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Picture of the Day
BallparkMagic presents a little bit of Target Field each day. (Click to enlarge.)  How Much Ballpark?June 1, 2006 11:41 PM So, just how much ballpark will this site hold? For such a small site, it's a very big question. To answer it, I once again turned to Google Earth and created the following images. They show just how some existing parks might fit onto our site. It turns out that many of them simply would not fit no matter what. A few work if flipped (left becomes right, see Fenway Park below). More importantly, I'm using just the ballpark itself, and none of its parking or support buildings. In almost all parks, the site footprint also includes huge amounts of land used for these purposes. As you'll see, the Twins will have to be very creative in tucking everything onto the land they have. An advantage is that the HERC plant (also known as the Hennepin County Garbage Burner) is controlled by the county. It means the Twins will have some sway in determining just where their land ends. Dave St. Peter has already indicated that they intend to build over the railroad tracks, though it remains to be seen just how far they'll be able to go. The preliminary site plan has the diamond oriented almost due east. I really don't think this is the best orientation for the site because half the main grandstand will face away from the skyline (due south might be better, but the sun would then become an issue -- I'll write more about this another day). I haven't limited myself to this orientation. I just tried to make them fit in a way which looks like it might work -- just to see if it was possible. The images below are just for parks which seemed pertinent to the discussion. If you'd like to see another one not shown, please indicate in the comments and I'll add it. Camden Yards
US Cellular Field
Coors Field
Fenway Park (reversed)
Jacobs Field (reversed)
Kauffmann Stadium
Minute Maid Park
AT&T Park
PNC Park
Turner Field (reversed)
Wrigley Field
Safeco Field
Dodger Stadium
Metrodome
CommentsTo utilized enhanced comment features, please enable cookies in your browser. Are the buildings behind home plate expendable or parking lot across street? Or any roads around it? Haven't heard from anything that says it is too small of a site but from the looks of it, it looks like they're going to have to cram the stadium in the location, just like they did with the metrodome.
Posted on June 2, 2006 at 8:08 PM by Luke
My understanding is that the parking ramp (lower right) stays unchanged. The small street between the ramp and the site (3rd Avenue North/service road) may go away. The bridges to the northeast and southwest will remain unchanged excpet that the one on the northeast (5th Street North) has to be beefed up to accomodate the weight of light rail trains. To the northwest is the garbage burner. Presumably all of those buildings stay, but the Twins can build on the parts which do not already contain structures. (I'll verify this with Dave St. Peter in my next email.) Posted on June 2, 2006 at 9:44 PM by Rick 2 what is the ATT park image supposed to be?
Posted on June 7, 2006 at 1:50 PM by Gilbert Chan
ATT is the ballpark formerly known as PacBell in SF.
Posted on June 7, 2006 at 2:09 PM by Brett Carow
Take a look at this picture from Google. http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=417+N+5th+St,+Minneapolis,+MN That parking lot below the marker is the ballpark site. Switch to satellite view and zoom out one setting until you can see the Metrodome. Compare the size of the Dome to the size of the ballpark site. The Metrodome looks to be just a tad bit wider than the ballpark site, but then the Metrodome doesn't have an overhanging second deck (as I assume the new ballpark will have) and most of the Dome's seating is in the second deck making it wider than it need be.
Posted on June 7, 2006 at 2:29 PM by ASW
how about safeco field, and dodger stadium? I also think the main grandstand facing away from the downtown skyline is a mistake facing south, or north would be better, and create cool shadows in the late summer.
Posted on June 8, 2006 at 12:57 AM by andy h
It never occurred to me to do the Metrodome. As you can see, it's not much larger than the footprint available. Dodger Stadium was built with absolutely no constrictions on its size. In some ways, it is the prototypical suburban ballpark. No surprise that it doesn't come anywhere near fitting. And Safeco provides a cautionary tale about roofs. It adds substantially to the space necessary. Short of using the air space over the garbage burner (as it was in the original conceptual drawings), I just can't imagine it working. Thanks for the suggestions, and thanks for stopping by! -- Rick Posted on June 9, 2006 at 12:14 AM by Rick 7 I have been using google earth to do ballpark research, and one thing to keep in mind is not only the elevation of your viewpoint, but also the elevation of the land that the ballpark sits on. If you look at Coors Field with an elevation of 5000 feet you will be at field level, whearas if you look at Safeco, you will see a very small blip. I think you took this into account, but it is not an exact science. Nice site and keep up the good work!
