Lockhart Stadium

A 64-acre property with a rich history in high school and professional sports, dating all the way back to 1959, had fallen into disrepair in recent years. Then the City of Fort Lauderdale and Inter Miami joined forces for a plan to breathe new life back into the area.

The centerpiece of the project is an 18,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium designed for international soccer, which garnered international attention with Lionel Messi, one of the best to ever play the game, joining Inter Miami in July 2023. On October 3, 2023, the City Commission was given an update regarding 30% of the design and estimated costs, with an update about 60% of the design expected at a future meeting. Proposed elements of the conceptual site plan include a community center, playground and play area, fitness area, dog park, multipurpose field, and pickleball courts, among other amenities. Additional features include sidewalks, paved parking, restrooms, and infrastructure upgrades. Currently, the total preliminary cost estimate for all elements of the park is approximately $31.8 million, with the City responsible for about $12.7 million.

SOME HISTORY

The site was previously home to Fort Lauderdale Stadium and Lockhart Stadium. Fort Lauderdale Stadium was the spring training home of the New York Yankees for more than 30 years, before the Baltimore Orioles moved in until 2009. Lockhart Stadium hosted professional soccer starting in 1977 until the field was redesigned to cater to the sport in 1998.

All of that changed in 2016 when the site was left to sit empty and neglected. But work for major improvements is in progress, and the best is yet to come.

Today, the venue is a destination for both the local community and tourists. Known as Uptown, the area is fast becoming a vibrant mix of residential, commercial, and industrial developments, and the project represents a $60 million investment into the City. The ongoing project is helping to reshape the future of Fort Lauderdale.