A decade ago, Go the Distance Baseball formed to preserve the Iowa farm site where the 1989 movie Field of Dreams was filmed. The farmhouse can be rented or toured, and the venue includes a souvenir shop, ballpark concessions, and a field where visitors can have a catch. It’s expected to attract about 300,000 visitors this year.
Recently, the venue’s new owners unveiled a plan to build a youth baseball and softball destination for players, fans, and tourists, while preserving the cornfield setting and working farm. With $80 million in private investment, the master plan will almost double the site’s size—adding almost 100 acres to the original 190-acre footprint of the former Lansing family farm and movie site. The project will include nine new ballfields, dormitories for teams, and a boutique hotel, all slated to be completed in phases by the end of 2023.
“While the substantial private investment will expand and enhance our facilities, we are deeply committed to preserving the romantic experience of the Field of Dreams, including the views, the baseball diamond, the farmhouse, and the cornfields. Those images will never change,” COO Dan Evans, a longtime executive for five MLB franchises, said in a statement.
Additional phases through 2025 will include a 100,000-square-foot fieldhouse, an outdoor concert amphitheater, an RV park, a large park inclusive for children and adults with disabilities, and jogging trails through the cornfields. When fully completed, the development will create about 170 new full-time-equivalent jobs. Area residents can have member access to the indoor fieldhouse and a training facility for year-round recreation.
“Preserving and enhancing one of Iowa’s top tourism destinations makes this project a win-win for the local and state economies,” Keith Rahe, president and CEO of Travel Dubuque, said in a statement.
Owner: Go the Distance Baseball, LLC
Owner’s representative: Leopardo Companies
Design architect and architect of record: RDG Planning & Design
MEP engineer: KCL Engineers
Structural engineer: Origin Design
Related Stories
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 5, 2016
The importance of true cost-modeling for sports facilities
Many factors prevent sports facilities from immediate profitability. Rider Levett Bucknall’s Peter Knowles and Steve Kelly write that cost modeling, the process of estimating construction expenses by analyzing fixed and variable expenses, can push facility development to financial success.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 1, 2016
San Diego Chargers announce plan for downtown stadium and convention center
The project will be funded primarily by a tax increase on hotel stays.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 31, 2016
An extreme sports tower for climbing and BASE jumping is proposed for Dubai’s waterfront
The design incorporates Everest-like base camps for different skill levels.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 29, 2016
New skatepark complex has three levels of surfaces and obstacles
Guy Hollaway Architects designed an indoor 10,700-sf park in Folkestone, England, to accommodate BMX biking, skateboarding, and other extreme sports.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 25, 2016
Minnesota Timberwolves join pack of NBA teams with new high-res video screens
The Wolves, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings have new multi-paneled center-hung displays planned for their arenas.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 24, 2016
Barcelona hoops arena will rattle opponents with wall of raucous fans
HOK and TAC Arquitectes designed a basketball palace that will have intimate seating inside and public space outside.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 18, 2016
Milwaukee Bucks reveal more renderings of new downtown arena project
The plan, led by Populous, includes a 714,000-sf arena and a 30-acre mixed-use development.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 14, 2016
Washington Redskins tease new stadium model designed by Bjarke Ingels
The location isn't yet determined, but the new stadium will have a moat for kayaking.
Events Facilities | Mar 7, 2016
Experts pessimistic on Chicago’s $650 million McCormick Place expansion
Developers and city officials envision $250 million of annual growth, but the figure assumes that a new arena will lure conventions and draw full houses for basketball games.
Industry Research | Feb 22, 2016
8 of the most interesting trends from Gensler’s Design Forecast 2016
Technology is running wild in Gensler’s 2016 forecast, as things like virtual reality, "smart" buildings and products, and fully connected online and offline worlds are making their presence felt throughout many of the future's top trends.