Retractable Roof for FOX Sports Midwest Live! has OpenAire Ready to Play Ball for St. Louis Cardinals
OAKVILLE, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – March 27, 2014) – With Major League Baseball’s opening day fast approaching, St. Louis Cardinals’ fans will have a weatherproof way of experiencing the game by enjoying the 2014 baseball season under the new retractable roof featured in St. Louis’ Ballpark Village, located across the street from Busch Stadium. Working in partnership with the Cardinals organization and developers The Cordish Companies, OpenAire designed, manufactured and installed the retractable roof covering FOX Sports Midwest Live. This 20,000 square foot entertainment marketplace features a sports bar, Cardinals Nation, Budweiser Brew House and a 40-foot diagonal LED screen. Ballpark Village is slated to open March 27, 2014.
For this central gathering place and plaza, OpenAire created a double-sloped retractable roof with 12 operable sliding panels, which open at the touch of a button. The panels are constructed with polycarbonate in the roof section and glass panels in the gable ends. The structure measures 96 feet by 96 feet, and soars over 50 feet high. The retractable roof will allow Cardinals’ fans to catch the baseball game regardless of inclement weather, from the early spring until the Fall Classic.
Another anchor to the Village, the Budweiser Brew House, also features an OpenAire roof covering its outdoor beer garden. The beer garden structure, designed with architectural features that complement the aesthetics of the new facility, measures 32′ x 44′ and is supported with 12′ high columns. This will allow fans to enjoy their brew al fresco, rain or shine, in an environment that will resonate with the sights, sounds and energy of the adjacent ballpark.
“Opening day is nearly here and OpenAire is excited that Cardinals’ fans will be able to experience the timeless game of baseball in a new way, under our soaring retractable roof. We are proud to continue our success working with The Cordish Companies and their popular Live! venues by bringing the retractable roof experience to St. Louis,” said Mark Albertine, president of OpenAire.
The $100 million first phase of Ballpark Village will open its doors to the public for the first time today, Thursday, March 27th, with an opening ceremony, followed by a VIP party and a free concert for the public within FOX Sports Midwest Live! featuring national recording artist Third Eye Blind. Doors open to the public at 9pm.
All venues will open for business following the Grand Opening on March 27th, with various individual grand opening celebrations planned at each venue. A full listing of the schedule is available here.
To learn more about Ballpark Village Live, visit http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/ballpark/ballpark_village.jsp