And Then There Were Three

In choosing the architect for the new D.C. baseball staidum that will be home to the Washington Nationals, city and team officials want concepts that were innovative. What they do not want is another in the long line of throwback stadiums similar to Camden Yards in Baltimore, home of the area arrival Orioles. The three finalists in the design competition are HOK Sport, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, and Harwood K. Smith Architects. HOK Sport is considered the frontrunner because of their recent work on staidums in San Diego, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh. Some were surprised that such firms as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and HNTB were not chosen. "HOK will produce a stadium that functions well, but my feeling was that the District and Sports Commission wanted a building that was iconic and more than just another ballpark," said one architect from another firm, who talked on condition of anonymity. "HOK did not bring in a name designer, as some others did." The stadium is schedules to open in three years and cost no more the $279 million.

Thanks to Peter Buryk