In a League of Her Own - Janet Marie Smith

Janet Marie Smith has enjoyed an illustrious career as an executive overseeing the planning, design and construction of multiple sports venues, primarily in baseball. With degrees in architecture and urban planning, Smith worked closely on five ballparks with the late Red Sox Hall of Famer and WooSox Principal Owner and Chairman, Larry Lucchino. Opened in 2021, Polar Park is the baby of their ballpark family.

Lucchino and Smith first worked together to bring Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore to life in 1992. Camden Yards revolutionized the ballpark experience by pairing a classic ballpark look with modern fan amenities in an urban setting. While simultaneously working in Atlanta on the construction of Turner Field and Philips Arena in the late 1990s, Smith assisted in the plans for Petco Park––which opened as the new home for the San Diego Padres in 2004.

After working together on Camden Yards and Petco Park, Smith and Lucchino teamed up again in 2001 for the renovation of Fenway Park in Boston. Some of their improvements included the addition of seats atop the famed Green Monster and the annexation of Jersey Street as a pedestrian concourse on game days. The duo stayed together in Boston as Smith helped Lucchino jumpstart the Red Sox’ Spring Training facility, JetBlue Park, in Fort Myers, Florida.

While JetBlue Park was being built, Smith returned to the Orioles to oversee the 20th anniversary improvements to Camden Yards and the transformation of Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida––the Orioles’ Spring Training complex.

Most recently, Smith has worked on large-scale improvements and expansion projects at Dodger Stadium, where she serves as the executive vice president of planning and development. She is also the chair and founder of Canopy Team, a sports design and strategy consulting firm.

Smith reflected on the difficult decision to move the Boston Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate from their long-time home in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 25 miles north to Worcester, Massachusetts.

“There’s no denying that Pawtucket and its long and rich history and association with the PawSox was a real emotional tug for the team, and I personally loved McCoy Stadium,” she said.

Smith reminisced about McCoy Stadium’s history and unique design elements. “That long low wood slat roof, those steel trusses, and the fact that every seat was covered and in the shade, and those beautiful sunsets, and that 33-inning game...” she said. “There’s just so many things about Pawtucket that were easy to love.”

Once the decision was made to move to Worcester, the team wanted to bring the history and personality of the PawSox with them in hopes that PawSox fans would feel the connection of the deep roots in the region. Some pieces of McCoy Stadium's memorabilia came to Worcester, and other artifacts now reside at the Rhode Island Historical Museum.

Smith continues to serve as an advisor to the WooSox on urban design, planning, architecture, sponsorship, memorabilia and artwork displayed throughout Polar Park. She was inspired by the up-and-coming Canal District in Worcester and quickly fell in love with the city as the team sought to discover the new identity of the franchise. She felt that the city was “ripe and ready” for the team.

The former site of the Wyman-Gordon factory spoke to Lucchino and Smith as they drew inspiration for the future ballpark. The city had been looking for a way to ignite development and build on the energy and retail growth in the Canal District––and Polar Park offered the chance to advance the redevelopment.

Smith has seen that happen in other communities where sports have been a part of leading that charge because they consume a large area that otherwise might take decades to fill in and the infrastructure is already in place for this scale of development.

Lucchino and Smith also loved that the train ran right past the park, reminding the strong relationship between baseball and trains. Oriole Park at Camden Yards was built adjacent to the former railyard for Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Camden Station. In Brooklyn, New York, the original home of the Dodgers, the proximity to the trolley gave the Los Angeles Dodgers their name the “Trolley Dodgers.” These elements of a city’s history helped to create a sense of continuity between the origins of the urban neighborhood and its presence today.

For Smith, the early visits to Worcester with Lucchino were an exciting part of the process. They both loved the community spirit and “realized the civic spirit here translated into action.”

