Populous partners with BaAM and BrightView to bring MLB at Field of Dreams in 2020

Major League Baseball recently announced plans to bring the first-ever regular season game to the site of the famous 1989 baseball film, Field of Dreams on August 13, 2020. Though the game will not take place on the original diamond created for the film, MLB is partnering with Populous, BaAM Productions and BrightView to design a temporary ballpark at the farm site where the Chicago White Sox will host the New York Yankees.

MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr, said:

As a sport that is proud of its history linking generations, MLB is excited to bring a regular season game to the site of Field of Dreams. We look forward to celebrating the movie’s enduring message of how baseball brings people together at this special cornfield in Iowa.

The design of the ballpark in Dyersville, including the shape of the outfield and the bullpens beyond the centerfield fence, will pay homage to Comiskey Park, which was home of the Chicago White Sox from 1910-1990. The facility will be built adjacent to rows of corn like those that lined the outfield in the movie and a pathway through a cornfield will take fans to the ballpark, which will overlook the famous movie location. The right field wall will include windows to show the cornfields beyond the ballpark.

Todd Barnes, Populous’ lead event architect, said:

We’re honoured to be a part of bringing MLB to such an iconic and intimate setting for the first time in Iowa, while celebrating the legacy of the Field of Dreams.

The Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees will play a regular season game in Dyersville, Iowa, at the site of the beloved 1989 baseball movie, Field of Dreams, on Thursday, August 13, 2020. “MLB at _Field of Dreams_” will mark the first Major League game ever held at the fan-favourite movie location as well as in the State of Iowa.

FOX will provide exclusive national coverage of “MLB at _Field of Dreams_”. The event will be considered a White Sox home date, with the Thursday game followed by a Friday off-day before the two Clubs resume their three-game series at Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday.

“MLB at _Field of Dreams_” will be presented by GEICO and be a part of the GEICO Summer Series.

Later this month, MLB will begin construction on a temporary 8,000-seat ballpark on the Dyersville site. A pathway through a cornfield will take fans to the ballpark, which will overlook the famous movie location. The right field wall will include windows to show the cornfields beyond the ballpark. Aspects of the ballpark’s design will pay homage to Chicago’s Comiskey Park, including the shape of the outfield and bullpens beyond the center field fence.

Jerry Reinsdorf, Chairman of the Chicago White Sox, said:

Field of Dreams is an iconic, generational baseball story built upon a deep love of the game that transcends even the most impossible of circumstances. The filmmakers tell a beautiful story that resonates to this day. It is an incredible honor for the White Sox franchise to be the home team against the Yankees in a special setting that will capture everyone’s imagination just like the movie does. It seems very fitting that 30 years after the film’s debut, MLB will build a ballfield in an Iowa cornfield where we will come to play a game so that baseball fans can create their own memories to be cherished for decades.

Hal Steinbrenner, Managing General Partner of the New York Yankees, said:

The Yankees organization is proud to participate in such a unique celebration of baseball. Field of Dreams captures the pure essence of baseball, and it continues to bring generations of fans – and families – together to embrace its timeless roots. It’s a distinct honor for us to showcase our great game in such an iconic and intimate setting while promoting the movie’s legacy. I fully expect that this experience will exemplify why baseball remains a cherished American pastime.

Governor Kim Reynolds, said:

Field of Dreams captures the uniqueness of Iowans’ can-do attitude, and there’s no better place to host our state’s very first Major League game than this legendary baseball field in Dyersville. As the famous movie quote goes, ‘Is this heaven?’ ‘No it’s Iowa,’. Iowa’s truly a land of opportunity, where you can work hard, dream big and anything can happen. I look forward to this historic event in 2020.

“MLB at _Field of Dreams_” follows other recent special events that have taken groundbreaking Major League games to non-traditional domestic locales, including the Fort Bragg Game in 2016, MLB In Omaha at the NCAA’s Men’s College World Series in 2019 and the annual Little League Classic in Williamsport since 2017. The events at Fort Bragg and in Omaha were the first Major League games ever in North Carolina and Nebraska, respectively, all of which Populous was involved in.

The global architectural practice also played a part in bringing MLB to Europe in 2019 for the first-ever MLB London Series at the Populous-designed London Stadium.

Watch the Anticipated Construction of the Ballpark:

https://www.mlb.com/video/3d-rendering-of-field-of-dreams

Images & sources: MLB / Populous 

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