Archinect - News

The future gets murkier for hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field

2024-12-15T08:00:00-05:00

The Tampa Bay Times is reporting on a stalled effort to repair damages caused during Hurricane Milton to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 35-year-old stadium was initially set for a much-needed influx of $24 million worth of funding. Instead, with a last-minute reversal and given the separate uncertainty now surrounding the fate of its $1.3 billion new home, the future of the Rays franchise in the city has been cast in doubt.

Some 18 of the 24 fiberglass roof panels were lost during the storm after the 370,000 square feet of PTFE roof system failed in the face of 125+ mph winds. The cost of repairs had been previously reported at $55.7 million. This fall's hurricanes also led to a decline in construction spending for October.

$1 billion Gensler plan could give ancient Houston Astrodome a brighter future

2024-11-21T16:55:00-05:00

The historic Houston Astrodome could soon receive a $1 billion revival courtesy of Gensler.

Plans for Vision: Astrodome from the Astrodome Conservancy called for the erection of four new smaller structures inside the stadium. An arching internal pedestrian boulevard comparable to the New York High Line then interjects itself as an elevated connector to the adjoining NRG Stadium and NRG Center venues.

Image courtesy Astrodome Conservancy

Officially a 450,000-square-foot plan that will rejuvenate the facility (at one point known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World") into a retail and entertainment destination for Houstonians, the endeavor is being supported by favorable results from the Conservancy's 2020 public engagement survey.

Image courtesy Astrodome Conservancy

If approved, the 86% majority of Harris County residents will get their wish in the form of the retail, office, cultural, hospitality, other commercial, and food/beverage offerings lining the selection of redeveloped spaces...

Major League Baseball says damaged Tropicana Field won’t be playable until 2026

2024-11-17T08:00:00-05:00

A new roof would be the largest expense, according to the report, accounting for about $23.6 million, but the report states that “the primary structure is serviceable and capable of supporting a replacement tension membrane fabric roof.” Based on the preliminary timeline in the report, it would take a little less than 13 months from the start of construction until “final completion,” with the repairs wrapping up just before a projected Opening Day in late March of 2026.

The cost of repairs has been stated at $55.7 million. The Rays will play their home games in Tampa at George M. Steinbrenner Field (the Yankees’ Spring Training home since 1996) while repair work continues. The vexing financial fiasco is further complicated as the franchise is set to expand into new digs anyway by the start of the 2028 baseball season. Winds in excess of 125 mph removed 18 of the stadium's 24 fiberglass roof panels during Hurricane Milton back in October.

Hurricane Milton severely damages Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field Stadium

2024-10-10T17:48:00-04:00

The roof at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, sustained major damage because of high winds associated with Hurricane Milton, which made landfall Wednesday along Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm. According to the Rays, the Trop was built to withstand winds of up to 115 mph. The roof is supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts in what the team calls the "world's largest cable-supported domed roof."

The Populous design in St. Petersburg (formerly called the 'ThunderDome') has existed mostly without sustaining significant storm damage since 1990. The roof system was made from 370,000 square feet of PTFE (fiberglass) Tensile Membrane manufactured by a New York company called Birdair, Inc.

The incident, which was captured on social media, sadly recalls damage sustained to the Louisiana Superdome during Hurricane Katrina for many Americans.

INSIDE LOOK ▶️ The MLB released footage from inside Tropicana Field as Hurricane Milton ripped its roof off.
Wind gusts over 100 mph were recorded in the area: https://t.co/q2ktAMiTik pic.twitter.com/llKNG9XTKg
— 10 Tampa Bay (@10TampaBay) October 10, 2024

Video courtesy 10 Tampa Bay/X

The MLB franchise, which is planning a new $1.3 billion ballpark with Hines for 2028, said they must now "assess the true condition" of the building before the viability of playing the 2025 season there can be determined.

HKS architect Meggie Meidlinger stars for USA women's baseball team

2024-08-30T08:30:00-04:00

[Meggie] Meidlinger has racked up accolades on the pitching mound, including a gold medal as a closer for Team USA. While women’s baseball isn’t a sport in the Olympic Games, she and her teammates added a silver medal to that collection Aug. 3 at the Women’s Baseball World Cup. When she’s not on the field, the 36-year-old helps design sports facilities as a project architect with Atlanta-based HKS.

