Progressive Field Renovations Guide: What to Expect at the Corner in 2025
A breakdown of the new features Progressive Field has to offer for the 2025 season and beyond.
Ever since the $200+ million renovation project at Progressive Field was announced in August 2021, many Cleveland Guardians fans have looked forward to the 2025 home opener.
This year's home opener will not only mark the debut of the 2025 season but also the culmination of the multi-stage renovation project that will keep the Guardians in downtown Cleveland for the foreseeable future.
Following the 2023 season, work began in several areas of Progressive Field. The much-maligned shipping containers in the right-field upper deck were removed and replaced by an open-air concourse with several new concession options.
The shipping containers were marketed as a feature of the ballpark's last major renovation, which took place in 2014. Those renovations were centered around reducing capacity, with over 5,000 seats being removed before opening day in 2015.
The shipping containers filled the void left by the absence of seats, each one adorned with the name and number of a franchise legend. They looked out of place and quickly became a common complaint among fans.
A similar change was made in the left-field upper deck. A few sections of seats were removed and replaced by a wide common space complete with picnic tables and drink rails. These changes in the upper deck reflect the ongoing trend across American sports, which has seen an increase in common spaces where groups can watch the game without being tied to a specific seat — better known as a standing ticket.
I saw just one game at Progressive Field in 2024, so I wasn’t able to fully explore or experience these new areas of the ballpark. Following these renovations, I think the upper deck still has a “skeleton” look due to all the removed seats. However, I did enjoy the improved sightlines of downtown beyond the ballpark that these areas offer.
The final major project of the 2024 offseason was the addition of blue seats to much of the lower bowl. By opening day 2025, the team says over 80 percent of the seats will be blue, with the remaining green seats to be replaced gradually during the season.
The aforementioned was only the first half of this massive project. Construction crews returned to Progressive Field this offseason for additional work leading up to April 8 — the home opener. Let’s look at what fans can expect from the final stage of renovations.
To experience any of the newest areas at Progressive Field, you will certainly have to pay a pretty penny. All of these renovated spaces are some form of club, box, or other premium seating option.
The first are the new dugout suites, which are located directly behind the plate. Renderings show that these suites will be very visible from the center-field TV camera angle. There will be six suites, each with a capacity of 12 people.
The Guardians did a solid job of disguising Progressive Field in 2024 while these renovations were still incomplete. The outlier, however, was the large tarp that was draped over the suite area down the left-field line. This area, formerly known as the Terrace Club, will reopen in 2025 as North Coast Social Club, featuring semi-private boxes designed for smaller groups.
Behind the scenes, renovations have also taken place. Both clubhouses have been remodeled, and a new service building now stands in the plaza beyond right field. The Guardians chipped in $67 million toward this two-year project, leaving taxpayers to foot the remaining $130 million bill.
It’s ridiculous that so much of the financial burden falls on Clevelanders who already spend millions on tickets and team merchandise, but that’s a bigger conversation for another day. If this is what it takes to keep the team firmly rooted in Cleveland, it might just be worth it.
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