The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the 2020 MLB All-Star Game in Dodger Stadium, and in advance of next year's Midsummer Classic the club will undertake a major renovation of its ballpark. Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers will spend nine figures on upgrades and improvements to the NL's second-oldest ballpark.
Among the changes to Dodger Stadium, which first opened in 1962, are:
- A new center-field plaza spread across two acres.
- Elevators and bridges that for the first time will connect the outfield pavilions to the main sections of the stadium.
- Enclosed bars with bullpen views in the left- and right-field pavilions.
- Access to a connected walk around the entire ballpark from any level for the first time in stadium history.
- A new sound system.
Markazi's story also includes plenty of architectural renderings of the renovations. Here's a sample:
The Dodgers officially introduced their renovations and unveiled the 2020 All-Star Game logo during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
The improvements are expected to be completed prior to the start of the 2020 season.
"This is all meant to be a celebration of the Dodgers and Dodgers history and provide fans with the kind of amenities that you see at new ballparks without changing our postcard view," Dodgers' senior vice president of planning and development Janet Marie Smith told Markazi. "We relish the beauty of this place and want to preserve that. I know when fans hear we're renovating the pavilions the first thing they ask is what's going to happen to the wooden benches. The answer is they're staying in place. None of those things that fans love will change. We're just improving the experience."