Details have come out for the large-scale future redevelopment of the Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium and Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Stadium district in central Tokyo. The 17.4-hectare site straddles Minato and Shinjuku wards and adjoins the new Olympic Stadium.

According to a recent environmental assessment report, the proposed redevelopment would include a 185m tall, 40-story mixed-use tower, a 6-story rugby stadium on the site of the current Jingu Secondary Stadium, a 16-story building on the site of the current Meiji Jingu Stadium, a 7-story hotel, a 15-story hotel with baseball stadium on the current Rugby Stadium site, seven 2-story buildings alongside Gingko Avenue, and a 190m tall, 38-story office tower to replace the current Itochu Corporation building alongside Aoyama Street.

Current sporting facilities will be demolished sequentially, starting with the Jingu Secondary Stadium. 

The redevelopment will, sadly, require the demolition of the Meiji Jingu baseball stadium, owned by Meiji Shrine. It was built in 1926, a year after the formation of the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League – originally the highest level of baseball in Japan. In 1934, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth played at the stadium during a tour of Japan. The stadium was confiscated by the US forces after WWII and the name was changed to Stateside Park from 1945 to 1952. The stadium will be replaced with a 16-story building and open plaza.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to take place between 2021 and 2030.

Location

Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku-ku, and Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Sources:
The Kensetsu Tsushin Shimbun, May 9, 2019.
The Daily Engineering & Construction News, May 15, 2019.

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