BallparkTour - Former ballparks of Atlanta - Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

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Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia

Formerly, Atlanta Stadium

Tenants: Atlanta Crackers (International League, 1965); Atlanta Braves (1966-96); Atlanta Falcons (NFL, 1966-91)
Groundbreaking: April 15, 1964
Architects: Heery and Heery; Finch, Alexander, Barnes, Rothschild and Paschal
Construction: Thompson and Street Inc.
Owner: City of Atlanta and Fulton County
Cost: $18 million

First game (exhibition): April 9, 1965, Detroit Tigers vs. Milwaukee Braves
First International League game: April, 1965
First National League game: April 12, 1966, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves
First NFL game: September 11, 1966, Falcons vs. L.A. Rams
Last NFL game: December 15, 1991
Last National League Game: October 24, 1996, World Series Game 5, Yankees vs. Braves
Demolished by implosion: August 2, 1997
Current use of site: Parking lot

Seating Capacity:
51,500 (1965); 50,893 (1966); 51,383 (1968); 52,870 (1974); 51,566 (1976); 52,532 (1979); 52,194 (1980); 52,785 (1982); 52,934 (1983); 52,785 (1984); 53,046 (1985); 52,006 (1986); 52,003 (1987); 52,007 (1990); 52,710 (1993); 52,769 (1996)

Dimensions:
Foul lines: 325 ft. (1965); 330 ft. (1967)
Power alleys: 385 ft. (1965); 375 ft. (1969); 385 ft. (1974)
Center-field: 402 ft. (1965)

Height of Fences:
1966: 6 ft. wire fence
1983: 10 ft. plexiglas
1987: 10 ft. cushioned wall
Field level to first row of bleachers: 27 ft.

Hosted World Series: 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996
Hosted All-Star game: 1972
Hosted Olympic games: 1996

In 1960, the city of Atlanta was offered a charter team in the brand new American Football League. The early 60's saw Atlanta becoming a metropolis - a metropolis however, without a reasonably sized stadium. In response to being awarded a team in the AFL and also a baseball club in the newly formed Continental Baseball League, the Georgia General Assembly formed a new Stadium Authority in 1960. Its mission was frustrated, however, when the Continental League collapsed under pressure from the American and National Leagues. And, sensing Atlanta's lack of movement in building a suitable stadium, the AFL changed its mind about Atlanta and awarded its franchise to Oakland instead.

When Mayor Hartsfield announced his retirement in 1961, supporters of a stadium had their most vocal ally in mayoral candidate Ivan Allen, Jr. Allen promoted an aggressive plan to improve the inner-city, and in the plan was a proposal for a large multi-purpose stadium. In July 1961, the Chamber formally called for the construction of a domed stadium at Lakewood Park, a run-down race track to the south of the city.

Allen won the election, but had early trouble getting any kind of positive action towards funding the new stadium. A visit from Kansas City A's owner, Charlie Finley, actualy started the ball rolling when he showed a keen interest in relocating his club to Atlanta. Finley was impressed at the 62 acre site just south of downtown and the state capitol. The area, known as Washington-Rawson, was a wealthy, fancy-house neighborhood at one time. After World War II, most of the rich had moved out of the urban area, prefering the Atlanta suburbs instead. The area fell into blight, and by the 1960's, was slated for urban renewal. Finley liked the area's proximity to both downtown and a 32-lane highway interchange. With Finley's solid interest, Allen was able to fund initial studies.

By July of '63, the Stadium Authority was ready to pitch a formal presentation proposal to Finley at the All-Star Game in Cleveland. However at the meetings Allen was told by A.L. president, Joe Cronin, that Finley didn't have enough support from his fellow owners to approve the move. The day seemed hopeless until the Atlanta group met with the new ownership group of the Milwaukee Braves. The Braves wanted out of Milwaukee and the idea of relocating to a completely untapped market (The deep south), seemed a great potential move. By that fall, the Braves had agreed to tearms of a 10-year lease on the new stadium, the final blueprints were being drawn up, and even the cost estimates were in: The stadium was originaly projected to come in at $11.4 million. After a quick scare from the local Milwaukee government, and pressure from fans as well, forcing the Braves to give the city one last shot to keep its club (an effort which quickly failed to gain sufficaint support), The city of Atlanta and the Braves reached a verbal agreement in March of '64, and after all parties involved gave the go-ahead, Groundbreaking cerremonies for the new municipal stadium took place on April 15, 1964.