The Virginia Tech graduate Meidlinger hasn't given up an earned run in two years as the closer for Team USA. Number 13 in your program and Number One in the hearts of her fellow HKS Atlanta office staffers says she wants to be a role model for girls participating in youth sports and the architectural profession. She and her baseball teammates also travel regularly to Uganda to promote the sport to women there as ambassadors.

Populous advances new downtown ballpark district proposal in Kansas City

2024-02-22T12:51:00-05:00

The Kansas City Royals are advancing a scheme for a new downtown stadium district designed by Populous in a neighborhood called the Crossroads.

Slotted into a 17.5-acre site at the confluence of Grand Boulevard, Locust Street, Truman Road, and 17th Street, the development would offer a connector to the nearby South Loop Link project from OJB Landscape Architecture and BNIM. The proposal calls for an experience-laden "Arts District" to be enacted alongside the new ballpark, with a new hotel, shops, a residential component, and shopping also included.

Rendering courtesy of Populous

The site currently includes some undeveloped plots and small businesses adjacent to the Power & Light District. The franchise had previously floated plans for a new stadium (sans entertainment district) in either the East Village or North Kansas City. Cost estimates for the project are between $1–2 billion.

Rendering courtesy of Populous

Populous CEO Earl Santee told reporters: "This is my 23rd major league ...

Renderings show proposed new White Sox stadium in Chicago's South Loop

2024-02-08T18:57:00-05:00

The Chicago White Sox professional baseball franchise may be moving out of the neighborhood that's been synonymous with its existence for more than a century if a proposal for a new stadium at The 78 advances to approval in the coming months.

According to the Sun-Times, Related Midwest is pushing for a “massive financing package” from the Illinois General Assembly to fund the project by the end of spring. If approved, the $9 billion South Loop ballpark project would be joined by 1,000 units of affordable housing in the “village” portion of the larger 62-acre site. The team’s current digs on the Southside would be transformed into a soccer stadium with another 1,300-unit housing component. An architect for the project is expected to be named later.

Image courtesy Related Midwest

Related says the project will create about 10,000 new construction jobs and add over $4 billion worth of economic benefits. The White Sox's current lease at Guaranteed Rate Field expires at the end of the 2029...

2023's best in sports architecture and stadiums

2023-12-22T08:00:00-05:00

Throughout 2023, nearly every month featured exciting news related to forthcoming big-scale stadium projects and athletic developments. Many of these weren't limited to stadiums alone but were merely components of greater mixed-use districts that also include room for housing, office spaces, parks and green spaces, as well as retail. Schemes centered more around lifestyle, living, and entertainment seem to be a growing trend in this arena.

There were some common names, such as Populous and HOK, who were very busy this year. Other notable firms were active, as well, with projects including both renovations and completely new structures for various sports.

As part of Archinect's 2023 Year in Review, take a look at some of the best sports architecture and stadium projects in our news this year.

Image courtesy Indy Eleven and Keystone Group

Populous unveils $1 billion Eleven Park stadium design for Indianapolis

In February, Populous unveiled designs for a $1 billion, 20,000-seat multip...

SHoP, Field Operations behind proposed $8 billion ‘Metropolitan Park’ mixed-use/casino development in Queens

2023-11-09T19:46:00-05:00

A group affiliated with New York Mets franchise owner Steve Cohen has revealed a proposal for a new mixed-use entertainment district and casino that would occupy a transforming portion of the Willets Point, Queens neighborhood if approved.

The $8 billion proposal covers 50 acres (20 of which will be dedicated open space) and will include designs from SHoP Architects, Fields Operations, and Jeffrey Beers International. The site is located adjacent to another development that was announced in May and is being master planned by HOK to create the first-ever dedicated professional soccer facility in New York City. The plan calls for a hotel, multiple restaurants or bars, a conference space, gardens and athletic facilities, a music venue, and a food hall for local vendors.

Speaking in a press release, Cohen said: “When I bought this team, fans and the community kept saying we needed to do better. Metropolitan Park delivers on the promise of a shared space that people will not only want t...

