In the summer of 2023, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced that professional baseball would return to Rickwood Field, the oldest existing professional ballpark in the United States. The game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants was billed as a tribute to the Negro Leagues and Birmingham native Willie Mays, who started his career in 1948 with the Birmingham Black Barons.

With the game scheduled for Juneteenth 2024, The City of Birmingham and the Friends of Rickwood fast-tracked an ambitious multimillion-dollar renovation to bring Rickwood’s field of play into compliance with modern standards for professional competition. A design-build project led by A.G. Gaston Construction, Stick served as project architect to design and oversee construction of new dugouts and coordinate comprehensive updates to Rickwood’s field of play padding and fencing.

Demolition, site work, and construction were complicated by the project’s immediate proximity to Rickwood’s historic grandstands. Excavation felt like just that, as unanticipated plumbing and structural conditions dating back more than a century were uncovered regularly as work progressed. Combined with the compressed timeframe and hard deadline, the project demanded seamless communication and coordination. Stick played an integral role in keeping client, design team, and a cohort of contractors - many of whom were spread across the United States and Canada - moving steadily forward in the face of these challenges on a project with no time to waste.

Stick worked closely with MBA Engineers to develop a custom shoring system to insulate the grandstands from destabilizing effects as the existing 1970s-era dugouts were demolished and additional earth was moved to make way for the enlarged footprint of the new dugouts. This system integrated seamlessly into the new construction, forming the structural backbone of – and disappearing into - the rear wall and roof of the new dugout.

The project resulted in a world-class playing surface; fencing, padding, & netting systems capable of being deployed on an as-needed basis for the highest level of competition; and dugouts matching the historic character of the stadium capable of accommodating the modern professional game.

MLB @ Rickwood Field ultimately drew fans and players from around the world, and was acclaimed as a shining moment in the history of the city. Stick is proud of its contribution to this event and the revitalization of this unique and culturally-significant site.