The orders were handed down to the contractors, Thompson and Street of Charlotte, N.C., to have the stadium ready for occupancy in 1 year. The stadium's perfect-circle shape was ideal for rapid construction as each of the 80 pre-fab frames were identical. The foundation and beams would be reinforced to allow the stadium to be domed at a later date (which obviously never happened). Extensive use of precast concrete and other ready-made materials would permit quick construction of the stadium to have it ready for the Braves in April, 1965. A 25-year lease for the stadium was signed by the Braves in October, however, the move was immediately blocked by a Wisconsin court. The National League voted to permit the Braves to move in 1966, but only after the team played one more final season in Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, work on the new stadium continued unabated despite the Braves 1-year delay-- the construction team were promised a $600,000 bonus for completing their work within the one-year deadline. Unfortunately, this rush to finish the stadium resulted in problems that would plague the stadium through its history, such as poor drainage. Nevertheless, the stadium was completed in time for a three-game exhibition series between the Milwaukee Braves and the Detroit Tigers on April 9, 1965. Although the Braves would not be coming for another year, the stadium was still used for baseball in '65. Atlanta's International League team, the Crackers, spent their final season as the first tenants of Atlanta Stadium. Other events in 1965 included a Barbra Streisand concert, a rally for the Vietnam war effort in January 1966, and a memorable concert by the Beatles in 1965.

Finaly on April 12, 1966, the newly transplanted Braves opened their first homestand in their southern home against Pittsburgh. A capacity crowd was on hand to watch the extra inning affair which saw the Braves lose 3-2 in the 13th, after a home run by Willie Stargell. Also moving in were the expansion Falcons of the NFL. Five years after losing a charter team in the AFL for 1960, the NFL decided now that a facility was in place, the city was ripe for a pro football franchise. The franchise was awarded to the city in March of '64, and the Falcons began play in Atlanta Stadium in September, 1966.

Soon after the debut of Atlanta Stadium, Hank Aaron would be the focus of most of the attention afforded the Braves. Aaron indeed benefitted from Atlanta's high altitude and the stadium's hitter-friendly dimensions. After discovering the ease with which he could hit home runs in Atlanta, Aaron decided to make an attempt at the record books. It was in Atlanta that Aaron hit his 500th (July 14, 1968), 600th (April 27, 1971), and 700th (July 21, 1973) home runs. Of course the most historical moment at Atlanta Stadium, not to mention one of the most historical in baseball history, came at 9:07 pm on April 8, 1974, when Hank Aaron smacked a pitch off Al Downing of the Dodgers into the Braves Bullpen, passing Babe Ruth with his 715th carreer homerun, in front of 53,775 fans in the ballpark, and millions watching on TV.

Aaron was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers at the end of the 1974 season. Attendance had already plummeted immediately after Aaron's record breaking homer, and bottomed out on September 8, 1975 when only 737 fans watched the Braves play the Houston Astros. In 1976, cable television mogul Ted Turner, who had broadcast Braves games on his fledgling station, WTBS, purchased the Braves and began a series of inventive promotions boost attendance. Among the unusual promotions Turner tried at the newly-renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium:

-- Wedlock and Headlock Night, when 34 couples were married at home plate before a game, and a wrestling match was presented after the game;

-- Races in which radio Ernie Johnson, Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren and owner Turner rode on the backs of ostriches;

-- The "$25,000 Cash Scramble," in which $25,000 in single bills was scattered over the field and fans chosen at random were given 2 minutes to grab as much cash as they could;

-- Wishbone Salad Dressing Night, in which fans scrambled through a huge salad bowl to find keys to a new car;

-- Mattress Stacking Night, when a local fraternity set a record for the most people stacked atop a single mattress;

-- A race between Turner and Phillies reliever Tug McGraw, when each pushed a baseball down the foul line with his nose (Turner won);

-- During a terrible slump in 1977, Turner sent manager Dave Bristol on a ten-day "scouting trip" and acted as the on-field manager (the Braves lost; Turner was immediately forbidden from managing future games).

Throughout its 31 year life, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was the site many memorable moments, besides those involving Henry Aaron:

Phil Niekro threw the stadium’s only complete-game no-hitter on August 6, 1973

The end of Pete Rose's 44-game hitting streak on August 1, 1978.

