Inside the new Yankee Stadium

That is one spacious entryway.

When last I visited with new Yankee Stadium 24 hours ago, I was bemoaning the prices of the Premium Seating experience. Today, we can leave baseball economics and the free-market effect on ticket prices behind us for a few minutes. Let’s delve deeper into what the stadium will look like upon completion.

Hidden in the not-so-deep recesses of the Premium Seating web experience is a comprehensive set of images that offer up architectural renderings of parts of the inside of the new stadium. For $1.4 billion, the Yankees sure are getting a gem of a stadium even if it turns baseball games into sports experiences, as the marketing folks would have you believe.

Atop this post we see the Great Hall. Yes, it sounds like something out of Harry Potter, but in reality, it is the new entryway to the stadium. That gold-etched sign will front this majestic new hallway. With ample space for large crowds and a high ceiling, this new entryway will certainly lessen the feelings of claustrophobia that come crashing over fans as their enter through the current stadium turnstiles. Staircases lead up the concourses, and banners honoring Yankee Greats hang from the rafters.

Moving to the outfield, we come across Monument Park. From this photo, it’s hard to get a sense of the Yankee shrine. It does appear that the Yanks’ architects anticipate young girls in pink Yankee hats and women in high heels and pant suits at the stadium. Neither of those things belong at a baseball game. It looks like the plaques in the park will no longer be in an open-air part of the stadium; a part of the outfield seating structure appears to hang over the plaque wall.

New Yankee Stadium will have a Yankees Museum. The museum is set for somewhere down the right field line.

Looking out at the field from behind home plate, we see a sea of blue seats ringing the field. Gone is the monolithic feel of the current outfield way (and, apparently, the Bronx as well, according to that photo); restored is the trademark façade from the pre-renovation days. The upper levels do appear somewhat recessed, and the field dimension’s will be identical to those in the current stadium. The view from the Terrace Level behind the plate still looks amazing, and the outfield scoreboard looks fairly huge.

Returning to the bowels of the stadium, we come back to the Experience part of the trip. A sports bar, a martini bar and a steakhouse that will be open year round are just some of the new additions to the Stadium.

Those are just some of the new changes coming to Yankee Stadium when the team moves across the street. For now, these are just renderings of planned additions, but the renderings sure do look luxurious. As the new Stadium nears completion, I’m sure we’ll see more glimpses inside what will become an ostentatious baseball temple in the Bronx. For $1.4 billion, it better be this nice.

See also: Yankees open up new stadium to beat writers.