By MATT PIKE
New renderings have been unveiled for the new stadium in downtown Kansas City by the Kansas City Royals along with design firm Populous today.
Populous is also the architect of record and has a decades-long relationship with the Royals, working together with the team throughout this process. The new downtown ballpark site by The Crown Center connects the Royals to an established downtown destination, provides the scale to build a true neighborhood around baseball, and brings Hallmark alongside the Royals as a generational, Kansas City-born partner.
“This new neighborhood ballpark in the heart of Kansas City will lift our hometown’s profile and create jobs and economic activity that will benefit the community and Royals fans,” Royals President of Real Estate and Development Brooks Sherman says in a news release from the team. “We think of Populous as our hometown design team, but they are also the world’s leader in sports architecture. Kansas City and Royals fans deserve the best, and we’re proud to help provide it.”
The new ballpark is designed to create one of the most intimate experiences in Major League Baseball, sitting at approximately 34,000-seat. The open-air ballpark will bring fans closer to the field while connecting the game to downtown Kansas City and the surrounding community. The new ballpark is distinctly Kansas City, drawing inspiration from the city’s character, landscape and architectural heritage. Fitting comfortably within the existing limestone bluff, its exterior architecture embraces elements that have defined Kansas City’s landmarks for decades, including Municipal Auditorium, Union Station and the Liberty Memorial.
“We are honored to lead the design of a new ballpark for the Royals that feels unmistakably Kansas City,” Populous Senior Principal and Founder Earl Santee says. “More than a ballpark, this will be a destination where memories are made, where generations of fans can celebrate the traditions they cherish and where Royals baseball connects to the heart of downtown as the team and the city begin an exciting new chapter in our hometown.”
The updated design honors the crown, fountains, the Little K and traditions that have made Kauffman Stadium a beloved home for generations. The ballpark’s entrance features limestone framed by a layered screen of light-colored materials, metal and terracotta. Above, a lightweight fabric canopy preserves the tradition of open-air baseball while also providing shade for the summer heat, covering approximately 65% of seating during late-afternoon conditions.
In the outfield, the right-field entertainment building and left-field Royals headquarters building will connect to the ballpark through two continuous 360-degree concourses, opening the seating bowl to views of Kansas City while creating a distinctive setting for the iconic Royals fountains and CrownVision scoreboard.
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