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AT&T PARK
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA
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Located
at the edge of downtown San Francisco and the San
Francisco Bay, AT&T Park is one of the best
ballparks in baseball with its design and
breathtaking views. The idea and planning for new
ballpark to replace Candlestick Park dates back 1976
when Bob Lurie bought the Giants. Lurie wanted to
build a new downtown stadium for the Giants because
of the financial losses they were suffering at
Candlestick Park. Interest in a ballpark peaked in
1984 when Lurie nearly sold the team. Instead of
building a downtown ballpark, city officials
proposed placing a dome over Candlestick Park. That
plan failed and in 1987 and 1989 San Francisco
voters rejected plans to build a ballpark. Both
plans were barely defeated and Lurie began
threatening to move the Giants. Lurie looked to
Santa Clara in 1990 and San Jose in 1992 for public
funding, but citizens rejected both referendums.
With the threatened move to Florida, Peter Magowan
bought the Giants in 1992, keeping the team in the
Bay City. In 1995, the Giants announced plans to
build the first privately financed Major League
ballpark since Dodger Stadium. It would be located
in downtown San Francisco in the China Basin area.
Construction of the steel, concrete and brick
ballpark began on December 11, 1997. Naming rights
were sold to Pacific Bell for $50 million over 24
years, thus the ballpark was named Pacific Bell
Park. After the 2003 season, Pacific Bell Park was
renamed SBC Park after SBC Communications Inc.
acquisition of Pacific Bell. In February 2006, the
ballpark was renamed AT&T Park after SBC
Communications changed its named after its
acquisition of AT&T.
On April 11, 2000, the Giants played their first regular season
baseball game at AT&T Park. Nestled in the China Basin area on the
outskirts of downtown San Francisco, as fans approach the ballpark
they see a magnificent steel and brick structure. At the main
entrance gate, a statue of one of the greatest players in baseball
history, Willie Mays, can be found.
Making up part of the exterior architecture of AT&T Park
are the the King Street clock towers. The two towers are 122 feet
tall and feature pyramid-shaped roofs topped by 45-foot tall
flagpoles.
 Once
inside, fans are engulfed with views of the Bay Area and the smells
of garlic fries and crab cake sandwiches. The main three tier
grandstand consists of 41,600 green seats that extend from behind
homeplate to both the foul poles. Bleachers are located behind the
left field fence. There are no seats behind the right field wall
because of McCovey Cove, part of the San Francisco Bay. However a
sidewalk outside the ballpark, adjacent to right field, commemorates
historical moments in Giants history. A screened fence that is part
of the right field fence allows fans without tickets to see the
action inside AT&T Park.
The main 103 foot wide HD video/scoreboard is
located behind the
centerfield fence. There are numerous entertainment options to keep
fans entertained at AT&T Park. The Coca Cola Fan Lot
is an interactive play area for children and
adults. Fans of all ages can enjoy a slide into home plate from one
of the four slides inside the 80-foot wooden Coca-Cola contour
bottle. Fans can stroll up to the world's largest baseball glove or
check out the views of the San Francisco Bay area from the outfield
area.
When a Giant player hits a homerun, strobes flash inside the Coca
Cola bottle, bubbles appear to float from the bottle's mouth, and
green and white lights flash up and down the neon tubes running
along its ribs. AT&T Park has become an excellent place to watch a
baseball game because of the of the beautiful views of the San
Francisco Bay and the surrounding area. For the first time since
moving to San Francisco in 1958, the Giants won the 2010 World
Series beating the Texas Rangers.
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FACTS & FIGURES
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-Tenant:
San Francisco Giants
-Capacity:
41,600
-Surface:
Grass
-Cost:
$255 Million
-Opened:
April 11, 2000
-Dimensions:
339-L, 364-LC, 399-C, 421-RC, 309-R
-Architect:
HOK
-Owner: China Basin Baseball Corporation
-Former Name(s): Pacific Bell Park (2000-03), SBC Park (2004-06)
-Former Name(s): Pacific Bell Park
(2000-03), SBC Park (2004-06) |
-Naming Rights: AT&T Communications,
$2.1 million/year through 2024
-Public Financing: None
-Private Financing: $170million loan by
Giants, $121 million from naming rights,
$15million tax increment financed by City's
Redevelopment Agency
-Home Dugout: Third Base
-AT&T Park Ground
Rules
-AT&T Park Seating Chart
-Directions & Parking
-Fan Experiences |
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CURRENT WEATHER AT AT&T
PARK
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MAP &
DIRECTIONS TO AT&T PARK
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Address:
801 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
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