SAN DIEGO – Gallagher Square is officially opened to the public at Petco Park located behind the outfield with entertainment for fans.
One of the major upgrades was replacing the grass hill with fake grass saving water and money for the San Diego Padres organization. According to the San Diego Union Tribune writer Jennifer Van Grove, “The slope is also being refashioned into more of an amphitheater-style seating area, providing better viewing of the Sycuan stage or video board.”
In addition, Tony Gwynn’s statue was moved to a new area at the ballpark. Previously, the statue was located on top of a grass hill facing the video board where fans could walk up and take photos.
“Here park goers will also find the Tony Gwynn statue, which will intentionally face the Trevor Hoffman statue and create the effect of the famous closer pitching to the batting-title legend,” said Van Grove.
The new terrace provides affordable tickets for fans to attend baseball games and concerts on a budget. According to Fox 5 San Diego sports writer Domenick Candelieri, “The Tony Gwynn Terrace also offers picnic tables for additional seating, a Tony Gwynn Deck Tower that has a new food and beverage space and video board, the Tony Gwynn Tunnel and another Padres retail and food and beverage spot built on the ground level next to the tunnel.”
A new playground and play ball were added to the ballpark located behind the terrace for children to explore and entertain themselves during games. The playground features the tallest climbable bats in the world, along with slides and swing sets bringing more people into the ballpark.
Humberto Estrada, a longtime Padres fan, mentioned how excited he was for the new improvements to the ballpark. Estrada said in an interview with FOX 5 San Diego, “It looks amazing, it looks like they are going to go bigger. I see they are adding a playground for kids, so we’ll get some young Padres fans real quick … they won’t have to start as late as me.”
According to National Broadcasting Company San Diego writers Danielle Smith and Rafael Avitabile, “This space has been a defining feature of America’s #1 Ballpark and based on fan and community feedback our renovation will make it an even more vibrant and impactful part of the ballpark experience and asset to our Downtown community.”
Erick Greupner, CEO of the San Diego Padres stated that his goal of the new development was to bring the community together.
