Designing a stadium is an architect’s dream. It is an opportunity to flaunt skill and talent and earn respect much needed in the industry. Yet sometimes even when it all appeared awe-inspiring on paper, some flaws might show up only when completed, and then the grandiosity of the arena gets overshadowed by some wonky design flaws defining what was supposed to be magnificent as magnificently odd.
Arlington Stadium in Arlington Texas
The stadium was opened in 1965 to attract MLB to the district. A couple of years later the Texas Rangers did arrive in 1972. What the Rangers’ fans had to face was. Unfortunately, a stadium merely fit for minor-league games with no roof or canopies or any source of shade in an area where temperatures reach a scorching three-digits regularly. Day games were a no-no as fans couldn’t spend all the time in the sun. It was only in 1978 that an upper deck was added which brought on some relief for a limited number of fans.
Kingdome in Seattle, Washington
Kingdome opened for play in 1976 with one hidden flaw, and that was that the structure wasn’t built to handle the amount of downpour which Seattle is known for. The leaking roof remained a concern that received little attention. Not even the outcry in 1990 from Ken Griffley Jr., outfielder to the Mariners that the leaking roof caused the centre field to be an unsafe zone was enough to bring about real change. In 1994 the roof could take it no more, and the years of complaints came crashing down as the saturated panels gave in. Three of the 15-pound fibreglass panels each 32 by 48 inches large came tumbling down and crushed the chairs below mere hours before the stadium would be filled with fans. The entire ceiling had to be replaced to find the glory which Kingdome deserved finally.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York
The stadium deemed the most significant tennis venue globally opened for play in 1997 with a seating capacity of 22 547. As in any other stadium, Row Z is hardly anyone’s choice to sit, but in this stadium, the ones ending up there are purely the laughable stock of the event. Sitting an extraordinary 120 feet above the court makes watching the game impossible. The stadium’s design included two rows of luxury boxes just above the lower bowl and then above that are the seats of the second level expanding so high up in the sky that this stadium is higher than many of the well-known MLB parks.
The experience of watching tennis from Row Z in the famous Arthur Ashe stadium can easily be replicated. Only by sitting in a super uncomfortable plastic chair and watching tennis on the tiniest smartphone screen that you can lay your hands on, you will experience something of it. Although, do be sure that it is indeed the most miniature smartphone around otherwise you will still be able to observe too much.