Feature

Shade structure at Globe Life Park was considered by Texas Rangers – report

Major League Baseball franchise the Texas Rangers considered building a giant shade structure at its Globe Life Park home stadium before opting to build a new $1bn (€893.5m) arena, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The newspaper reported that the 100-foot metal canopy would have set the Rangers back at least $80m.

The structure would have covered around three quarters of the crowd, although it would have only lowered the temperature by a “few degrees” and taken at least three baseball seasons to build.

“The canopy would change the entire character of Globe Life Park,” Pat Tangen, a principal at the Populous architecture firm, which studied the development, told the Star-Telegram. Tangen added that the structure would have been “technically feasible, (but) complicated to deliver.”

In May, the Rangers announced plans to build a new stadium with a retractable roof adjacent to Global Life Park. Arlington City Council last week approved calls for the stadium proposition to be put to a public vote. The city will cover half of the $1bn cost for the ground’s development if residents vote in favour of it doing so.

The new stadium is expected to open in time for the 2021 MLB season.

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