and the need to generate revenue."
HOK will team with the local firm of GBBN Architects to do the design.
Commissioners Tom Neyer Jr. and Bob Bedinghaus also picked Huber, Hunt & Nichols, of Indianapolis -- which built Cinergy Field back when it was called Riverfront Stadium -- and the local firm of d.e. Foxx to build the new ballpark. The firms will be charged with completing the project on time and on budget.
In recommending those firms, County Administrator David Krings stressed that Reds CEO Marge Schott and Mr. Allen took part in the discussion and both approved the choice.
"We're going to get a new stadium symbolic of Cincinnati," Mr. Allen said. "This won't be a cookie cutter park. It's going to be unique to Cincinnati. It's going to take into account the river, riverfront development, our fans and our history."
Mr. Allen has spent the season touring ballparks in Denver, Atlanta, Kansas City and Arlington, Texas, and continues to be overwhelmed by the level of detail. He thinks a major reason the new Comiskey Park in Chicago has not succeeded is the steep pitch of the upper deck because of the location of the luxury suites.
"What's good for us is we can see what's worked and what hasn't," Mr. Allen said. "Texas has tremendous access for their concessions and kitchens. Atlanta has the great entertainment zone in center field. Denver is just beautiful with the grass and steel. Kansas City has the fountain, and the bullpens are down the lines so you can see them from both dugouts."
Marilyn Hyland, the Democrat hoping to unseat Mr. Neyer on Nov. 3, blasted the commissioners' vote as "another arrogant slap in the face to the citizens of Hamilton County."
Ms. Hyland, who favors the rival Broadway Commons site, said commissioners should wait until after Nov. 3, when voters will get a voice in the stadium site and in her race.
"It's irresponsible to spend more of our money against us when the election is eight weeks away."
But Mr. Neyer said commissioners can't waste any time in creating a new riverfront that includes the Reds.
"We can't sit and twiddle our collective thumbs in limbo for any period of time," he said. "We've got too much work to do as a community."
Stadium story list
