Wisconsin Brewing Company Park

All photos of Wisconsin Brewing Company Park available on Flickr.

Yesterday, I took the family to see the newest member of the thriving southeastern Wisconsin baseball scene - the Lake Country DockHounds of the independent American Association.  They play in the brand new Wisconsin Brewing Company Park in the Pabst Farms area of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, which is in the heart of the "Lake Country" region of Waukesha County, hence the team moniker.  It was only about a 25-minute drive from where we live on the west side of Milwaukee, which is actually not that much further than driving down to see their inter-metro rival, the Milwaukee Milkmen.  We got to the park right around first pitch, which was conveniently located within eyesight of I-94, but not so conveniently cost an obscene $5 to park there.

I wrote a little bit about the origins of this team last May when the team was announced if you care to read a bit about the background of the ballpark, but the finished product seats about 3,600 people and from what I could tell driving by occasionally on the freeway, it was certainly a race to get it finished.  My office is actually in Madison, and I can recall driving out there the last week of April and the park looked nowhere near done with about three weeks to go before the home opener.  None of the seats were in, cladding and glazing were not done, the turf was not in yet - it looked unfinished to the degree that I told Megan I was unsure if it was worth going out there this year because the park would probably open unfinished.  However, miraculously the park did open with a full certificate of occupancy on Opening Day, and by all accounts was a success.  The turf rolled out quickly as it is 100% field turf, the seats got screwed in quickly in an array of colors sort of akin to Franklin Field, and the primarily EIFS façade proved to be a great design choice with a time crunch (although aesthetically, debatable at best).  We bought seats in the left field corner GA grass berm area figuring that we would be spending most of the game walking around with the kids, which proved to be true, but it was still a great view for the few innings we did spend there.  The berm area featured a nearby concession stand that was sort of hidden and never busy like the main stand, as well as close proximity to the restrooms, both of which were very smart to put in the vicinity of a seating area that is usually mostly families.

It's natural to compare Wisconsin Brewing Company Park and Franklin Field, so I won't try to hide from that fact.  They both opened within 3 years of each other for two expansion teams in the same league and the same metropolitan area, and are also roughly the same size.  They also both feature 100% field turf and a scattering of colorful seats as I mentioned earlier, and are both built on long undereveloped, challenging sites.  However, once you get into the nuts and bolts of the design, that is where the similarities end.  WBC Park was designed by Jendusa out of nearby Hartland, WI who advertise themselves primarily as a structural engineering firm, and that fact really tells you a lot about the end product.  As you approach the main gate, the first thing you notice is the elegant steel truss archway that holds up the signage at the ballpark's highest point.  You then enter under the exposed floor above, comprised of galvanized, unpainted roof deck spread over an array of beautiful castellated beams.  It is definitely a type of entry that a structural engineer would be proud to show off - simple yet elegant in the detailing and without a need for embellishment.  And even as an architect I can humbly say that it was my favorite part of the park.  After you cast your gaze downward from studying the structure above (when I say "you" I probably just mean me...no other nerd is doing that), the very first thing you see in front of you is not the field, or a food stand, or any sort of structure, but rather a long bar with an old map of Oconomowoc etched onto some translucent resin panels, which is beautiful but actually completely blocks any view to the field.  It's also very much like an engineer to just get right to the point and not dance around the obvious - the first thing most adults do when they get into a ballpark is grab a beer, and at this park it's within 10 feet of your face immediately when you walk in.  In hindsight, I can't say I was surprised that a park sponsored by a brewery would do this, but I did think it would be somewhat attached to the brewery that is actually on site.  Wisconsin Brewing Company features a pilot brewery on site as a part of the ballpark, and I was disappointed that it was not really engaged with the stadium in any way.  I couldn't even find a way in and there from inside the park, nor is there any signage for it on the outside, so it definitely seemed like a missed opportunity.  And that's really a good way to sum up a lot of the park - missed opportunities.  It's a park in a wide open field that didn't take advantage of a wrap-around concourse.  They have a cool little area in right field called Stamas Dentistry Beach that is in no way an actual beach.  They have these cool pontoon boats you can reserve and sit in as an ode to Lake Country that should be front and center and are tucked in the corner.  They have an ample kids area that has absolutely nothing appropriate for any kids under 10.  And the unnecessarily narrow concourse has zero views to the field; instead you see the lovely backside and underside of the grandstand and the bathrooms.  The park definitely has one of the coolest and most original entries I've seen in a park that size, and some individual unique elements, but cohesively as a park it lacks execution and pales in comparison to Franklin Field.  Franklin Field is a great example of how simple doesn't necessarily mean bad or boring if it's done well, and Wisconsin Brewing Company Park is just the opposite - lots of nice individual gestures, but it does not come together well.  I'm not trying to sound snobby or condescending, but the park seems to have a lack of attention to detail that you would only get with the services of an architecture-specific firm.  I'd be interested to go back with just Megan or my folks sometime as I think we'd have a great time at that front bar, but if any of the five people who read this blog have small kids of their own, I would suggest spending your money on the Milkmen.

