That actually seems perfectly reasonable. My problem is with the execution. Again: We paid one. In summary: US Bank Stadium sucks. Too much natural light. Not enough dirt. The Metrodome was way better and we should have never bulldozed it—but maybe the new place would be okay if they put a giant, inflatable milk jug in right field. Or hell, even left field.
Just as long as it lights up when someone hits a dinger above the stupid home run line. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Filed under: Opinion. The Metrodome was bulldozed just to make an even crappier baseball stadium New, 47 comments.
In addition to hosting three major sports teams — the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, and Minnesota Gophers collegiate football team — the facility was the site of many major sporting events as well as other activities. The Metrodome succeeded Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington as the home of the Twins and Vikings, and it was the rise of the latter that prompted talk of a new stadium in the early s.
Initial proposals were for a football-only stadium since the Met was considered by many to be a good place to watch baseball. By later in the decade, however, the discussion turned to ways to accommodate both teams. This action by itself did not mean the end of Metropolitan Stadium, because the options included a remodeling of the Met for baseball with a new football stadium built adjacent to it.
But the new stadium commission, after studying alternatives for 18 months, voted to erect a multi-purpose covered facility on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis. Citizens initiatives and political referenda threatened to derail the downtown dome throughout Meanwhile, the stadium commission struggled to comply with the stringent requirements of the law that authorized the sale of revenue bonds for what would become known as the Hubert H.
Humphrey Metrodome. Although many hurdles remained and were eventually overcome , construction began in December of with excavation on the acre site on the east side of Chicago Avenue between 4th and 6th streets. Unlike the conditions facing the designers and builders of earlier local ballparks, the Metrodome did not have to be confined to a site within existing streets.
In this case, the roadways were reconfigured to get out of the way of the structure, which caused the blocks on which it sat to swell beyond their previous limits. Contractors erecting Met Stadium in the had to contend with a fire during its construction. An obstacle of a different type appeared before the builders of the Metrodome. A ton granite boulder, estimated at more than a billion years old, was uncovered during excavation. The rock resisted all attempts to be dislodged or blown apart.
When initial attempts to pulverize the rock were unsuccessful, it became the subject of public attention and a campaign to save it. Fifty-two concrete columns were driven 50 feet to bedrock around the perimeter of the playing field. Foundation work commenced with the drilling and pouring of caissons, averaging 54 feet in depth, surrounding the stadium. Concrete columns ringed the playing field and, on top of them, foot-long step-like concrete slope girders were poured in place.
These girders supported the seating surface and the seats themselves. More than tons of structural steel and 40, cubic yards of concrete were used in the stadium.
To make it weatherproof, a Teflon coating was applied to the exterior surface of the outer layer, which is separated from the inner layer by as much as six feet of air. The entire roof structure, including fixtures such as lights and speakers, weighs tons and is supported by as many as 20 horsepower fans.
When it was inflated for the first time on October 2, , the center of the dome billowed feet above the playing surface. The Metrodome opened in April of with 55, seats available for baseball. The capacity for football—both the Vikings and the Minnesota Gophers, who abandoned Memorial Stadium on the University campus to play in the new domed facility—is 8, more than baseball. The first event was an exhibition baseball game between the Twins and Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night, April 3.
Pete Redfern threw the first pitch for the Twins, and the second batter up for the Phillies, Pete Rose, got the first hit. Kent Hrbek of the Twins hit the first two home runs in the new stadium. Three nights later, the first regular-season game was played, with the Twins losing to the Seattle Mariners.
As part of the stadium legislation, the Twins and Vikings had been required to sign year leases. However, Twins owner Calvin Griffith insisted on an escape clause he could exercise if the team, for three consecutive seasons, was unable to sell the lesser of 1. It also required the installation of air conditioning if the lack of it affected attendance. Although the duct work was in place, the stadium opened without air conditioning, and the Metrodome climate was oppressive during the first summer.
Air conditioning was installed and was first used in June of The Timberwolves moved to the Target Center in , t he Golden Gophers college footba ll team played in the dome until when the new TCF Bank stadium opened for the season, and the Twins moved to Target Field in In , the Minnesota Vikings were the only sports team to have the Metrodome, later known as Mall of America Field, as their home field until it closed in The construction of the Metrodome was a great thing for Minneapolis sports.
For instance, t here was no air conditioning until , so the first year was particularly miserable in the summer. The dome itself was frustrating for baseball players trying to find an off-white ball amidst the off-white dome overhead.
On top of the criticism of the facilities, the pressurized dome collapsed in December of
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