Cleveland Indians Strike $435 Million Deal For Progressive Field Renovation

Courtney Astolfi, cleveland.com

Plans are underway for a major redesign of Progressive Field as part of a lease agreement that would keep the Cleveland Indians in their home city for at least 15 years.

Renovation plans are still in their early stages, but tentatively include overhauls of the upper deck, and the lower deck along left field, giving fans more open views of the city and baseball diamond as they make their way around the stadium.

The area abutting Gateway Plaza and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse would likely get a sweeping facelift, as would the team offices and player areas, plus changes to the fan area behind the dugout.

The proposed $435 million agreement between the Indians, city, county and state would set aside roughly $202.5 million for such renovations to the 1994-built ballpark, 11th oldest in the league. Costs exceeding that amount would be paid by the soon-to-be-named Cleveland Guardians, according to a team official who spoke with The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.

Construction would ideally be complete within “five years, if not sooner,” team owner Paul Dolan said Thursday, when the team, and state and local officials unveiled the agreement.

Dolan said the changes are intended to keep the ballpark competitive with other, newer ones in the league and make it “a better experience for the fans.” The changes aim to give fans a better view of the skyline and the game, open up connections between the upper and lower decks, provide more social spaces to gather and eat, and activate some current spaces that are underused.

The team wants the renovations to reflect the spirit of the city, embracing local culture and aesthetics, and reminding fans that they’re watching a game in Cleveland. It also wants to ”future-proof” the ballpark, so it ages gracefully and remains relevant over the term of the lease -- not just in line with the design trends of today.

Other priorities include more spaces that can be used for other events, beyond baseball games.

So what should fans expect from a renovated stadium? Team officials laid out some details for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. Here’s how they described the potential changes:

Upper deck

No substantial changes have been made to the upper deck since the stadium opened. The entryways between the concourse and seats are narrow, and limit views. When fans run to grab a hot dog, they can’t keep an eye on the game. And fans don’t move about the upper concourse much -- they generally get to their seat and stay in that general area.

The team wants to open up the views on the upper concourse, similar to the way the lower concourse was remodeled several years ago. The larger open spaces would allow fans to more easily see the game and the city as they move through the facility. “In a lot of the areas, it could be fully open from the back to front,” an official said.

Another possibility is an open walkway that could run the length of the upper deck, allowing fans to travel from left field to right field without losing sight of the game.

There would likely be gathering places to stop, eat, and hang out along the way.

The right field portion of the upper deck will be changed as well, though specifics aren’t nailed down. It could involve various spaces for groups to gather, or a park-like environment, the official said.

Lower deck off left field

The existing Terrace Club -- described by Dolan as a “white-linen” dining experience -- is an outdated concept for today’s baseball fans.

The team envisions replacing it with more airy gathering spaces, likely open to general admission ticketholders. “Nothing that tells us that there’s a need for more premium spaces,” the official said.

The team intends to connect the upper levels to the lower levels in this area, perhaps through a series of staircases that face onto the ball diamond.

“We know today we don’t make it easy to go between levels. We don’t necessarily give fans a good reason to. Fans want that,” the official said.

The team also wants to improve the backside of the left field concourse to give fans a place to gather and look out over the Cuyahoga River.

Gateway Plaza entrance and exterior, team offices

The team wants a “grander entrance” to the ballpark on the side facing Gateway Plaza.

The existing box office space isn’t necessary in the age of mobile tickets, so the team wants to repurpose it, and make the area more welcoming for the public, on game days and potentially on non-game days, the official said. The team doesn’t own the plaza though, so that will likely pose some limitations on what work will be done.

“How do we make it welcoming for the community? Maybe it’s a concept of shared, communal space or event space on the street-level,” the official said.

Ideas include street-level food options, and moving the team shop.

The team offices would also be renovated. The staff is three times as large as it was in 1994, and its workflows are different, the official said. One idea includes connecting the offices to the ballpark.

Behind home plate

Again, plans are in their infancy. But the team envisions some kind of gathering space, plus a food and restroom area, underneath the seats behind home plate. It could be a shared space for those in the dugout suites and other nearby seating, with technology focused improvements and team memorabilia. The team could add lounge-like seats to the space as well.

Clubhouse

The team is considering swapping the existing home team clubhouse with that of the visiting team, and adding several player-focused amenities related to sports medicine, nutrition, rehab, and analytics, among other things, the official said.

The current team space includes little, if any, room for such needs.

“We’re really at the back of the pack,” the official said, noting that Major League Baseball has given the Indians poor ratings for such amenities.

A new, shared batting cage could also be in the works.