“Polar Park happened because the people of Worcester and specifically, the people of the Canal District, made it happen,” Smith said. “The energy of Worcester was just a cut above anything else that we had thought about. Going to downtown Worcester and seeing the excitement of the Canal District and the spunkiness of this area felt so positive. It was full of good food, good shopping, fun vibes, block parties, concerts, and the public food market. Everything about it was the kind of energy that Larry always loved.”

It was this energy downtown and in the Canal District that gave Lucchino and Smith a level of confidence that was more than they ever could have imagined. The city was quick to work out a deal with the new landowner of the Wyman Gordon property that allowed the city to own the land for the ballpark and rezone the other parcels for residential, hotel, and office development.

Through a public interview process, the City selected Somerville, MA based D’Agostino Izzo Quirk Architects (DAIQ) led by principal Tommy Quirk, a Worcester native as the ballpark’s architects. DAIQ had an intimate knowledge of Worcester and demonstrated experience in baseball with their long association with the Boston Red Sox on the renovation of Fenway Park. Tommy Quirk presented compelling ideas about Worcester––specifically how its architecture, its heritage and industry should reflect this industrial past. Working with DAIQ was perfect for the Worcester Red Sox as they offered a unique insight into the culture and architecture of the city throughout the design process.

Lucchino passed away three years after the 2021 opening of Polar Park on April 2, 2024, and Smith emphasized “the leadership and the passion he brought to this project.” In their early visits to Worcester, Smith fondly remembers envisioning their newest ballpark in its new home.

“There are many tributes to Larry Lucchino and the legacy he left across baseball, but I think this is one he got the most pure joy out of,” she said.

Smith attributes much of her success to Lucchino, acknowledging that she owes him a great debt of gratitude for the confidence he had in her and the many opportunities he presented her with.

When it was time to design the WooSox’ ballpark, Smith was excited about her Minor League Baseball debut. There is a distinctive charm in MiLB, blending the quintessential family-oriented night at the ballpark with the excitement of watching players on the precipice of their MLB debuts.

From the beginning, she knew the team wanted to build a ballpark that was unique to the city and offered the same “gutsy spirit” she felt when first visiting Worcester. As Lucchino suggested, they wanted the park to “look like Worcester, feel like Worcester, taste like Worcester, and smell like Worcester.” In designing the ballpark, it was much more than just the architecture and structure of the building itself, but more about “how the building behaves.”

In the design of Polar Park, Smith kept the fan experience and connection to Worcester at the forefront of her mind. She considers the many different facets of enjoying a ballgame, “[With baseball,] you can hang on to every pitch and keep score, and that is one beautiful souvenir if you can keep score for nine innings and take that card home. But what fun it is even if you’re not thinking of it that way. If it’s just about the outing, [then] there’s so many [other] things that you can do there.”

With that in mind, she ensured that there was plenty of casual seating available and ample room for fans to stretch their legs and take a stroll to absorb all the beauty Polar Park has to offer.

The WooSox also built off the site for the ballpark's structure, notably building it into the area's landscape to create the Worcester Wall. The Green Monster was originally built in left field at Fenway Park to prevent balls from getting hit onto Lansdowne Street and to compensate for a short left field line.

“We didn’t have a left field line problem in Worcester, we had a right field line problem,” Smith said.

Baseball is the only major league sport with some freedom in designing a unique field layout, one built into the landscape. The streets past the outfield were also utilized to connect the park further and allow Polar Park to nestle right into the side of the hill. We’ve already established Summit Street as an area to visit before the game to enjoy live music, good food, and sometimes meet New England sports legends.

All the streets surrounding the ballpark were used to bring permeability to it, providing street access at each of the four gates. It was important to Smith to first establish Madison Street as a “front door” to the Canal District, welcoming guests to Polar Park and the neighborhood alike.

