Erlanger Park, the new home of the Chattanooga Lookouts, has been named a finalist for the TDA26 Community Project of the Year Award, earning international recognition as the only finalist from North America in the category.
Presented by TheStadiumBusiness, the TDA26 Design & Development Awards recognize outstanding sports and entertainment venue projects from around the world. The Community Project category recognizes projects that demonstrate meaningful benefits and lasting impact within their communities.
“From the beginning, we believed Erlanger Park could be much more than a baseball stadium,” said Chattanooga Lookouts President Rich Mozingo. “We wanted to create a place that honors Chattanooga’s history, welcomes the entire community and provides opportunities for people to gather throughout the year. To be recognized internationally and to be the only finalist from North America in the Community Project category is incredibly meaningful for everyone who helped bring this project to life.”
Erlanger Park was selected for its transformation of the former Wheland Foundry and U.S. Pipe site, as well as its emphasis on historic preservation, adaptive reuse, public space and long-term community investment.
A key component of the project is the South Broad Community Benefits Agreement, the first CBA in the history of the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County and only the second in Tennessee. The agreement establishes measurable commitments involving community programming, nonprofit support, volunteerism, youth programs, workforce development, historic preservation and other long-term community benefits.
The ballpark was also designed as a year-round community destination, including a 360-degree concourse that is open as a public park during non-event times, connections to the Tennessee Riverwalk and spaces capable of hosting events beyond baseball.
The TDA26 recognition adds to extensive national, regional and local coverage of Erlanger Park, including stories from Local 3 News, WDEF, WTVC, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Forbes, Sports Business Journal, Ballpark Digest and Stadium Journey.
“This recognition is really about the community,” Mozingo said. “Erlanger Park represents a tremendous amount of work and collaboration across Chattanooga. We are proud that the story of what this project means to our city is being recognized on an international stage.”
The TDA26 Design & Development Awards will be presented December 1 at TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Summit in Manchester, England. Erlanger Park is one of seven finalists for Community Project of the Year and the only finalist representing North America. The other finalists are One New Zealand Stadium/Te Kaha in Christchurch, New Zealand; Ground Improvement Project at WACA Ground in Perth, Australia; AO Farington Cricket Ground in Lancashire, England; The Street and Ballsaal at Millerntor Stadium/FC St Pauli in Hamburg, Germany; The Entertainment Destination at Olympia London in London, England; and Parks and Rooftop Running at Jihlava Municipal Arena in Jihlava, Czech Republic.
About the Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts, a founding member of the Southern League in 1885, are the 2015 & 2017 Southern League Champions and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The Lookouts play their home games at Erlanger Park, the team’s new ballpark. For more information, keep up with
the Lookouts year-round at www.lookouts.com, or by following the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ChattanoogaLookouts), Twitter (@ChattLookouts), and Instagram.