Tampa Bay Rays partner with Hines for new MLB stadium development in St. Petersburg

2023-09-23T09:00:00-04:00

Hines has been announced as the developer of a new 8-million-square-foot mixed-use district and Major League Baseball stadium development in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The new home of the mercurial Tampa Bay Rays franchise is part of a larger $6.5 billion investment in the region that will expand over twenty years to include 4,800 residential units, another 1,200 units of workforce housing, 600 senior residences, a 750-room hotel, 4,000-seat concert venue, and 1.4 million square feet worth of office space, in addition to the 30,000-seat stadium. Another 50,000 square feet of civic space will be added along with a minimum of 90,000 square feet worth of conference space, all of which is bookended by the new Carter G. Woodson African American Museum Of Florida.

Rendering courtesy of Hines

Renderings made public in this week’s announcement from the club reveal a terraced exterior that’s meant to “bring the outside in” with activated concourse levels lined in biophilic elements and framed b...

LA's divisive Dodger Stadium Gondola proposal gets new management and an updated look

2022-08-11T14:10:00-04:00

The group behind LA's proposed gondola project that would run from Union Station downtown and terminate at Dodger Stadium has revealed new images and a strategic partnership for a project many in the area fear could be used as a tool for gentrification.

Earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (or LA ART) made an announcement that the scheme would be handed over to the local non-profit Climate Resolve and their newly-formed subsidiary called Zero Emissions Transit, which claims to deliver “emissions-free public transit solutions in the Los Angeles region.”

Proposed Union Station/El Pueblo station. Image courtesy LA ART

The group’s announcement included a new batch of updated renderings of the cable cars, station entrances, and elevated platform structures. Their update comes in the face of continued local opposition and the installation of a mockup cabin in the stadium’s parking lot G last week.

Mockup cabin of the proposed gondola. Image courtesy Climate Resolve.

“Be...

Gensler’s Jackie Robinson Museum project finally debuts after a 14-year saga

2022-08-05T15:57:00-04:00

Last week was opening day for the new Gensler-designed Jackie Robinson Museum in Lower Manhattan. Luminaries, including Spike Lee and Mayor Eric Adams were on hand to inaugurate the museum, which was first announced by Major League Baseball and the Jackie Robinson Foundation to observe the 61st anniversary of his Dodgers debut in 2008.

Occupying a space on Varick Street that is now landmarked by the city, the 20,000-square-foot museum focuses as much on Robinson’s multisport athletic career and rise to baseball’s pinnacle as it does on his progressive social activism and lifelong fight against racism.

Years of delays meant the project has been put off its intended 2019 opening until this year.

Having opened its doors last Friday, the Jackie Robinson Museum seeks to bring people from all walks together to commune and appreciate each other’s humanity and diverse experiences. Enjoy a glimpse of the ribbon cutting ceremony led by Emmy Award winner @RobinRoberts pic.twitter.com/QyNcQVhW...

Populous will help the Toronto Blue Jays modernize the Rogers Centre for the first time in 33 years

2022-08-01T13:20:00-04:00

The Toronto Blue Jays baseball team has unveiled its first round of new upgrades to the Rogers Centre. They claim it will turn their 33-year-old home into a modern player and fan-experience-oriented baseball facility thanks to a privately-funded $300 million CAD ($234 million USD) effort.

Populous has been tapped to handle all aspects of the renovation, including creating new social areas across three levels, replacement of aging seats, reworked outfield and bullpens, and new family and training areas for the team. The firm had previously worked with the Blue Jays to hasten a series of similar enhancements to its Spring Training facility before the start of last year's season, the first six weeks of which had to be played in Florida.

Image render courtesy of Populous.

This will constitute the first time any architectural firm has laid its hands on the former SkyDome in any significant way since Rod Robbie’s 53,506-seat venue debuted as the world’s first-ever retractable roof stadium ...

Chicago Cubs sued by DOJ over alleged ADA violations in recent Wrigley Field renovations

2022-07-19T14:30:00-04:00

The federal government is taking the Chicago Cubs to court over the team's recent renovations at Wrigley Field, claiming the changes to the ballpark don't comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court by the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago, the Cubs "failed to ensure that recent additions and alterations at Wrigley Field are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.”

