CINCINNATI -- With Opening Day just one month away, the Reds provided a glimpse at their biggest offseason endeavor: the all-new Reds Hall of Fame and Museum presented by Dinsmore.
Executive Director of the Reds Hall of Fame Rick Walls took a FOX Sports Ohio crew through the unrecognizable interior that will soon feature an upgraded version of what was already the best team Hall of Fame in baseball. The transformation the building will make over the next four weeks will only add to the buzz that already comes with Opening Day.
So what do fans and future guests have to look forward to?
Before even getting inside, your first stop should be the 1869 Red Stockings Pavilion. Located on the south side of the building where the Rose Garden previously resided, the pavilion will be dedicated on May 4, exactly 150 years to the day of the first professional game. The pavilion and encompassing space will be open to the public at all times.
"It's a celebration of this team that took America by storm and made baseball famous, and it will honor all the members of that 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings team," Walls said. "And fans may visit whenever they would like, even without admission to the museum.
It won't take long to notice a difference once you step inside the lobby. But the true experience begins as guests make their journey through nine exciting new galleries like the Players Gallery and Ballparks and view the 100 cases that will house more than 6,000 artifacts.
The biggest overall change will be how interactive the experience will be for fans. With the comprehensive AV upgrades throughout the building, the museum will present Reds history in a truly unique and hands-on manner for fans to enjoy.
Examples of this technology at work will be the 360-degree video screen featured in the new Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery. Guests can use a touchscreen to choose which Reds legend they want to learn more about and a 90-second video will wrap completely around the room. Walls cites this as the exhibit undergoing the biggest change and the location visitors will be talking about when they leave.
Fans can also flashback to their childhood memories of collecting baseball cards and check out the Baseball Card Archive featuring over 2,000 Reds cards. These will all be on display as well as digitized, allowing fans the opportunity to create their own card and email to themselves.
The Hall of Fame knows how spectacular their new home will be and wants their guests to take full advantage. The luxurious Champions Room honoring the five World Series championship teams will be available to rent for special events. Imagine hosting an event in a room that showcases World Series trophies and rare artifacts like the last-out ball from the 1919 World Series.
"Creating a museum experience worthy of 150 years of Reds history is a formidable challenge," Walls said. "Combining some of the latest technology with over 6,000 artifacts, gripping video highlights, captivating photographs, and an extensive audio collection, we'll immerse visitors into this rich history like never before."