Posted on June 11, 2006 at 12:26 AM by James
James, I did take this into account, wanting to make sure that the comparisons were at the exact same scale. For that reason, all images are from 500m above the actual playing surface. -- Rick Posted on June 12, 2006 at 2:24 PM by Rick 9 RFK Stadium opened in October of 1961 for football, then six months later for baseball. Dodger Stadium opened in 1962. Both venues are in parking lots. While RFK Stadium was open before Dodger Stadium was, Dodger Stadium was under construction before RFK Stadium was, I believe. Both ballparks are in some ways the first prototypical suburban ballparks, but they both are right in big cities, not in suburbs. Dodger Stadium is a little north of downtown, RFK Stadium is a mile east of the US Capitol Building, on a direct line with the National Mall.
Posted on June 18, 2006 at 11:55 AM by Christopher Kassulke
when will the new dome be finished
Posted on December 22, 2006 at 12:01 PM by jordan
shikwhat
Posted on February 16, 2007 at 2:55 PM by murph
i'd like to see great american ballpark on this site i live in cincinnati and our site of the new park was called "the wedge" because they had a similar situation
Posted on May 30, 2007 at 1:32 PM by Erik Huber
xdvdsfvd fdgsd
Posted on May 3, 2008 at 07:03 AM by pupkarik
your picture that says minute maid is not minute maid at all, I believe it is Seattle Seahawk's stadium..just fyi
Posted on May 5, 2008 at 5:44 PM by Steve
my mistake that was a picture of reliant stadium in houston,where the nfl's houston texans play
Posted on May 5, 2008 at 5:46 PM by steve
Hey you shoulds put rogers centre on here
Posted on September 24, 2008 at 3:18 PM by trent
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"You talk about the magic, the aura, but what really makes a stadium is the fans. Concrete doesn't talk back to you. Chairs don't talk back to you. It's the people who are there, day in, day out, that makes the place magic."– Bernie WilliamsExplore the SiteHere are 50 images chosen randomly from the 3004 found on this site. Click the image to be taken to the original post. A new list is created every 10 minutes.
 From the roof of the B ramp, you can see just how futile it will be to get a glimpse of the action.    This view looks up Fifth Street toward downtown and shows how the LRT tracks sort of snuggle up to the ballpark.  The spruced up triangle really doesn't show much connection with the ballpark.    From the revised site plan, this is the configuration of Gate 34 Puckett.  (Click to enlarge)     Inside the Metropolitan Club. Classic photo of a youthful Bob Casey at far right. (Photo by Tyler Wycoff)  A view into the park down Sixth Street from just beyond Hennepin. Note that one side of the street contains century-old, classic buildings -- structures which are likely to last another century or more. The other side, not so much. (Click the image to see what it looked like from exactly the same spot 97 years ago.)  A cross section of the field construction. (Click to enlarge.)  573 Club     Instrument of evil.  The moat walkway viewed from across the park.  Arrival back at Target Field   This looks up Fifth Street (LRT train visible in the distance). This bridge is also being partially rebuilt (see next photo).   Ballpark magic: Infield materializes (click to enlarge)   Packed SRO beneath the notch.    Since pictures of the ballpark are forbidden, perhaps you'll enjoy this shot of the lovely apple tree in my front yard.   That's part of the wind veil, waiting in the B ramp for installation  Showing more of the context for the louvers.   CBP: retro in facade only  8:02 PM It's at peak, affecting mostly the upper deck.  Bike parking available along Second Avenue    A great view from the balcony outside the Metropolitan Club   Building the canopy is a spectacular sight.   TCF Bank Stadium (click to enlarge)  A skyway-level view down Seventh Street.  Cross section diagram of the field structure. (Click to enlarge.)  Walkway sneak peek  Sue Nelson, and her organ, in one of the Twins Pubs  A closer look at the grid on the Pro Shop. Welcome Visitors From Two Men On (Accessiblity) Glossary BPM - Ballpark Magic BRT - Bus Rapid Transit DSP - Dave St. Peter FSE - Full Season Equivalent FYS - Fake Yankee Stadium (see also: NYS) HERC - Hennepin Energy Resource Company (aka the Garbage Burner) HPB - Home Plate Box HRP - Home Run Porch LC - Legends Club LRT - Light Rail Transit MBA - Minnesota Ballpark Authority (will own Target Field) MOA - Mall of America MSFC - Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission (owns the Metrodome) NYS - New Yankee Stadium SRO - Standing Room Only STH - Season Ticket Holder TCFBS - TCF Bank Stadium TF - Target Field Selected Bibliography - Analysis
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