Between 2014 and 2019, Wrigley Field underwent a significant overhaul known as “The 1060 Project,” which included new seats, expanded bleachers, a new outdoor concourse, new concessions, upgraded restrooms, new team clubhouses, and more.

The alleged violations to the ADA Standards for Accessible Design were first recognized by the Department of Justice in November 2019. The lawsuit claims the franchise didn’t provide wheelchair users with adequate sightlines, that are further worsened when other fans stand during games. In the general admission areas, wheelchair seating is mainly grouped in the last row of seating sections. In addition, the new premium clubs and group seating areas do not include wheelchair seating.

The lawsuit also highlights flaws with concession stands, restrooms, and walkways throughout the stadium. The Justice Department is seeking a court order requiring the Cubs to address the deficiencies noted in the lawsuit and to compensate visitors for any injuries suf...

Manica and Moody Nolan team up for a renovation of Cleveland Guardians' Progressive Field

2022-03-16T14:30:00-04:00

Several Midwest practices are joining forces for a timely renovation project at Cleveland’s Progressive Field.

Kansas City-based Manica Architecture is now teaming up with Ohio’s own Moody Nolan for the multi-year project with additional help from Cleveland-based studios Van Auken Akins and Robert P. Madison International, who will cover the interior renovations and construction support respectively.

The renovation will include a reworking of the upper deck concourse and seating area behind home plate, the left-field Terrace Club, and the team’s clubhouse and front office areas. The erstwhile Jacobs Field was considered a forebearer for a new breed of well-integrated “destination” baseball stadiums when it opened in 1994.

Interior view of Progressive Field in 2019 while still branded under its former offensive moniker. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Erik Drost. (CC BY 2.0)

“We feel very fortunate to live in a community that is unified in maintaining momentum in Northeast Ohi...

Populous' Field of Dreams park is this year's Ballpark of the Year winner

2021-09-09T17:58:00-04:00

The corn-fed Iowa baseball stadium constructed by Populous for this year’s thrilling Field of Dreams game has been named the winner of the coveted Baseballparks.com “Ballpark of the Year” award that began in the year 2000.

The pop-up stadium joins HOK’s Las Vegas Aviators stadium and San Diego’s Petco Park as winners of the magazine’s annual award. Founder Joe Mock explained that this year’s crop had represented the deepest field he’d seen since 2009, the year the new Yankee Stadium opened at a then-record cost of $1.5 billion.

Rendering courtesy Populous.

After some delays, the $6 million stadium was able to be completed in time for the August match-up between the Yankees and the White Sox that ended when superstar Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson sent a walk-off home run into the 12-foot-tall corn stalks behind the right-field fence.

“[We] were privileged to design the Field of Dreams Ballpark and bring the magic and poetry of the iconic film to life,” Populous senior principal Todd...

If you build it: MLB's corny new pop-up stadium gets center stage tonight in Iowa

2021-08-12T16:20:00-04:00

The game will mark the first Major League Baseball game ever held in the State of Iowa. MLB built a temporary ballpark adjacent to the movie site, with a potential capacity of up to 8,000 fans, and here are the latest photos, courtesy MLB.

Major League Baseball coordinated with commercial landscaping firm BrightView and a “creative experience company” called BaAM Productions to reshape the 159-acre former movie set in Dyersville, Iowa. The site is known to be a popular tourist destination drawing up to 100,000 visitors in a given year.

BrightView’s Murray Cook told the Des Moines Register he felt the result has a similar feel to old Comiskey Park, the legendary southside stadium that the White Sox team at the center of the “Black Sox” controversy covered by the film. "Obviously this one's in a cornfield," he added. Cook had consulted with MLB on previous pop-up venues at Fort Bragg and Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the home of the Little League World Series.

The new Field of Dreams complex was completed in time for the announced Yankees-White Sox 2020 game date, which was pushed back a year because of COVID-19. Local NBC affiliate KWWL has a pregame walkthrough of the field here.

