Renovations Coming To Rangers Ballpark In Arlington
ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Some changes are coming to the outfield at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington next season, but it won't involve the players.
Building plans filed by the City of Arlington show the team is spending roughly $11 million to demolish Vandergriff Plaza behind the center field wall and replace it with a new concession pavilion, club pavilion, sports bar and family entertainment area.
Vandergriff Plaza, which stretches behind the outfield bleachers and Greene's Hill in center field is the center of a multi-million dollar renovation plan that could possibly even change the visitors bullpen.
Plans suggest the work will be done by Opening Day 2012. Rangers Baseball Express, which purchased the team in August of 2010, began the initial planning of the renovations to the plaza during the 2010 season.
Vandergriff Plaza, named for former Arlington mayor and Rangers broadcaster Tom Vandergriff, has been part of the Ballpark's landscape since the stadium opened in 1994. A statue of Vandergriff greets fans entering the stadium from the center field gate. A statue of Nolan Ryan (as a player) is in the center of the plaza.
The Center Field Sports Park, an area with kids games and a wiffle ball park, was installed in the plaza in 2000.
