VEGAS BABY: A rendering shown here of the Oakland A’s proposed ballpark in Las Vegas was produced by Gensler, among the two finalists to design the stadium. (Oakland A’s)

CAA Icon has strong presence in Vegas

The Oakland A’s have hired CAA Icon as owner’s representative for developing their proposed ballpark in Las Vegas, according to multiple sources.

A’s President Dave Kaval and Brad Schrock, the team’s consultant and a veteran sports architect, did not return messages for comment.

The hiring of CAA Icon dovetails with the A’s announcement on Monday (Aug. 21) that they selected the joint venture of Mortenson McCarthy to build a ballpark with roughly 30,000 seats and a retractable roof on the Vegas Strip, estimated to cost $1.5 billion.  The decision is pending approval by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority.

Both general contractors, as well as CAA Icon, were part of the development of Allegiant Stadium, the $1.9 billion NFL facility that opened for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.

As it stands now, financing has not been completed to build a stadium on a nine-acre site that’s part of the Tropicana resort property.

The A’s are targeting a new ballpark with roughly 30,000 seats, estimated to cost $1.5 billion. The situation is fluid, considering Major League Baseball has not approved the A’s relocating to Vegas from Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since 1968 after moving from Kansas City.

In Vegas, the A’s went with CAA Icon to serve as the conduit between team ownership and the architects, construction manager and subcontractors after Legends completed a three-month deal to provide pre-construction services, sources said. After Legends’ agreement expired, the A’s sought input from other owner’s reps and hired CAA Icon without issuing a formal proposal.

CAA Icon has a strong presence in Vegas. Apart from Allegiant Stadium, the firm was owner’s rep for T-Mobile Arena, the 7-year-old home of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights, and the WNBA Las Vegas Aces’ new headquarters and practice facility.

The firm’s roots are in MLB. In Chicago, CAA Icon filled the same role for the $760 million transformation of Wrigley Field, the Cubs’ historic ballpark. Across town, the first project Tim Romani, founder and former CEO of CAA Icon, worked on his career was New Comiskey Park, now Guaranteed Rate Field, when Romani worked for the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.

In Vegas, there’s been no announcement on the project architect. The competition is between Gensler and the team of HNTB and Bjarke Ingels Group, as multiple outlets have reported.

Gensler has previously consulted with the A’s and produced the most recent Vegas ballpark renderings issued by the team. HNTB teamed with Manica Architecture to design Allegiant Stadium. Bjarke Ingels Group was part of the A’s effort to develop a new ballpark at Howard Terminal on the Oakland waterfront.

Over the past two months, Mortenson officials have been meeting with architects to discuss the A’s project. In June, they were seen meeting with HNTB executives in the design firm’s Kansas City, Missouri office.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.