The Kingdome & Sick's Stadium
Seattle, Washington
Groundbreaking: March 8, 1997
First American League game: July 15, 1999
Architect: NBBJ (Seattle).
Construction: Hunt-Kiewit; Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire
Roof construction: The Erection Company Inc.
Owner: Washington-King County stadium authority.
Cost: $517 million
Public financing: $340 million from a food tax in King County and rental-car tax.
Private financing: $75 million from the Seattle Mariners. Cost overruns of over $100 million are still in dispute.
Seating Capacity: 47,447
Dimensions:
LF foul line: 331 ft.
Left field alley: 388 ft.
Center field: 405 ft.
Right field alley: 385 ft.
RF foul line: 326 ft.
Fences: 11' to 16' high at left-field scoreboard, 8' high everywhere else.
Hosted World Series: Never
Hosted All-Star Game: 2001
After a tax increase was rejected by voters in 1995, a special session of the state legislature authorized a different funding package for a new stadium including a credit against the state sales tax, sale of special stadium license plates, lottery funds, food & beverage tax in King County restaurants and bars and car rental surcharge in King County, and ballpark admissions tax. Later that month, King County voters approoved the new package, and in 1996, the ballpark site was selected - just south of the Kingdome. in June 1998, the Mariners announced that the name of their new ballpark would be Safeco Field. Safeco, a financial services company agreed to pay $1.8 million per year for the name.
By the time Safeco Field opened in July of 1999, it was steeped in controversy as its cost had ballooned to more than half a billion dollars due to extensive budget over-runs. But none of that seemed to matter on opening day, as the Mariners played their first ever home game out-doors and on a grass field. The ballpark's signature feature - its retractable roof is designed to cover but not enclose the ballpark, thus preserving an open-air environment. The structure covers nearly 9 acres, weighs 22 million pounds, and contains enough steel to build a skyscraper 55 stories tall.
The good: Safeco encourages freedom of movement - regardless of where your seat happens to be, this park has dozens of cool standing (and sitting) areas to explore and take in the game. The main concourse's open design allows fans to completely circle the park and still watch the game. Great food selection.
The bad: It's the economy, Stupid. Safeco cost more to build than PNC park and Minute Maid Park COMBINED!
The ugly: Seattle has a beautiful downtown skyline - the Needle, the mountains, the waterfront, however sitting in the grandstand you'd never know it. You'd think for half a billion bucks they would've thrown in a nice view of the Space needle or Mount Rainer or something. You do get freight-trains running behind the right field grandstand - you can't see them which would've been nice, but with the horns blasting at least you know they're there.
Seattle Mariners
1250 First Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98134
(206) 346-4000
Lower Box $50
Field $35
AVAYA Terrace Club INF $55
AVAYA Terrace Club OF $43
Hit It Here Café (Includes food voucher) $42
View Box $24
Lower Outfield Reserved $24
View Reserved $17
Left Field Bleachers $13
Center Field Bleachers $7
Seating Chart
Purchase M's Tickets
TV: KSTW-11, FSN
In-park dining choices: Bullpen Pub, Hit It Here Cafe.
Concession items include: Mariner Dogs, tacos, pizza, nachos, southern barbecue, sushi, chocolate-covered strawberries, wok-fried noodles, clam chowder, salmon sandwiches, garlic fries and espresso.
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Directions & Parking
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Those lovely views of downtown Seattle from Safeco Field, the home of the Seattle Mariners, will be diminished after construction work finishes on a new nine-story hotel directly across the street from the ballpark on Royal Brougham Way. The proposed hotel meets local code ordinances, so there was little city planners could do to prevent the project. It will not grow tall enough this year (2005) to affect any views from the right field's upper deck or from the picnic tables in Lookout Landing in left field. But that will change after the hotel reaches its full height in March 2006, before next year's Opening Day. - Courtesy Ballparkwatch.com
Safeco Field and the adjoining parking garage feature a $1.37 million public art program. An Art Review Panel selected nine Northwest artists to create "Art in the Park." Artists include: Ross Palmer Beecher, Tina Hoggatt, Helen Lessick, Ries Niemi, Thom Ross, Stable (artist group of Linda Beaumont, Stuart Keeler and Michael Machnic), Gerard Tsutakawa, Gu Xiong and Donald Fels. The artwork (including the huge bronze mitt, the bat chandelier, the terrazzo floor and more) has been integrated into the overall ballpark design to enrich each guest's experience.
The Bullpen Pub provides a sports bar experience with the fun and excitement of a ballpark atmosphere. Fans can peek into the bullpen and watch the manually operated scoreboard from behind. You can access the pub via the Bullpen Market through the Center Field Gate (open three hours prior to game time).
A set of train tracks run underneath the adjoining roof structure, just beyond the right field seats. Rumbling trains and train whistles can often be heard sever al times during games.
The Bullpen Market, located behind left field, features interactive games and activities, Fan Walk personalized bricks, local food vendors, an open pit barbecue, and one of the best views of the game from behind the centerfield fence.
Lookout Landing, at the end of the left field line on the Upper Deck, provides incredible views both inside and outside the ballpark.
The Outside Corner Picnic Patio, directly above the Home Plate Gate entrance, is a gathering spot that provides fans with views of Puget Sound, and tables and benches for picnic lunches.
Children's Hospital Playfield, located on the Main Concourse in center field, lets kids work off excess energy on fun, baseball-themed playground equipment. Outside the Playfield is the Wizard's of the Coast/Children's Hospital Wishing Well, where fans can donate coins to benefit Pacific Northwest patients and families.
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Safeco's southern entrance gate.
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Click on titles for more information
Out of Left Field: How the Mariners Made Baseball Fly in Seattle
by Art Thiel
Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Guide to Baseball Parks Past & Present
by Josh Leventhal, Jessica M. Macmurray
The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip
by Joshua Pahigian, Kevin O'Connell
Fodor's Baseball Vacations: Great Family Trips to Minor League and Classic Major League Ballparks Across America
by Bruce Adams
America's Ballparks
by Kenneth Hogan
Ballparks of North America: A Comprehensive Historical Reference to Baseball Grounds, Yards and Stadiums, 1845 to Present
by Michael Benson
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