| Candlestick Park San Francisco, California |
Tenants: San Francisco Giants (NL 1960-99); San Francisco 49ers (NFL 1971-present); Oakland
Raiders (AFL 1961)
Groundbreaking: 1958
1st National League Game: April 12, 1960
Last National League Game: September 30, 1999
Surface: Natural Grass (1960-69, 1979-present); AstroTurf (1970-78)
Architect: John Bolles
Cost: $15 million
Seating capacity: 43,765 (1960); 58,000 (1999)
Owner: City and County of San Francisco
Playing Field Dimensions:
LF foul line: 330 ft (1960); 335 ft (1968)
Left Field alley: 397 ft (1960); 365 ft (1961)
Center Field: 420 ft (1960); 410 ft (1961); 400 ft (1982)
Right Field alley: 397 ft (1960); 365 ft (1961)
RF foul line: 330 ft (1960); 335 ft (1968); 328 ft (1993)
Outfield Fences: 10 ft (1960); 8 ft (1972); 12 ft (1975); 9 ft (1982); 8 ft (1993)
Hosted World Series: 1962; 1989
Hosted All-Star game: 1961; 1984
Raiders (AFL 1961)
Groundbreaking: 1958
1st National League Game: April 12, 1960
Last National League Game: September 30, 1999
Surface: Natural Grass (1960-69, 1979-present); AstroTurf (1970-78)
Architect: John Bolles
Cost: $15 million
Seating capacity: 43,765 (1960); 58,000 (1999)
Owner: City and County of San Francisco
Playing Field Dimensions:
LF foul line: 330 ft (1960); 335 ft (1968)
Left Field alley: 397 ft (1960); 365 ft (1961)
Center Field: 420 ft (1960); 410 ft (1961); 400 ft (1982)
Right Field alley: 397 ft (1960); 365 ft (1961)
RF foul line: 330 ft (1960); 335 ft (1968); 328 ft (1993)
Outfield Fences: 10 ft (1960); 8 ft (1972); 12 ft (1975); 9 ft (1982); 8 ft (1993)
Hosted World Series: 1962; 1989
Hosted All-Star game: 1961; 1984
Park history
Ground was broken in 1958 for the new home of Major League
Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who had moved west from New York
following the end of the 1957 season. The Giants selected the name
of Candlestick Park after a name-the-park contest on March 3, 1959.
Prior to that, its construction site had been shown on maps as the
generic Bay View Stadium. It was the first modern baseball stadium,
as it was the first to be built entirely of reinforced concrete.
Richard Nixon threw out the first baseball on the opening day of
Candlestick Park on April 12, 1960, and the Oakland Raiders played
their 1961 American Football League season at the stadium.
The Beatles played their last live commercial concert at Candlestick
Park on August 29, 1966.
The stadium was enclosed during the winter of 1971–72 for the
49ers, with stands built around the outfield. The result was that
the wind speed dropped marginally, but often swirled around
throughout the stadium, and the view of the Bay was lost.
Currently, Candlestick Park is the only NFL stadium that began as a
baseball-only facility and underwent extensive reconstruction to
accommodate football, as evidenced the stadium's unusual oblong
design that leaves many seats on what was the right-field side of
the stadium behind the eastern grandstand of the stadium during
football games. Candlestick is also currently the only NFL football
stadium in which upper-deck supports obstruct sight lines from the
first-deck seating.
Ground was broken in 1958 for the new home of Major League
Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who had moved west from New York
following the end of the 1957 season. The Giants selected the name
of Candlestick Park after a name-the-park contest on March 3, 1959.
Prior to that, its construction site had been shown on maps as the
generic Bay View Stadium. It was the first modern baseball stadium,
as it was the first to be built entirely of reinforced concrete.
Richard Nixon threw out the first baseball on the opening day of
Candlestick Park on April 12, 1960, and the Oakland Raiders played
their 1961 American Football League season at the stadium.
