The new $20 million baseball stadium, QuikTrip Park at Grand Pairie is featured in Sports Business Journal's  "Innovative by Design" article in their June 2 issue. The article highlights how 10 venues are taking a fresh approach to designing and using space.

The new independent league stadium in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex opened in May and expands and improves upon the novelties associated with the latest minor league ballparks. The $20 million facility stands out for its miniature golf course, in addition to the swimming pool and playground attractions common at other small-town baseball venues.

“The best ones are mediocre,” said Roger Christoph, co-owner of the American Association’s Grand Prairie AirHogs. “We’ve got a 17,000-square-foot kids zone, which is huge.”

Ballpark architect Sparks Sports, at Christoph’s request, designed the concourse to reflect festive tourist districts in Paris; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Barcelona, Spain. Project designer Nathan Koob experienced Las Ramblas, a shopping boulevard in Barcelona, so he knew what ownership wanted.

The first-base and right-field side, where minigolf, the “Wide World of Parks” and the pool are situated, are more kid-friendly. Walking behind home plate, the concourse leads to a cigar bar, sports lounge and party deck down the third-base line and into left field.

“It goes from a PG rating to more of an adult theme,” said Sparks Sports interior designer Jodi Chronister.