A decade ago, Go the Distance Baseball formed to preserve the Iowa farm site where the 1989 movie Field of Dreams was filmed. The farmhouse can be rented or toured, and the venue includes a souvenir shop, ballpark concessions, and a field where visitors can have a catch. It’s expected to attract about 300,000 visitors this year.
Recently, the venue’s new owners unveiled a plan to build a youth baseball and softball destination for players, fans, and tourists, while preserving the cornfield setting and working farm. With $80 million in private investment, the master plan will almost double the site’s size—adding almost 100 acres to the original 190-acre footprint of the former Lansing family farm and movie site. The project will include nine new ballfields, dormitories for teams, and a boutique hotel, all slated to be completed in phases by the end of 2023.
“While the substantial private investment will expand and enhance our facilities, we are deeply committed to preserving the romantic experience of the Field of Dreams, including the views, the baseball diamond, the farmhouse, and the cornfields. Those images will never change,” COO Dan Evans, a longtime executive for five MLB franchises, said in a statement.
Additional phases through 2025 will include a 100,000-square-foot fieldhouse, an outdoor concert amphitheater, an RV park, a large park inclusive for children and adults with disabilities, and jogging trails through the cornfields. When fully completed, the development will create about 170 new full-time-equivalent jobs. Area residents can have member access to the indoor fieldhouse and a training facility for year-round recreation.
“Preserving and enhancing one of Iowa’s top tourism destinations makes this project a win-win for the local and state economies,” Keith Rahe, president and CEO of Travel Dubuque, said in a statement.
Owner: Go the Distance Baseball, LLC
Owner’s representative: Leopardo Companies
Design architect and architect of record: RDG Planning & Design
MEP engineer: KCL Engineers
Structural engineer: Origin Design
Related Stories
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jun 27, 2019
Foster + Partners unveils design of wooden boathouse for Row New York
The project will sit on the banks of the Harlem River in Sherman Creek Park.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jun 19, 2019
Have a Coke and a smile: New Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai is on cutting edge of arena design
It is being called the only venue of its kind between Istanbul and Singapore that can host events throughout the year.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 29, 2019
HOK and SAP explore the future of eSports
Flexibility and connectivity between the digital and physical space are key.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 24, 2019
Beverly Hills’ La Cienega Park to be redesigned by Johnson Favaro
The park will include new indoor and outdoor space.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 9, 2019
Plainfield, Ill., recreation center projected to achieve the Passive House Institute US PHIUS+ Source Zero certification
Design-build firm Wight & Company completed the building.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 24, 2019
MLS stadium design unveiled for St. Louis
Plans capitalize on league’s plans to expand.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 12, 2019
New ballpark is another draw for thriving downtown in Summerlin, Nev.
Developer Howard Hughes views the stadium as an essential piece to this master-planned community’s growth.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 4, 2019
Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field progresses toward its 2020 completion date
The stadium will be the cornerstone of the Texas Live! Development.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 28, 2019
This will be the Western Hemisphere’s first purpose-built eSports arena
Populous is designing the facility.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 20, 2019
HKS unveils retractable-roof ballpark in Japan
The Nippon-Ham Fighters Baseball Club will call the park home.
