Reds reveal plans for riverboat pavilion
Team, Cincinnati Bell partner on two-story seating area
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
CINCINNATI -- A new feature is coming to Great American Ball Park that will allow Reds fans to see home run balls both coming and going.
In a special three-year partnership announced Friday during the opening of Redsfest, the Reds and Cincinnati Bell revealed plans for a new and improved party area above the center-field batter's eye.
Called the Cincinnati Bell Technology Pavilion, a new two-story riverboat will be built while the existing lower pavilion is slated to undergo a renovation.
The new pavilion will also serve as a meeting and technology center that is open year-round. Inside, Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions will display and demo vendor products and services for prospective clients.
What does this mean for Reds fans? The spot will also be a new place to watch the game.
The 7,500-square-foot rooftop deck will hold about 150 fans. Another 170 fans can gather in the 3,200-square-foot indoor technology center with access to the rooftop deck.
Since the ballpark opened in 2003, several home runs have entered or cleared the batter's eye area. It could offer fans on the rooftop deck and interesting perspective of the game.
"What began as a renovation process quickly blossomed into a unique partnership with Cincinnati Bell," Reds chief executive officer Bob Castellini said in a statement. "While we wanted to make the center field area of the ballpark more fan friendly, Cincinnati Bell added a dimension to it that benefits both its technology solutions arm and the Reds. It's a very innovative use of that space."