Retractable roof? A’s set to unveil new Strip ballpark images

The Oakland Athletics are expected to unveil new Las Vegas ballpark renderings Monday and announce the designer chosen to sketch the planned $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat stadium.

Team executives and local and state leaders will also attend the event set to take place at 2 p.m. Monday at the Stan Fulton Building at UNLV. Danish architect Bjarke Ingels will be on hand to debut the updated images of what will be built on 9 acres of the 35-acre Tropicana site.

Dignitaries expected to attend are: Gov. Joe Lombardo, A’s owner John Fisher, UNLV President Keith Whitfield, Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson, CEO and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Steve Hill and Susie Martinez, executive secretary-treasurer of the Nevada State AFL-CIO.

The A’s in May provided preliminary renderings of what fans could expect to be constructed on the Las Vegas Strip site. Then they noted the images were subject to change. All eyes will be on if some form of a retractable roof and/or a retractable wall, similar to the Lanai doors at Allegiant Stadium, will be included in the updated renderings.

A’s President Dave Kaval has toured Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field multiple times to get inspiration for what could be included in a Southern Nevada ballpark. He noted the open layout, availability of suite and club spaces and the seating layout as notable pluses of the four-year-old facility.

Initial planning calls for construction of the A’s Las Vegas stadium to begin in the spring of 2025 and be completed around January 2028. Details are still being finalized for when demolition of the Tropicana will begin.

The Legislature approved the A’s public financing bill for $380 million during a special session in June, and it was signed into law a short time later by Gov. Lombardo. The team must secure more than $1 billion to finance the ballpark’s remaining construction costs.

Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved the A’s relocation to Las Vegas on Nov. 16. The team will remain at decrepit Oakland Coliseum through the 2024 season until their lease expires. It is unclear where the A’s will play after that, with Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin and the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park as options.

Team officials made several trips to Las Vegas since 2021 visiting potential ballpark sites from Summerlin to Henderson, and signed a binding purchase agreement for 49 acres just west of the Strip at the site of the former Wild Wild West casino. But ultimately the allure of the Strip was too great.

“We like the location a lot, because it allows for visitors to be able to walk to the game, or take a short car ride or short Boring (Company) tunnel ride … there are a lot of modes of transportation in Las Vegas today,” Fisher said Nov. 16. “We also like that there is a lot of work going on at the Tropicana (Interstate 15) interchange and the widening of the roadway that is going to make it easier for locals to come to the games.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.