Baseball every day: Here’s how Royals’ new ballpark pitch could changeup Crown Center (and KC spirit)
April 22, 2026 | Tommy Felts
A ballpark rendering placing the Royals' stadium at Crown Center shows a new vision for a downtown ballpark district and Kansas City's skyline; rendering courtesy of Populous
Renderings only tell part of the story, said Don Hall Jr., describing a new ballpark district at Crown Center that not only is home to the Kansas City Royals, but feels like an inviting community asset even during the off-season.
Officials from the baseball club and Hallmark Cards joined civic and economic development leaders Wednesday to formally announce plans for the Royals to relocate from Truman Sports Complex to a site at Crown Center, near historic Union Station and Liberty Memorial.
Don Hall Jr., executive chairman of the board of directors for Hallmark Cards, and John Sherman, CEO and chairman of the Royals, provide greater context to new renderings by Populous of a new ballpark at Crown Center; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
“This is exactly where baseball stadiums belong: at the center of a community where everyone can access them,” said Hall, executive chairman of the board of directors for Hallmark Cards.
Set to break ground in 2027, the first phase will see the Crown Center district transformed with baseball incorporated into as many facets of the neighborhood as possible, he said, noting a master plan — being developed alongside the Royals — will take advantage of existing infrastructure and topography to bring the $3 billion project to life.
Because of grading in the area, Hall said, the ballpark itself will be situated within the built environment in a way that allows ticketholders to enter from street level at the upper deck, sending them down toward the field. That design prevents the stadium from feeling like an imposing structure looming over the streets.
“Those kind of say ‘Don’t come in unless it’s game day.’ Instead, baseball will feel like it’s part of our everyday lives,” he told a crowd gathered at The American, overlooking today’s Crown Center.
The pitch from new teammates Hall and John Sherman, CEO and chairman of the Royals: a ballpark district that builds community 365 days a year, not just 81.
That starts with an approachable campus that people live and work alongside — not just journey to visit, the two shared. Hall mused about the potential for a pedestrian to walk past the ballpark along Gillham Road, looking down into the stadium on their daily stroll.
“What’s more inviting than seeing green grass in the stadium in December and looking forward to the baseball season starting?” he asked.
RELATED: Royals are coming to Crown Center; Here’s how taxpayers are supporting the project
Don Hall Jr., executive chairman of the board of directors for Hallmark Cards, speaks during an announcement event for the Kansas City Royals planned ballpark district at Crown Center; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
Hallmark HQ sends notice to relocate too
While details about the ballpark project were slim Wednesday — “There’s no script for what we’re sharing with you today. No playbook. No blueprint. No roadmap,” Sherman told the crowd — Hall dropped one big announcement about Hallmark’s longtime offices in the heart Crown Center.
The headquarters of Hallmark Cards at Crown Center in Kansas City; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
“Our headquarters will be moving to make room for the new stadium,” he said, acknowledging the weight of such a decision. “Our buildings have been home to generations of Hallmarkers and some of our most memorable corporate moments since we located here in 1956. While these buildings have served us very well, we are very excited about moving to a newer building that will be even better suited for our work today and into the future.”
Hallmark’s new headquarters are expected to remain within the Crown Center ballpark complex, though an exact location was not shared.
The Royals will move their offices to the stadium structure itself, Sherman said, which is set to be anchored where Hallmark’s current headquarters now sit.
Washington Square Park to the north of Crown Center — previously thought to be the future stadium site — is envisioned as part of a future, expanded ballpark district, Sherman teased.
The fates of existing shops and sites like The American, Legoland Discovery Center, and Sealife aquarium were not immediately discussed. The Ice Terrace at Crown Center appeared visible in renderings released Wednesday.
“Together we will rethink, reimagine, redefine and redevelop Crown Center in an 85-acre-plus setting that will instantly become the largest sports-anchored downtown development of its kind,” he said.
John Sherman, CEO and chairman of the Kansas City Royals, chats with J.J. Picollo, executive vice president and general manager, in the Royals dugout on opening weekend at Truist Park in Atlanta, a stadium designed by Earl Santee, senior principal at Kansas City-based Populous, which is expected to lead design for Kansas City’s new ballpark at Crown Center; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
In explaining the vision for the district, Sherman referenced The Battery, a mixed-use development surrounding Truist Park in Atlanta that serves as an extension of the Atlanta Braves’ baseball operation.
“It’s considered the gold standard, and for good reason,” Sherman said.
The 75-acre Battery campus reportedly generated more than $69 million in adjusted profit for the club.
Truist Park notably is among the nearly two dozen ballparks designed or renovated at the hands of Earl Santee, senior principal at Kansas City-based Populous, which has led design work for the Royals’ new stadium since the early days of the club’s relocation talks.
