New $2 Billion Kansas City Royals Stadium's Unusual Detail Turns Heads

Fans notice something you wouldn’t expect in the renderings of the new $3B stadium project with Hallmark.

Apr 22, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; The Kansas City Royals mascot Sluggerrr waves a large flag on field prior to a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Kauffman Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

While the Kansas City Chiefs are building a new stadium on the Kansas side of the border, the Kansas City Royals announced their plans on a $3 billion stadium project in downtown K.C. The renderings of what it will look like certain turned heads when fans noticed one unusual detail.

The stadium itself will cost $1.9B with construction beginning in early 2027, and will be in the middle of Crown Center as part of the first phase of an 85-acre project. The Royals are partnering with Hallmark where the company is building a modern new headquarters in the center as well.

The Royals have been at Kauffman Stadium (formerly Royals Stadium) in Kansas City, Missouri, since the 1973 season. The team has two World Series titles in 1985 and 2015.

Mar 30, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general overall view of the crowd in the fourth inning of the game between the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

New stadium renderings released

Here are the drawings of what the new stadium will look like:

The Kansas City Royals have released new renderings of its $1.9 billion future downtown ballpark:

• Shared space with Hallmark Cards
• 20,000+ construction jobs
• Set to open in 2030 pic.twitter.com/7ZpCCIb5CH

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 22, 2026

Unusual detail catches eyes

Fans noticed that right next to the stadium happens to be an old church, Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, that will remain with all the new construction. It’s certainly oddly placed right up against the stadium, but certainly with the perfect view.

Interesting that Our Lady of Sorrows Parish on the NW corner of 26th and Gillham will remain.

It will certainly be an artistic feature of the new stadium. pic.twitter.com/NUootnBSHq

— Kurtis Seaboldt (@klseaboldt) April 22, 2026

The Kansas City Star reported that church leaders had no clue about the construction and their new neighbors, learning about it with the rest of the community.

“The diocese and parish have not been involved in the planning prior to today’s announcement. We were made aware of the announcement earlier this week and learned most of the details along with the rest of the community.”

Church leaders are embracing the fact that lots of fans will be flooding the area on game days:

“The diocese plans to discuss security and parking with the Royals as plans develop, however, according to the statement, ‘we view this as primarily an enhancement that could attract new people to worship and experience the beauty of our Catholic faith.’”

“We have been assured that care will be taken to maintain the character of the neighborhood, including the iconic features of Our Lady of Sorrows’ building and its historic presence in the heart of downtown Kansas City,” according to the statement.

The church was originally built in the late 1800s, but moved brick-by-brick to the new location in 1923.

Fans will surely hope a higher power is watching over their team on game days and more World Series titles are in its future.

Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Back view of the crown scoreboard at a Kansas City Royals game. | William Purnell-Imagn Images