The Beatles played their last live commercial concert at Candlestick
Park on August 29, 1966.
The stadium was enclosed during the winter of 1971–72 for the
49ers, with stands built around the outfield. The result was that
the wind speed dropped marginally, but often swirled around
throughout the stadium, and the view of the Bay was lost.
Currently, Candlestick Park is the only NFL stadium that began as a
baseball-only facility and underwent extensive reconstruction to
accommodate football, as evidenced the stadium's unusual oblong
design that leaves many seats on what was the right-field side of
the stadium behind the eastern grandstand of the stadium during
football games. Candlestick is also currently the only NFL football
stadium in which upper-deck supports obstruct sight lines from the
first-deck seating.
The stadium hosted two MLB All-Star Games (1961 and 1984), one
National League Division Series (1997), three National League
Championship Series (1971, 1987 and 1989), two World Series (1962
and 1989), and six NFC Championship games, the most notable being
in January 1982 when Dwight Clark caught a game-winning
touchdown pass from Joe Montana to lead the 49ers to their first
Super Bowl (see "The Catch"). Candlestick Park was also home to
dozens of commercial shoots as well as the location for the climatic
scene in both the 1962 thriller Experiment in Terror and the 1973
Richard Rush comedy Freebie and the Bean.
On October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake (measuring 7.1 on
the Richter Scale) struck San Francisco, minutes before Game 3 of
the World Series was to begin at Candlestick. Remarkably, no one
within the stadium was injured, although minor structural damage
was incurred to the stadium. Al Michaels and Tim McCarver, who
called the game for ABC, later credited the stadium's design for
saving thousands of lives. The World Series between the Giants and
Oakland Athletics was subsequently delayed for 10 days, in part to
give engineers time to check the stadium's (and that of nearby
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum) overall structural soundness.
During this time, the 49ers moved their game against the New
England Patriots on October 22 to Stanford Stadium.
In 2000, the Giants moved to the new Pacific Bell Park (now called
AT&T Park) in the South Beach neighborhood, leaving the 49ers as
the sole professional sports team to use Candlestick. The final
baseball game was played on September 30, 1999, against the Los
Angeles Dodgers, who won 9–4.
National League Division Series (1997), three National League
Championship Series (1971, 1987 and 1989), two World Series (1962
and 1989), and six NFC Championship games, the most notable being
in January 1982 when Dwight Clark caught a game-winning
touchdown pass from Joe Montana to lead the 49ers to their first
Super Bowl (see "The Catch"). Candlestick Park was also home to
dozens of commercial shoots as well as the location for the climatic
scene in both the 1962 thriller Experiment in Terror and the 1973
Richard Rush comedy Freebie and the Bean.
On October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake (measuring 7.1 on
the Richter Scale) struck San Francisco, minutes before Game 3 of
the World Series was to begin at Candlestick. Remarkably, no one
within the stadium was injured, although minor structural damage
was incurred to the stadium. Al Michaels and Tim McCarver, who
called the game for ABC, later credited the stadium's design for
saving thousands of lives. The World Series between the Giants and
Oakland Athletics was subsequently delayed for 10 days, in part to
give engineers time to check the stadium's (and that of nearby
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum) overall structural soundness.
During this time, the 49ers moved their game against the New
England Patriots on October 22 to Stanford Stadium.
In 2000, the Giants moved to the new Pacific Bell Park (now called
AT&T Park) in the South Beach neighborhood, leaving the 49ers as
the sole professional sports team to use Candlestick. The final
baseball game was played on September 30, 1999, against the Los
Angeles Dodgers, who won 9–4.
As a baseball field, the stadium was best known for the windy
conditions that often made life difficult for outfielders trying to
catch fly balls, as well as for fans. Architect John Bolles designed
the park with a boomerang-shaped concrete baffle in the upper tier
which was designed to protect the park from wind; however, it
never worked. For Candlestick's first 10 seasons, the wind blew in
from left-center and out toward right-center. When the park was
expanded to accommodate the 49ers in 1971, it was thought
completely enclosing the park would cut down on the wind.
