St. Paul Gateway Ballpark Site

Downtown St. Paul

Aerial View    

This plan would have placed the park near the new Xcel Energy Center, home of Minnesota Wild hockey. On the surface, it seems like a reasonable idea, assuming that all of the hockey infrastructure would do double-duty for baseball. But that overlooks the fact that this area is an absolute nightmare to get out of after any event. The Ordway Theater and River Centre convention hall are also served by all of these streets and parking facilities, and I have a great deal of first-hand experience with events held at these venues. All things considered, this would be a terrible place for a park without some substantial infrastructure upgrades.

No matter, really. I think it has since been designated for development as a transit hub.

This is my photo of the site (April 2002) looking down from the cathedral, across 35E. According to the site plans above, the park might have been built to the far left of this photo, just behind where the yellow school bus is visible.