The Texas Rangers announced the architect of the team's new Arlington ballpark at a news conference Thursday.
Team officials announced that Dallas-based HKS — the firm that was the "architect-of-record" on The Ballpark in Arlington (now Globe Life Park) and designed AT&T Stadium in Arlington — will design the new $1 billion retractable roof stadium.
Texas Rangers Baseball Club"For us, the new Texas Rangers Ballpark development is very special. It carries its own rich identity based on a combination of tradition, heritage, character and ambition that will ultimately represent itself as the premier destination in North Texas,” explained HKS’ Bryan Trubey, executive vice president and principal designer on the project. “We are delighted to be part of this exciting new development that will impact not only the Texas Rangers and their fans, but the city of Arlington and the entire region for many years to come."
"HKS has an outstanding track record of designing iconic sports facilities, both in North Texas and around the country,” said Rangers Executive Vice President of Business Operations Rob Matwick. “HKS’ vision for this new facility will incorporate all of the features that will make this venue the best in Major League Baseball. We look forward to working with them to achieve that result."
The new park is expected to be built on an existing parking lot adjacent to Globe Life Park and south of Randol Mill Road. A major selling point to Arlington voters was a retractable roof for climate control to keep fans and players cooler during summer months.
Texas Rangers Baseball Club"The state-of-the-art ballpark will not only be the new home of the Texas Rangers but also a multipurpose sports and entertainment venue that will include capabilities for hosting high school, college and international sports as well as entertainment tours," the team said in a statement Wednesday.
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The stadium is expected to cost about $1 billion, $500 million of which will be paid by the city through a bond package which includes an extension of a half-cent sales tax, a 2 percent hotel-occupancy tax and a 5 percent car-rental tax previously approved to defray the costs of AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
"We feel like we're going to be able to redefine how ballparks are really perceived, just like we redefined how NFL venues are perceived," Trubey said.
The extended deal keeps the Rangers in Arlington through 2054; their current 30-year lease on Globe Life Park was set to expire in 2024.
The final design for the stadium is expected by late summer. Construction on the new stadium is expected to begin later this year and be ready for play at the start of the 2020 season.