Instead, the wind swirled from all directions, and was as strong and
cold as before.
During the first All Star Game of 1961 (one of two played in the
park—the other was in 1984), Giants pitcher Stu Miller was blown off
balance by a gust of wind and was charged with a balk. Two years
later, wind picked up the entire batting cage and dropped it 60
feet away on the pitcher’s mound while the New York Mets were
taking batting practice. Willie Mays claimed that the wind cost him
at least 150 home runs.
conditions that often made life difficult for outfielders trying to
catch fly balls, as well as for fans. Architect John Bolles designed
the park with a boomerang-shaped concrete baffle in the upper tier
which was designed to protect the park from wind; however, it
never worked. For Candlestick's first 10 seasons, the wind blew in
from left-center and out toward right-center. When the park was
expanded to accommodate the 49ers in 1971, it was thought
completely enclosing the park would cut down on the wind.
Instead, the wind swirled from all directions, and was as strong and
cold as before.
During the first All Star Game of 1961 (one of two played in the
park—the other was in 1984), Giants pitcher Stu Miller was blown off
balance by a gust of wind and was charged with a balk. Two years
later, wind picked up the entire batting cage and dropped it 60
feet away on the pitcher’s mound while the New York Mets were
taking batting practice. Willie Mays claimed that the wind cost him
at least 150 home runs.
The winds are intense in the immediate area of the park, but
relatively benign a few hundred yards to the north or east. This is
because of a hill immediately adjacent to the park. This hill, in turn,
is the first topographical obstacle met by the prevailing winds
arriving from the Pacific Ocean seven miles to the west. Arriving at
Candlestick from the Pacific, these winds travel through what is
known as the Alemany Gap before reaching the hill. The
combination of ocean winds free-flowing to Candlestick, then
swirling over the adjacent hill created the cold and windy
conditions that were the bane of the Giants' 40-year stay on
Candlestick Point. These same winds, of course, attract
wind-surfers in droves to the wind-whipped San Francisco Bay
coves south of Candlestick. It is indeed the wind and not the
ambient air temperature that provides Candlestick's famed chill. The
Giants' subsequent home, AT&T Park is just one degree warmer,
but is far less windy, creating a "warmer" (relatively speaking)
effect. While the wind is a summer condition (hot inland, cool
oceanside), winter weather is right in line with the rest of sea level
Northern California (mild with occasional rain).
Attorney Melvin Belli filed a claim against the Giants in 1960 because
his six-seat box, which cost him almost $1,600, was unbearably cold.
Belli won in court, claiming that the "radiant heating system"
advertised was a failure.
Candlestick was an object of scorn from baseball purists for reasons
other than weather. Even though it was originally built for baseball,
foul territory was quite roomy. According to Simmons, nearly every
seat was too far from the field.
relatively benign a few hundred yards to the north or east. This is
because of a hill immediately adjacent to the park. This hill, in turn,
is the first topographical obstacle met by the prevailing winds
arriving from the Pacific Ocean seven miles to the west. Arriving at
Candlestick from the Pacific, these winds travel through what is
known as the Alemany Gap before reaching the hill. The
combination of ocean winds free-flowing to Candlestick, then
swirling over the adjacent hill created the cold and windy
conditions that were the bane of the Giants' 40-year stay on
Candlestick Point. These same winds, of course, attract
wind-surfers in droves to the wind-whipped San Francisco Bay
coves south of Candlestick. It is indeed the wind and not the
ambient air temperature that provides Candlestick's famed chill. The
Giants' subsequent home, AT&T Park is just one degree warmer,
but is far less windy, creating a "warmer" (relatively speaking)
effect. While the wind is a summer condition (hot inland, cool
oceanside), winter weather is right in line with the rest of sea level
Northern California (mild with occasional rain).