Studio-MLA showcases the future of LA's sports stadiums

2020-10-16T18:21:00-04:00

Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA and associate principal Matthew Lysne showcase their latest stadium projects in Los Angeles. Taking the design lead to each site's landscape and urban layout, Studio-MLA teamed with HKS, Gensler, and Levin & Associates, among others, to showcase their landscape designs for Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium, and Banc of California Stadium.

Studio-MLA provided Archinect with images of all three larger-scale projects and descriptions. Mia Lehrer shares, "Our new stadium-parks offer a model for economic recovery and for improving the urban experience, including as cities recover from the pandemic and reinforce efforts to address social inequities."

Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium. Image © Hunter Kerhart/Courtesy of Studio-MLA

Project Description

"The renovated landscape for the 260-acre site furthers the client’s goal to strengthen their fans’ experience and memory of the stadium. Children’s play areas and g...

Climate change calls for a new stadium in Texas baseball

2019-10-04T11:01:00-04:00

A few years ago, the owners of the Rangers concluded that the sweat-inducing weather was depressing attendance, and decided to build $1.2 billion Globe Life Field, with a retractable roof and air conditioning, right next to their not-very-old and still perfectly good stadium. The residents of Arlington are chipping in $500 million of that cost.

As climate change continues to bestow its work upon the planet, Texas Rangers Baseball are one of the many feeling its effects. Globe Life Field, the new HKS designed baseball park under construction in Arlington, Texas, and due for completion in March of next year, is the $1.2 billion response to the rising heat.

Globe Life Stadium. Courtesy of HKS

As innovations in stadium design continue to progress, the 'inconveniences' of the past will become the luxuries of the future, sweaty patrons now will have the comfort of climate controlled competition.

In defense of Oakland's "charmless" Brutalist baseball stadium

2019-10-03T07:00:00-04:00

When the Oakland Coliseum opened in 1966, it was hailed as a Brutalist gem that could house two sports in an elegantly simple, circular design. A half-century later, it is perhaps America’s most hated sports stadium. Players and coaches deride it. The Oakland Raiders are fleeing it. [...] Even these pages have called it “a bland, charmless concrete monstrosity” that “isn’t worthy of preservation.”

Writing in The New York Times, Jack Nicas embarks on a spirited defense of the Oakland Coliseum, warts and all.

Nicas writes, "Yes, the Coliseum is ugly, but it is cheap, gritty and fun. The spacious confines allow fans to roam around, spread out and enjoy a comprehensive view of the game. And the park’s dinginess fosters a freewheeling atmosphere, where bleacher die-hards bang drums and heckle outfielders, while upper-deck denizens pack picnics and pass joints," adding, "It all adds up to a baseball experience that stands out in the increasingly homogeneous ballpark landscape."

View of the proposed Oakland As stadium. Image: Bjarke Ingels Group

The 53-year old stadium is due to be replaced by a new facility designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, Gensler, and James Corner Field Operations on a different site. The existing stadium, under the plan, will be scraped to create a sunken amphitheater that would serve as the heart of a new housing and park complex planned for the site.

Listen to ...

Dodger Stadium gets a $100-million makeover

2019-07-24T13:55:00-04:00

The Dodgers [...] will unveil plans for a $100-million renovation of Dodger Stadium that will provide a new center field plaza as well as elevators and bridges that will connect the outfield pavilions to the rest of the stadium. [...] The stadium will maintain its league-high capacity, which is listed at 56,000. And despite all the changes, club officials say the picturesque view of Chavez Ravine fans have become accustomed to will not be disrupted.

"The new Centerfield Plaza will create a stadium 'front door' with almost two acres of unique food offerings, entertainment and kids areas, retail locations, sponsor activations, more social and standing room areas and greater access for those with special needs," states the description of the renovations and stadium upgrades planned for 2020 on the team's website. "A new kids play area will be constructed just beyond the wall in straight-away centerfield, and fans will be able to enjoy the game from above of a newly-constructed batters eye wall."

Fascinated by the intersection of baseball and architecture? Get Paul Goldberger's latest book Ballpark at the Archinect Outpost online store.