There are also some smaller design elements fans may not notice on their first visit to Polar Park that Smith is quite fond of. She wanted to help the team pay homage to the rich baseball heritage of Worcester, a history that many do not know if they are new to the area. One of her favorites is the inclusion of the Worcester Worcesters logo from the National League team that played in Worcester from 1880 to 1882. Made aware of this logo by Wayne Tuiskula, a private collector, she drew inspiration from the “W” and Younts Design translated this logo into an end standard design to mount on the sides of the seats.

“There are so many beautiful symbols of Worcester, we didn’t know where to stop,” Smith said. “It’s a city that just oozes personality.”

Sherwood’s Diner was an installation that is uniquely Worcester, but also gives the diner “a new lease on life.” The team pays tribute to Harvey Ball, who inspired the club’s first mascot, Smiley Ball. Using the heart as an important symbol of the team has also been something Smith enjoyed working with, drawing inspiration from “The Heart of the Commonwealth,” the birthplace of the Valentine, and seeing the heart on street signs.

In Smith’s words, “These are all elements that help tell Worcester’s past but help those people who didn’t know those things feel a connection to the past and get excited about its future.”

One of Smith’s favorite parts of the ballpark design process is getting to walk through the park in her hard hat. It’s at that moment when she can see the future of the park, and the composition begins to solidify in the real world. When it starts coming together, you can “start to feel the roar of the crowd off in the horizon, and you just know it’s going to be real.”

One of her fondest memories at Polar Park occurred on Opening Day in 2021. Polar Park was built during the COVID-19 pandemic when most people were secluded in their home offices and communicated on Zoom.

“The joy that came from being together and having felt that we had completed this at the same time that as a society we came out of our shell in America—being able to celebrate together again was just a really special moment,” Smith said.

In the WooSox’ first four seasons in Worcester, the impact on the community has been evident. Inexpensive tickets and available seating turn the park into a casual environment that allows for more families to make the spontaneous trip to the ballpark. According to Smith, “they can look out and see that it is 70 degrees out and sunny, and say ‘why not go to the ballpark?’”

Now that the team has established itself as a staple in the community, Smith loves hearing people in Worcester and the nearby towns talk about how much fun they have coming to Polar Park.

“While I don’t have any scientific survey, I think just the anecdotal stories that they tell of how much fun it has been for them and their families are telling,” Smith said.

Smith already feels as if the team has dropped its anchor in Worcester and knows the community has welcomed it as part of their home. Working with the local businesses in the Canal District and the Theatre District has transformed downtown Worcester into a pedestrian-oriented, walkable community.

“Having all of these things close to each other has really made a difference in their minds of promoting a way of life, and quality of both recreation and how one spends their leisurely time,” she said. “It feels like the very things the city was imagining when they asked the team to consider moving to Worcester.”

The WooSox frequently reach out to the community through the work of its philanthropic arm, the WooSox Foundation, and make sure to give back to the city that has given so much to them.

“I think the WooSox were eager to make certain that they give back,” Smith said. “It’s a really nice reminder of how a city and its team really are thought of as a mutually supportive environment.”

The first three seasons have made it clear that the city has embraced the team’s presence. The corporate community has been welcoming and is proud to sponsor the team. Smith is excited about the Worcester Red Sox’ future in Worcester and their blossoming relationship with the city.

“Hopefully,” Smith said, “baseball will be thought of as one of the defining characteristics of our city, the Heart of the Commonwealth.”

Now seeing the fully established park, Smith feels like it was always meant to be there, and she has “loved the love we have gotten from Worcester.”

Imagine if architects had walk-up songs. As Smith walked into a meeting to present her latest design thinking, “Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves” by Aretha Franklin would play, setting the stage and showcasing her unique style and ability to channel the energy of Worcester into Polar Park in every move. She leads discussions with Lucchino and DAIQ and graphic artists, Younts Design on the orientation of the site, to the architectural materials, the sponsorship integration and artwork and memorabilia throughout the landscape that tell the story of baseball.

We thank Janet Marie Smith for ‘Doing It’ and for her significant contributions to Polar Park, the Worcester Red Sox, and the baseball industry.