Polar Park (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Polar Park is a baseball park under construction in Worcester, Massachusetts. It will be the home of the Worcester Red Sox,[3] a Minor League Baseball team in the Triple-A International League that will relocate from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Targeted to open in 2021, it will seat up to 10,000 people.[4][5] Polar Beverages, a local beverage company based in Worcester, has retained the naming rights to the ballpark.[4]

Polar Park
Polar Park
Location within Massachusetts
LocationWorcester, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°15′25″N 71°48′0″W
OwnerCity of Worcester
Capacity10,000
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundJuly 11, 2019[1]
OpenedApril 2021 (2021-04) (planned)
Construction cost$86–100 million
ArchitectD'Agostino Izzo Quirk Architects (DAIQ)[2]
Tenants
Worcester Red Sox (IL) 2021–future
Website
polarpark.com

Development

The ballpark architect is Worcester native Tommy Quirk of D'Agostino Izzo Quirk Architects (DAIQ), with assistance from consultant Janet Marie Smith,[6] who designed Oriole Park at Camden Yards.[7] On September 13, 2018, the Worcester City Council voted 9–1 to move forward with the new ballpark, initiating the bonding process and tax increment financing (TIFs) for the surrounding area.[8]

Estimated to have a cost of $101 million, approximately $65 million will be paid by the city of Worcester.[9] The $101 million figure would make the park the fourth most expensive minor league park ever built, adjusting for inflation.[9] In September 2018, Deadspin reported that, according to College of the Holy Cross sports economist Victor Matheson, Polar Park would be "in nominal terms the most expensive minor league ballpark ever built."[10]

The stadium will be part of a $240 million redevelopment of Worcester's Kelley Square and Canal District.[11] Development of the ballpark area will include 250 apartments, two hotels with a total of 250 rooms, a 96,000-square-foot (8,900 m2) office building overlooking left field playing area, and 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) of shops and restaurants.[1]

Ceremonial groundbreaking of the ballpark took place on July 11, 2019, with local, state, and federal officials attending.[1] On April 1, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, construction work on the ballpark was suspended;[12] it resumed after a seven-week pause.[13] The final beam was placed on August 13, 2020.[14] As of mid-August 2020, officials were still optimistic that the park would be ready for the start of the 2021 minor league baseball season.[13]

References
  1. "City of Worcester Breaks Ground for Polar Park" (Press release). City of Worcester, MA. July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  2. Spedden, Zach (November 9, 2018). "DAIQ Tabbed for Worcester Ballpark Design". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  3. McLoone, Dan (November 6, 2018). "Red Sox are taking suggestions for renaming the PawSox". The Boston Globe.
  4. Kotsopoulos, Nick (August 17, 2018). "Pawtucket Red Sox moving to Worcester; Kelley Square to get a makeover". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  5. Bowers, Rachel G. (August 17, 2018). "Here's a look at the renderings of the Triple A Red Sox ballpark in Worcester". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  6. "Club Makes it Official: Nobody Beats the Woosox". worcesterma.gov (Press release). City of Worcester. November 27, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  7. Vautour, Matt (August 29, 2019). "Worcester Red Sox: Ballpark architect Janet Marie Smith immersing herself in city as she helps design Polar Park". masslive.com. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  8. Reichard, Kevin (September 13, 2018). "Worcester Moves Forward on New Ballpark Deal". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  9. Welker, Grant (June 7, 2019). "Polar Park joining an arms race for more elaborate, immersive ballpark experiences". Worcester Business Journal. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  10. deMause, Neil (September 10, 2018). "The Stadium Scam Goes Minor-League, And It Has An Unlikely Ally". Deadspin. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  11. Moulton, Cyrus (October 29, 2019). "Kelley Square groundbreaking Thursday". Telegram & Gazette. Worcester, Massachusetts. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  12. Speier, Alex (April 1, 2020). "PawSox ballpark construction project in Worcester is halted". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  13. Speier, Alex (June 29, 2020). "Polar Park building toward 2021 goal for Worcester Red Sox". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  14. "WooSox celebrate 'first of many wins' as final beam of steel is added to Polar Park". masslive. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.

Further reading
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