Paul Goldberger to present Ballpark at Archinect Outpost, June 1st

2019-05-15T12:20:00-04:00

Join us in celebrating Ballpark, the latest book by Paul Goldberger, at Archinect Outpost on Saturday, June 1st, 5-8pm.

The doors will open at 5 and will close promptly after 6 as the conversation begins between Paul Goldberger and Paul Petrunia, the founder and director of Archinect, on the content on his newest book.

Ballpark can be preordered here for pickup at the event, or shipping immediately after the event. Please go here to RSVP for the event.

1962 view of a completed Dodger Stadium. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

From Penguin Random House: "From the earliest corrals of the mid-1800s (Union Grounds in Brooklyn was a 'saloon in the open air'), to the much mourned parks of the early 1900s (Detroit’s Tiger Stadium, Cincinnati’s Palace of the Fans), to the stadiums we fill today, Paul Goldberger makes clear the inextricable bond between the American city and America’s favorit...

Oakland Athletics present BIG's circular redesign of proposed Howard Terminal Ballpark

2019-02-27T13:50:00-05:00

The Oakland Athletics have released updated renderings of the proposed ballpark at Howard Terminal. The team said it tweaked the design of the original boxy structure to provide better views of the bay and Oakland and after getting feedback from fans and public officials.

When plans for the Bjarke Ingels-designed new 34,000-seat baseball stadium at Howard Terminal (complete with gondola and publicly accessible rooftop park, among other features) were unveiled to much fanfare last November by the Oakland Athletics, the public reception was mixed.

This week, renderings of a revised design were released that seek to incorporate some of the feedback—most notably, a more circular stadium shape.

Image: Bjarke Ingels Group

Oakland A's President, Dave Kaval, describes the merits of the redesign in a statement released this week:

[...] Back in November, we were thrilled and humbled by the initial positive response to our preliminary concepts for the ballpark design. Fans and community members alike expressed excitement about the design. Since then, we've continued to meet with public officials, fans, and community members to gather more input and refine our designs.

Image: Bjarke Ingels Group

One key update to our design: a more circular shape. This geometry ...

Oakland A's release plans by BIG for new ballpark at Howard Terminal

2018-11-28T19:56:00-05:00

The Oakland Athletics have unveiled plans for their new highly-anticipated stadium. Leaving their longtime home at the current Coliseum, which will be transformed into a tech and housing hub, the A's will be moving to a mega-ballpark designed by Bjarke Ingels that will be located at the Howard Terminal waterfront.

Renderings for the new ballpark, described by A's president Dave Kaval as "nothing you have ever seen," show a futuristic facility with nods to the jewel box design popularized by Philadelphia's Shibe Park at the turn-of-the century. Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Staidum, also happens to be the team's old home from when they were the Philadelphia Athletics.

Image courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

The ambitious stadium will seat 34,000 and feature a publicly accessible rooftop park with views of the waterfront. Surrounding the ballpark, a series of wedge-shaped high-rises will further bring cafes, shops, co-working spaces and apartments to the area. Important to Kava...

A look at the winning architecture firm behind the 2015 World Series' stadium

2015-11-02T17:45:00-05:00

Located in Kansas City, architecture firm Populous did the design for Citi Field where the Mets play and the renovation design for Kauffman Stadium for the Royals. For them, this World Series provided a platform for what the firm do for both ground-up design and ballparks that have preexisted. [...] Populous will assuredly continue to be the main player in sports facility design. Having both Citi Field and Kauffman Stadium hosting games helped showcase why.

That old Eden of a ballpark

2014-10-13T00:26:00-04:00

Ricketts got most of what he wanted. Alderman Tunney was again involved in the negotiations and he said the mayor’s office essentially decided that “one of the most generous sign packages ever” was a reasonable trade-off for the Rickettses’ willingness to spend their own money. He added ruefully: “There will be advertisements coming out of everywhere. We will have our own little Times Square right here at the corner of Clark and Addison.”

Barry Bearak digs into the Ricketts family, the Cubs and future plans for Wrigley Field. From the "cursed" record of the franchise, to legal battles with the owners of adjacent rooftops, the family faces numerous challenges in turning around their investment. Though the ballpark may soon be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, the family has also announced upgrades and expensive renovations, which some claim would ruin the aesthetics.