The game itself saw the visiting Cleburne (TX) Railroaders eke out the DockHounds 5-4 in a feisty battle between the two cellar-dwelling teams of the East Division.  It sure seems like every win that the Railroaders get should almost count double for being two states away from their nearest opponent, whereas the DockHounds have the luxury of playing in a division with 5 teams within a 75-mile radius.  We left in the 7th inning when the game was nodded at 2, and has been the trend lately for me, most of the action happened after we left.  Edwin Arroyo smashed his 3rd homer of the year to give Cleburne a 5-2 lead in the 8th and they held on to win behind Nick Gardewine's 4th save of the season.  I was curious how this ballpark would play being within a stone's throw of the interstate, but it seemed to be a bit of a bandbox as there were 4 total bombs in the game and the ball carried well in the gaps.  Both starters gave up 2 over 6 and were nothing spectacular.  Usually at an indy ball game, I will recognize a "has-been" or two still scrounging around with hopes of being noticed by a big league team, and while I didn't recognize any players, there was one name I couldn't help but notice - Clemens.  Kacy even wears his dad's #22 for the Railroaders and is actually having a nice year, hitting .378 with 20 RBI in 74 at-bats.  He hit 5th in the lineup and manned 1st base on this day, and went 1-3 with an RBI and 2 walks.

Megan and I had an extensive debate on the way home from the game whether or not we liked this park better or Franklin Field.  As I eluded to earlier, certainly from the perspective of bringing our two small children, the Milkmen win hands down.  While it doesn't have a true kids area, it has more ample space for children to run around with a bigger lawn area, and it has the 360° concourse with a view of the field which makes it easier to walk a stroller around.  And there were certainly parts we enjoyed out in Lake Country as well which I've already talked about.  But in the end, we both arrived at the conclusion that we're kind of spoiled in the first place to even be able to have such a debate over which of our Milwaukee area baseball teams PLURAL is a better experience.  With the addition of the DockHounds, there are now 7 ball teams above collegiate level within an hour drive of Milwaukee, and that is something that I try to never take for granted.

park rankings and statistics: 

aesthetics - 5 (the entry salvages this category)

views from park - 4 (I-94)

view to field - 9 (seats all close to field and good views down the lines)

surrounding area - 6 (they don't call it "Lake Country" for nothing)

food variety - 3

nachos - 5

beer - 7 (points deducted for basically only one beer stand)

vendor price - 7

ticket price - 8 ($8 GA)

atmosphere - 6

walk to park - 1

parking price/proximity - 3 (no team of this caliber should ever charge for parking)

concourses - 2 (camped, under grandstand, zero view to field)

team shop - 7

kids area - 3 (not an appropriate age level that a kids area should be)

best food - burger (standard ballpark fare)

most unique stadium feature - entry/bar in entry

best jumbotron feature - "Homerun with RE/MAX" animation

best between-inning feature - kids mini-e-bike race

field dimensions - 325/400/325

starters - Garrett Alexander (CLE) v. Evan Kruczynski (LC)

opponent - Cleburne Railroaders

time of game - 3:09

attendance - 1720

score - 5-4 L

Brewers score that day - 8-6 L

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/11/22:

Brewers 48-39, +2.0; 2 @ Twins, 4 @ Giants

Twins 48-40, +4.0; 2 v. Brewers, 4 v. White Sox

2022 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 1

Peter - 13