A Gem of a Tribute As a place of fun, energy and celebration, the Lake Elsinore Diamond Minor League Baseball Stadium has given its entire community a reason to cheer. The first component of the master-planned community of South Shore, the 6,000-seat stadium site was created on the former flood plain of Lake Elsinore, behind improvements by the Army Corps of Engineers as a part of the Lake Stabilization Plan. Home to the Lake Elsinore Storm-- a farm team for the California Angels-- the state-of-the-art stadium was designed to accommodate a variety of events besides baseball, including concerts, graduation ceremonies and various community exhibitions. Owned by the community located southeast of Los Angeles, Lake Elsinore Stadium captures the traditional essence of baseball and a tribute to the Great American Pastime. A desire to heighten the experience of attending events at the Diamond drove an intense landscape plan executed by EPT Landscape Architecture. As consultants, EPT's Pasadena office was responsible for all site design and streetscapes on the nineteen-acre gem of land, while team leaders HNTB Sports Architecture developed an heterogeneous architectural style-- incorporating turn-of-the-century ballparks with brick construction, industrial buildings and the arts. Landscape Architects under the direction of Principal-in-Charge Nord Eriksson rose to the challenge of creating a themed environment in the middle of a flood plain by raising the playing field just above the water table. Showcasing a plaza and formal pedestrian promenade, the landscape features period light fixtures, benches, colored concrete and brick paving, and an iron fountain. Yet by far, baseball-shaped bollards and topiary frame sculptures of a pitcher and catcher designed by Project Manager Steve Carroll and Artist Jennifer Copburn are the highlights of the entry plaza that capture the imagination of all who visit the stadium. A double allee of London Plane trees frames the entry experience along with the rose compass paving donated by Lake Elsinore-based Pacific Clay Products. And a simple palette of turf, Eucalyptus citriodora, Eucalyptus sideroxylon, Ligustrum japonicum hedges and meadow grass groundcover on slopes strongly reinforce the idea that this is a special place-- a place of enjoyment, relaxation and fun. The architects, nationally known for their sports architecture expertise, commented at completion of the project that the Lake Elsinore Diamond had more attention paid to the landscape than any previous stadium they had worked on. Winner of the Southern California Chapter of ASLA's 1995 "Landscape Art" award of merit, this seamless package has scored a home run in its ability to heighten anticipation and delight for each and every fan. Photo captions: 1. People and graphics enliven the landscape at the Lake Elsinore Diamond. 3. The promenade plaza adjacent to the street is anchored by clever topiary sculptures. 4. Midway up the promenade, the combination of the tree allees and diamond patterned paving successfully direct the way toward the excitement. 5. Site furnishings were chosen to highlight and complement the classic ballpark atmosphere, inducing children (and adults!) to climb and play on the bollards. 6. Rich in landscape, architecture and activity, the stadium's entry plaza welcomes present and future athletes alike. 7. Custom, precast baseball bollards are a definite crowd-pleaser! 8. The original planting scheduled to grow into the 9' topiary sculptures was eliminated so that spectators may admire their life-like detail and fine craftsmanship. 9. Entry plaza view showing construction materials and detailing of the rose compass paving. ?????EPT San Juan Capistrano Principal Michael Bunganich heartily recommends a visit to the Lake Elsinore Diamond: "it really is the best $3 ever spent for visitors to the Southland!" Photos #1, 3-8 by Michael Bunganich. Photo by Annette Del Zoppo. All photos provided courtesy of EPT Landscape Architecture.