Ballpark Visit – Columbus’ Huntington Park

We’ll say it now – Huntington Park in Columbus is the nicest ballpark in the International League (With apologies to the Gwinnett Braves; the USRT has yet to make that trek we’ll get there eventually).

What makes this ballpark so nice? No, not the kelly green seats, red brick facades and wrought iron gates and fences, the boilerplate of ballpark design these past 15-20 years. First of all, it is location. Huntington Park sits on the edge of the exciting and burgeoning Arena District in downtown Columbus, a mixed use development of offices, shops, restaurants, condos and loft apartments, anchored by the beautiful Nationide Arena, and now this ballpark.

What gives Huntington park its character and soul is the painstaking and loving attention to the history of baseball in Columbus, the International League, and minor league baseball in general. The concourses are replete with memorabilia of the team, murals heralding “The Speed of The Game”, and photos, mementoes and other exhibits are interspersed throughout the building.

The “Power Pavilion” beyond the left field wall is the place to be. The second floor has a bar and restaurant with wonderful views of the field, and tons of stuff on the walls to look at, including art and mementoes brought over from Cooper Stadium. On the 3rd floor is an area called “Roosters on the Roof”, with Wrigleyville styled rooftop bleachers, an entertainment area where contests and karaoke are being played, servers bringing heaps of yummy chicken wings (Nice looking but Duffs or Anchor Bar they ain’t), and fun is theme of this venue everywhere.

The Columbus Clippers are riding high with their new ballpark. Attendance is way up, and more nights than not the “Standing Room Only” sign is posted at the ticket window glass.

Much of the credit for this ballpark’s character and soul has to go to Joe Santry, the team’s media relations director and team historian. Joe shared with us his long time friendship and partnership with the late Bisons historian Joe Overfield, and how they would trade stories and share information to keep the treasured shared history of their beloved teams and their game alive for future generations. The effort here shows. For fans of venues (as we are), Huntington Park is a joy to visit and experience.

We will be visiting with Clippers GM Ken Schnacke and Manager (and former Bisons Manager) Torey Lovullo this afternoon to get their takes on the exciting new ballpark, as part of a future Play Ball column in Artvoice.