Attorney Melvin Belli filed a claim against the Giants in 1960 because
his six-seat box, which cost him almost $1,600, was unbearably cold.
Belli won in court, claiming that the "radiant heating system"
advertised was a failure.
Candlestick was an object of scorn from baseball purists for reasons
other than weather. Even though it was originally built for baseball,
foul territory was quite roomy. According to Simmons, nearly every
seat was too far from the field.
Name changes
Candlestick Park was named for Candlestick Point, a point of land jutting into San Francisco Bay. Candlestick Point is itself named for the
indigenous "candlestick bird" (Long-billed Curlew), once common to the point.
The rights to the stadium name were licensed to 3Com Corporation from September, 1995 until 2002, for $900,000 a year. During that time, the park
became known as 3Com Park at Candlestick Point. In 2002, the naming rights deal expired, and the park then became officially known as San
Francisco Stadium at Candlestick Point. On September 28, 2004, a new naming rights deal was signed with Monster Cable, a maker of cables for
electronic equipment, and the stadium was renamed Monster Park. However, just over a month later, a measure passed in the November 2 election
stipulated that the stadium name to revert back to Candlestick permanently after the contract with Monster expired in 2008.
The City and County of San Francisco had trouble finding a new naming sponsor due in part to the downturn in the economy, but also because the
stadium's tenure as 3Com Park was tenuous at best. Many local fans were annoyed with the change and continued referring to the park by its
original name, regardless of the official name. The Giants reportedly continued to call the stadium "Candlestick Park" in media guides. Freeway signs
in the vicinity were recently changed to read "Monster Park" as part of an overall signage upgrade to national standards on California highways. As
of 2008, those signs have been changed back to Candlestick Park.
The name change also ended up being confusing for the intended branding purposes, as without the "Cable" qualifier in the official name, many
erroneously thought the stadium was named for the Monster.com employment website or Monster Energy Drink, not the cable vendor.
On August 10, 2007, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom announced that the playing field would be renamed Bill Walsh Field in honor of former San
Francisco 49ers' coach, the late Bill Walsh, who died on July 30 that year, pending the approval of the city government. However the stadium will
retain its current name as is contractually obligated.
Future
Plans were underway to construct a new 68,000-seat stadium at Candlestick Point. However, on November 8, 2006, the 49ers announced that they
would abandon their search for a location in San Francisco and begin to actively pursue the idea of building a stadium in Santa Clara, California. As a
result, San Francisco withdrew its bid for the 2016 Olympics on November 13, 2006, as its centerpiece stadium was lost. However, 49ers ownership
is still willing to hear any offers San Francisco may want to bring, including the Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard.
The Beatles gave their final full concert ever at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. Songs performed at the show were "Rock And Roll Music",
"She's A Woman", "If I Needed Someone", "Day Tripper", "Baby's In Black", "I Feel Fine", "Yesterday", "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Nowhere Man",
"Paperback Writer", and "Long Tall Sally". The only known film of the concert was captured by a 15 year old fan and featured in a documentary called
The Unseen Beatles.
Candlestick Park was named for Candlestick Point, a point of land jutting into San Francisco Bay. Candlestick Point is itself named for the
indigenous "candlestick bird" (Long-billed Curlew), once common to the point.
The rights to the stadium name were licensed to 3Com Corporation from September, 1995 until 2002, for $900,000 a year. During that time, the park
became known as 3Com Park at Candlestick Point. In 2002, the naming rights deal expired, and the park then became officially known as San
Francisco Stadium at Candlestick Point. On September 28, 2004, a new naming rights deal was signed with Monster Cable, a maker of cables for
electronic equipment, and the stadium was renamed Monster Park. However, just over a month later, a measure passed in the November 2 election
stipulated that the stadium name to revert back to Candlestick permanently after the contract with Monster expired in 2008.