“This is a bigger project, more land, in downtown, and in the heart of the city,” Sherman said, turning back to the Crown Center development. “We’re bringing a modern, state-of-the-art ballpark experience to our fans, closer to public transportation, like the streetcar, and where more people work and live, which will lower the barrier of accessibility for our fans.”
Legacy of Kauffman Stadium’s namesake
Although Wednesday’s announcement event didn’t address naming rights for the stadium, Sherman reflected on honoring the past while embracing the future. The Royals’ longtime home bears the name Kauffman Stadium, in honor of iconic Kansas City entrepreneur Ewing Marion Kauffman.
“We take his legacy and what he did with the Royals very, very seriously,” Sherman said of Kauffman.”
“When we acquired the Royals in 2019 … we knew that an early priority would be to stabilize our future in Kansas City, to fulfil Ewing Kauffman’s promise that the Royals would be Kansas City’s forever,” added Sherman, who lead the ownership group that purchased Royals from then-owner David Glass for more than $1 billion.
“After Charlie Finley moved the A’s to Oakland after the 1967 season, Major League Baseball teamed up with Mr. Kauffman to bring baseball back to Kansas City — only missing one season. But that was just the beginning,” he continued.
“What he did to keep the team here was extraordinary and we all owe him a debt of gratitude for it,” Sherman said.
Kauffman was one of many great role models for Kansas City, he noted.
“The ones who I’ve gotten to know, they didn’t start these businesses to make a lot of money,” Sherman said. “They started their businesses to take care of their families and pay some bills. Their success exceeded their wildest dreams and then they all gave massively back to this community. There’s something very special about Kansas City.”
John Sherman, CEO and chairman of the Royals, shares an embrace with Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM), during an announcement event for the Royals new ballpark district at Crown Center; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
Adding shared spirit to the lineup
Wednesday’s unveiling at Crown Center was a long time coming, Sherman acknowledged.
An earlier plan to relocate the ballpark to the Crossroads was scuttled by Jackson County voters, with speculation swirling between sites on both sides of the state line for years as the Royals worked to find a solution that fit both the team and fans.
“Today is a day that, by any definition, was worth the wait,” Sherman said. “It’s been said that patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than what you had in mind. It’d be really easy for me today to say ‘You know, this is how we drew it up.’ … But there’s no straight line between Point A and Point B.”
“Patience has given us an outcome that we could never have imagined.”
A key was finding the right collaborator, Sherman and Hall acknowledged.
“This is a partnership between two treasured Kansas City institutions, Hallmark Cards and the Kansas City Royals,” Sherman said. “We are committed to creating a vision which honors their history — the rich past of both organizations — while reinvigorating and reimagining what our future can be together.”
A rendering shows the basic layout and orientation of the Royals new ballpark at Crown Center, with the stadium overlaid on the current headquarters location of Hallmark Cards; rendering courtesy of Populous
Looking out over nearby Liberty Memorial and Union Station, Hall reflected that attendees were standing in a special place — one of historical significance.
“This is one of those legacy moments that we’re all so fortunate to be sharing,” he said, noting that Sherman’s spirit reminded him of his grandfather, J.C. Hall who jumped off a train in Kansas City 115 years ago to forge the business that would become Hallmark Cards.
“This city is intertwined with really significant moments,” Hall continued. “As we savor this one, it’s important to be reminded that in the enduring success stories of Kansas City a powerful image emerges. Kansas City has had leaders who have looked at the city as more than a place to do business. They invested their hearts, their resources, and their long-term vision.”
The plaza outside the shops at Crown Center, which appear largely intact in renderings released for the new Royals ballpark district; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
The same spirit of community that compelled J.C. and Don Hall to build Crown Center in the 1970s — rescuing the area from blight — pushed Sherman to put the Royals and Kansas City first, Hall said.
“John spent the past several years trying to find the best home for baseball,” he said. “John could have explored other markets — most owners do — but he never lost sight of what mattered most: preserving baseball in Kansas City, strengthening the future of our city, and using the game to bring people together and make memories for generations to come.”
“His decision to anchor the Kansas City Royals in downtown isn’t just about baseball. It’s an expression of the Kansas City spirit. It’s about economic vitality, creating shared experiences that bring people together.”
Sherman expressed gratitude for the opportunity to build positive density in the city’s urban core — development that incorporates fan favorites and innovative ideas in ways that preserve the Royals’ identity.
“From a baseball and a sports standpoint, this is an iconic site. It really is the heart of our city,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do, and we’ll be sharing more, but we’re very excited.”
Startland publisher Austin Barnes contributed to this report.
Crown Center, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, United States
Fund More Stories
This story was made possible by readers like you. Join them — make a one-time contribution or become a monthly member to sustain our work.
