Royals Unveil Downtown Kansas City Ballpark Plan at Crown Center

Photo Courtesy of Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey

The Kansas City Royals announced new stadium plans that will see the ball club leave its stadium after over 53 years in favor of a modern facility in downtown Kansas City that is within walking distance to residents and keep the franchise in Missouri.

The baseball team is teaming up with Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards on a new project that will include new headquarters for both organizations and a mixed-use development. The 85-acre Crown Center project will include a park-like central square with fountains. The iconic chevron-shaped scoreboard and stadium fountains will most likely be part of the stadium's design.

The Royals have secured a $1.9 bill in private investment to build a new ballpark in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals will find close to $800 million, while taxpayers will foot over $600 million for the stadium project.

“When the new Royals stadium opens at Crown Center, something proud will come full circle,” Hallmark Cards executive chairman of the board of directors Don Hall Jr. said in a release. “The iconic Royals crown that Hallmark created will return to the very neighborhood where it was conceived.”

The Royals began operations as an expansion team in 1969 at Municipal Stadium before moving into Kauffman Stadium, then known as Royals Stadium, in 1973. The 40,000-seat baseball-only stadium was built next to the home of the Kansas City Chiefs, Arrowhead Stadium, a football-only stadium, in what is known as the Truman Sports Complex off of I-70, several miles east of downtown Kansas City.

The Chiefs announced a move to a new football stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, earlier this year.

The teams' lease at “The K” ends in 2031, and the new ballpark development will be accessible to the city’s electric light rail system and within walking distance of residential units and the Power and Light District. 

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Follow all of Marc’s stadium journeys on Twitter @ballparkhunter and his YouTube channel. Email at Marc.Viquez@stadiumjourney.com