24 Feb The Mets set to open Renovated Spring Training facility
The Mets set to open Renovated Spring Training facility
The newly renovated Clover Park and Spring Training Complex for the NY Mets in Port St. Lucie, FL is one of the most extensive renovations to come online this season.
Port St. Lucie, FL (February 2020) – With baseball season on the horizon, The NY Mets are set to open their newly renovated training facility, Clover Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, for the first pre-season game scheduled on February 22nd. The design of the renovation was spearheaded by EwingCole, a nationally recognized architecture, engineering, and interior design firm based in Philadelphia. The $57M renovation is one of the most extensive renovations to come online this Spring Training season.
“This renovation transforms the experience for fans, players and training staff”, said principal architect, Craig J. Schmitt, RA. “We worked closely with the Mets and Sterling Project Development to design improvements that modernize both the stadium and the player and training facilities, providing a best-in-class experience for the fans and the team.”
Upon arrival, a palm tree-lined walkway takes visitors from the parking fields to the new grand entry stair – its surface made up of the same warning track material used on the game field. A comprehensive overlay of new graphics, prominent throughout the stadium concourses and player training areas, celebrate the team’s brand and their history.
Fan amenities include wider concourses (up to three times the previous width), new restrooms, concessions and improved wayfinding. A tall 22-foot wide vomitory behind home plate was added, and two existing vomitoria were doubled in size, to create a stronger visual connection between the concourse and field that did not exist before. New seats were added along with social areas with a ‘front-row’ view of the practice fields from a generously-sized elevated deck in left field complete with a sun-shaded outdoor feature bar, dubbed the Jim Beam bar. Landscaped walkways in and around the outdoor practice fields have been added to enable fans an easier, more intimate experience during spring training.
Ticketholders aren’t the only ones receiving the major-league treatment. Upgrades for the players and staff include new stadium clubhouses for the Major and Minor League teams, new weight training and hydrotherapy rehabilitation facilities, new full-size and half-size practice fields, an agility field, new batting cages and 10-pack pitching mounds.
“Working with the Mets organization and the leadership of St. Lucie County we were able to improve the player performance spaces and give the fans the experience possible,” said EwingCole president Robert McConnell, AIA. “There are now plenty of memorable enhancements at the ballpark that will delight and amaze visitors. All in all, the result is a game-changer for the Mets and their affiliates, for St. Lucie County and for baseball fans on the Treasure Coast.”
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About EwingCole:
EwingCole, in practice for nearly 60 years, is a nationally recognized, fully integrated architecture, engineering, interior design, and planning firm of more than 450 professionals in Baltimore, Charlotte, Irvine, New York, Raleigh, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Our multi-disciplinary practice is built on the core values of professional excellence, design quality, and collaboration. Our goal is to provide the best total solution for our clients, the community, and the environment.