Dallas and the suburbs of Plano and Irving (then home to football’s Cowboys) each made pitches to the Rangers. The Rangers knew it, the fans knew it, and the politicians in Arlington knew it.Ī classy variation of the Rangers’ logo is placed on every aisle-facing seat at Globe Life Park.Neighboring towns in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex knew it as well-and let the Rangers know that they had available space. It wasn’t just an aesthetic issue, but a financial one the Rangers couldn’t run the franchise in the black even if they sold out the old joint every night. The 25-year-old ballpark, over-modulated from a small minor league facility to a 40,000-seat eyesore featuring no shade, no allure and no chance whatsoever of winning any architectural honors, was a non-starter for the new regime. Job Two lay ahead: Leaving Arlington Stadium. Bush bought the Rangers early in 1989, it instantly completed Job One: Keeping the team from leaving Arlington, after outgoing owner Eddie Chiles had threatened a move to St. When a local group publicly fronted by future Texas Governor (and future U.S. ![]() There is one thing, however, that everyone can agree on: Globe Life Park was light years ahead of its predecessor, even if it looks “older.” Bushing the Envelope. They understand that their home wasn’t perfect-opinions about the place vary wildly, both inside and outside of Arlington. Heat and traffic cones aside, Globe Life Park provided welcome, big-time ballpark relief for Rangers fans, who certainly rank among the friendliest in the majors. It’s the law of the Texas Department of Transportation when you’re done building a road, rebuild it. Roads, boulevards and freeways are abundant, but like most roads in Texas, they’re always under construction. Of course, the trick of getting to Globe Life Park and its generous amount of street-level parking lots was, well, getting there. Give the City of Arlington, arguably the nation’s most active playland between Anaheim and Orlando, credit for putting on the dog. Nearby street lamps, freeway overpasses and signage are decorated in elegant, antique iron stylings, as if the ballpark has literally taken root and spread its aesthetic touch throughout the town like vines. Globe Life Park’s kitsch isn’t restricted to the ballpark structure. Below, topping the lower row of arches, is a series of subtle relief murals depicting famous moments in Texas history. The exterior is dressed with a graceful combination of granite and brick, alternatively adorned at top with lone stars and longhorn steers made from cast stone. On the outside, Globe Life Park has a more distinctly Texas character. Such heat would ultimate seal the ballpark’s fate-much earlier than expected. And while there was more shade to keep less fans exposed from the boiling Texas sun, summertime temperatures often remained at or close to 100 well into the late innings. There’s a more invisible homage to old Arlington Stadium, the facility that preceded Globe Life Park as the Texas Rangers’ home: The stifling, inescapable heat. Sally Field’s schizophrenic character from Sybil could have showed up and wondered aloud, “Can’t this place make up its mind?” Even the nameplate on the outside entrance changed three times. ![]() And look to the top of the upper deck, and you’ll see a generic take on Yankee Stadium’s more elegant, classic overhead frieze. Oh, and over behind right field, there’s a double-decked bleacher pavilion modeled after Detroit’s extinct Tiger Stadium. There’s the left-field wall that echoes Fenway Park’s Green Monster. The arches that dominate the outer layers of the ballpark are derived from Chicago’s old Comiskey Park. ![]() The ballpark dripped with multiple personality disorder. ![]() And when we mean character, we mean lots of it-and in many forms. Say this about Globe Life Park: It didn’t lack for character.
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