The Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Family Pavilion is a premier playground facility inside Cheney Stadium, home of the Tacoma Rainiers. The Rainiers’ team ownership worked with Korsmo Construction to execute their vision for a new children’s play area and Wiffle ball field to enhance the fun and family-friendly atmosphere at the ballpark.
Located behind the grass berm along the first baseline, the Family Pavilion allows parents to keep their eyes on their kids and the game. The new 9,670-square-foot park caters to children of all ages. Toddlers and younger children can enjoy age-appropriate play equipment that helps develop gross motor skills, and kids ages five to 12 can climb and navigate through flexibility-based structures. The playground sits atop a special rubberized material that provides a resilient, safe play surface.
Children (and parents) can step up to bat on Tacoma’s only regulation-sized Wiffle ball field, which features a synthetic turf. A patented netting system and backstop provide ample protection from Rainiers’ foul balls and keeps Wiffle ball home runs from escaping the pavilion.
The play area operates as a public park that is accessible year round, but will be reserved for ticket holding individuals one hour prior to gates opening at Rainiers home games.
The project was completed using the design-build delivery method, and signifies one of Korsmo’s most unique – and fun – projects to date. Korsmo was highly involved in the planning and design of the project, working with landscape architecture firm Bruce Dees and Associates to find unique ways to maximize the owner’s budget to achieve their goals. This highly collaborative project had many different stakeholders, including the City of Tacoma, Metro Parks Tacoma, and the Ben B. Cheney Foundation.