July 4-5, 1985. Originally planned as a 4th of July game to be followed by a fireworks display, the game against the Mets was delayed by rain several times. After seventeen and a half innings, the Mets had an 11-10 lead with two out in the bottom of the eighteenth inning. Out of bench players, Braves' relief pitcher Rick Camp was sent up to the plate. Unbelievably, Camp hit a home run to tie up the game. The Mets finally won, 16-13 in the 19th. At 4 AM, before around one-thousand hearty fans, Atlanta Stadium had their July 4th, or rather, 5th, fireworks show... Waking up several thousand startled residents in the process.

In 1969, Atlanta hosted the first-ever league championship series against the New York Mets. The Miracle Mets won the series and went on to stun the Baltimore Orioles to win their first World Championship. 1982 saw the Braves again win their division, but again they lost the NLCS, this time to the St. Louis Cardinals, who like the Mets, went on to a World Championship.

In 1991, the Braves went from worst-to-first-- winning their division after finishing last in 1990. This year however, They won the NLCS, beating the Pirates , earning their first trip to the World Series in Atlanta. The Braves beat the Minnesota Twins in all three games played in Atlanta, but the Twins ultimately won the Series in 7 games.

1992 NLCS, Game 7, Bottom of the 9th: Once again the Braves faced the Pirates. With Pittsburgh 1 out away from going to the World Series, the Braves had the bases loaded, but 2 out. Pinch-hitter Francisco Cabrera sliced a single to left-field that scored David Justice to tie the game. First baseman Sid Bream, slow-afoot because of leg injuries, lumbered around third and into homeplate, just beating the tag of Pirates catcher Mike LaValliere. The stadium exploded with joy as the Braves clinched their second consecutive NL pennant. Once again however, they lost the series-- this time in 6 games to the Toronto Blue Jays

On July 20, 1993, a fire erupted during batting practice in the press box causing substantial damage and delaying the game for two hours.

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium's final year, 1996, was quite memoable. It began in April as the Atlanta Braves unveiled their first World Championship flag after beating the Indians in the World Series the previous fall. In July, the stadium hosted the Centennial Olympics baseball competition. And in October, it hosted its second consecutive and fourth overall World Series. However the Braves wound up losing their 3rd World series of the 90's, this time to the New York Yankees, who captured their first World Championship in nearly twenty years.

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Notes, Facts and Features

And the old stadium itself had an opportunity to shine on the world stage, serving as the venue for Olympic baseball during the summer games

For many years, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was known as the home of baseball’s worst playing field. In fact, the park didn't have a full-time groundskeeper until 1989. Before that, it had been tended by city street crews.

July 6, 1986, the Braves Bob Horner became the first man in history to hit four home runs in a game for the losing team

Big Victor, a large totem-pole-styled figure, stood in the stadium in 1966. The huge head tilted and the eyes rolled whenever a Brave hit a home run.

At an altitude of more than 1,000 feet above sea level, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was the highest park in the majors (Before the Rockies started play at Mile High Stadium), which helped boost home run totals and earned the nickname, "The Launching Pad."

An 80-year-old calliope organ was installed in 1971

In 1967, Big Victor was out as Chief Noc-A-Homa became the new mascot. From 1967 to 1971 the Chief and his wigwam stood on a 20-foot-square platform behind the left field fence. The wigwam was moved to several different locations inside the stadium through the years. In August of 1982, in anticipation of winning the division title, the team removed the wigwam platform to sell extra playoff seats (it took up almost 300 seats in the left-field pavilion). Soon after, a disastrous tailspin ensued for the first-place Braves. It was replaced in time to "cure" the down-slide, and the Braves won the division as the Giants knocked the Dodgers out of the race on the last day of the season.

In it's final season of 1996, the stadium hosted the Olympic games baseball competition in July, and its second consecutive World Series in October. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was demolished less than a year later. Centennial Olympic Stadium, was raised next door to the old ballpark to serve both the Olympics, and afterward, the new home for the Braves. After the games were over, workers tranformed the 83,500 seat Olympic Stadium into a 49,831 seat ballpark. By opening day, 1997, Turner Field was ready for the Braves.

The former site of Fulton County Stadium was turned into a parking lot for the new ballpark. Bronze plaques now indicate where the bases once were, and the location of the entire diamond is marked by brick sidewalks. In addition, the left-field fence has been recreated as a monument to Hank Aaron. In fact, looking down on the site from the air, it looks like the ghost of the old ballpark is still there.

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