The City and County of San Francisco had trouble finding a new naming sponsor due in part to the downturn in the economy, but also because the
stadium's tenure as 3Com Park was tenuous at best. Many local fans were annoyed with the change and continued referring to the park by its
original name, regardless of the official name. The Giants reportedly continued to call the stadium "Candlestick Park" in media guides. Freeway signs
in the vicinity were recently changed to read "Monster Park" as part of an overall signage upgrade to national standards on California highways. As
of 2008, those signs have been changed back to Candlestick Park.
The name change also ended up being confusing for the intended branding purposes, as without the "Cable" qualifier in the official name, many
erroneously thought the stadium was named for the Monster.com employment website or Monster Energy Drink, not the cable vendor.
On August 10, 2007, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom announced that the playing field would be renamed Bill Walsh Field in honor of former San
Francisco 49ers' coach, the late Bill Walsh, who died on July 30 that year, pending the approval of the city government. However the stadium will
retain its current name as is contractually obligated.
Future
Plans were underway to construct a new 68,000-seat stadium at Candlestick Point. However, on November 8, 2006, the 49ers announced that they
would abandon their search for a location in San Francisco and begin to actively pursue the idea of building a stadium in Santa Clara, California. As a
result, San Francisco withdrew its bid for the 2016 Olympics on November 13, 2006, as its centerpiece stadium was lost. However, 49ers ownership
is still willing to hear any offers San Francisco may want to bring, including the Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard.
The Beatles gave their final full concert ever at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. Songs performed at the show were "Rock And Roll Music",
"She's A Woman", "If I Needed Someone", "Day Tripper", "Baby's In Black", "I Feel Fine", "Yesterday", "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Nowhere Man",
"Paperback Writer", and "Long Tall Sally". The only known film of the concert was captured by a 15 year old fan and featured in a documentary called
The Unseen Beatles.
| ------------------------------------------------------- Source credits MMIV www.ballparktour.com MMX |
The stadium also had the reputation as the coldest park in the major leagues. It was initially built with a radiant heating system intended to keep
most of the Lower Box seats comfortable. However, the system never worked as intended, and neither the city nor the Giants were willing to
spend the money that it would cost to get it to work. As a result, the Giants played more day games than any major league baseball team except
the Chicago Cubs. Many locals, including Giants' broadcaster Lon Simmons, were surprised at the decision to build the park right on the bay, in one
of the coldest areas of the city.
The Giants eventually played on the reputation to bolster fan support with promotions such as awarding the Croix de Candlestick pin to fans who
stayed for the duration of extra-inning night games. Among many less-than-flattering fan nicknames for the park were "North Pole" and "Cave of the
Winds." Ironically, the last game was played under blue skies with no fog and a game time temperature of a very non Candlestick like 82 degrees.
Giants owner Horace Stoneham visited the site during the day in 1959—not knowing about the cold, windy and foggy conditions that overtake it at
night. By 1963, he commissioned a study to find a way to improve the park. The study revealed that conditions would have been significantly
improved had the park been built a few hundred yards further to the east.
most of the Lower Box seats comfortable. However, the system never worked as intended, and neither the city nor the Giants were willing to
spend the money that it would cost to get it to work. As a result, the Giants played more day games than any major league baseball team except
the Chicago Cubs. Many locals, including Giants' broadcaster Lon Simmons, were surprised at the decision to build the park right on the bay, in one
of the coldest areas of the city.
The Giants eventually played on the reputation to bolster fan support with promotions such as awarding the Croix de Candlestick pin to fans who
stayed for the duration of extra-inning night games. Among many less-than-flattering fan nicknames for the park were "North Pole" and "Cave of the
Winds." Ironically, the last game was played under blue skies with no fog and a game time temperature of a very non Candlestick like 82 degrees.
Giants owner Horace Stoneham visited the site during the day in 1959—not knowing about the cold, windy and foggy conditions that overtake it at
night. By 1963, he commissioned a study to find a way to improve the park. The study revealed that conditions would have been significantly
improved had the park been built a few hundred yards further to the east.
