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Safeco Field
Seattle, WA
Pristine
and nostalgic are two characteristics that describe the home of the
Mariners, Safeco Field. For over two decades fans who wanted to see
the Mariners play had to watch them at to the dull domed Kingdome.
Perhaps it was revolutionary when it opened in the 1970s, but by the
1990s a new wave of ballparks were being built in baseball and the
Kingdome was outdated by then. The Mariners wanted a new state of
the art facility for their fans and because the team saw a new
ballpark as a way to increase revenues, as they were losing $17 to
$20 million in 1993 and 1994. The team would not sign a long term
lease to stay in Seattle if ground was not broken for a new ballpark
by 1996. A new ballpark was seen as a way to solidify the city's
sense of community and lead to economic development. In 1994 the
King County Stadium Alternatives Task Force was established after
tiles from the Kingdome's roof crashed onto several seating areas
forcing the team to play on the road for the rest of the season. One
year later the Governor and King County developed the Public
Facilities District to oversee site selection, design, construction
and management of a ballpark. Voters rejected a proposal to increase
the sales tax in September 1995. However, a month later the State
Legislature authorized funding for a stadium. There were three sites
chosen for possible construction, north and south of the Kingdome,
and the Ackerly location. The site directly south of the Kingdome
was chosen and in February 1997 the Mariners unveiled plans for
their ballpark. The ballpark followed the same neo-traditional
pattern as every new ballpark built in the 1990s. It has a brick
facade, natural grass and a retractable roof. A retractable roof was
necessary because of Seattle's rainy weather and because the team
estimated that 40% of its fans come from a hour away. The team
wanted to make sure fans were comfortable and always protected from
the wind and rain. Seattle based Safeco bought the naming rights to
the ballpark for $40million over 20 years in June 1998, therefore
the ballpark was named Safeco Field.
A capacity crowd filled Safeco Field on
its opening day, July 15, 1999. Three levels of seating extend from the
left field foul pole to home plate around to the right field foul
pole and into right-centerfield. Bleacher seats and a
message/scoreboard are located above the bullpens in left field.
More bleacher seats are located above the hitters backdrop in
centerfield. Above the bleachers is the main video board. Safeco
Field's retractable roof enables fans to stay dry during the rainy
days of the season. The retractable roof covers the entire ballpark
but does not enclose it, giving it an open air feel. When open the
roof sits above and behind the right field seats. The structure
covers nearly 9 acres, weighs 22 million pounds and contains enough
steel to build a skyscraper 55 stories tall. The three movable
panels glide on 128 steel wheels powered by 96 ten horsepower
electric motors. A push of a button closes or opens the roof in an
average of 10-20 minutes.
Safeco Field offers a number of exciting areas for
fans. The Bullpen Market located behind left field features
interactive games and activities for fans, including the 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 location that provides fans with
breathtaking views over Puget Sound, as well as 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-theme playground equipment. Since its opening Safeco
Field has become a pitchers park and the team has had success in
winning 116 games in 2001.

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SAFECO FIELD
FACTS AND FIGURES |
2008 MARINERS SCHEDULE |
- Tenant:
Seattle Mariners
- Capacity:
47,447
- Surface:
Grass
- Cost:
$517 Million
- Opened:
July 15, 1999
- Dimensions:
331-L, 390-LC, 405-C,
387-RC, 327-R
- Architect:
NBBJ
- Owner:
Washington/King County Stadium Authority
- Former Name(s):
None
- Naming
Rights: Safeco Corp., $2 million through 2019
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SAFECO FIELD
PICTURES |
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PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO SEATTLE AND SAFECO FIELD |
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SAFECO FIELD AND THE SEATTLE MARINERS BY THE NUMBERS |
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Total Attendance |
MLB
Rank |
Average Attendance per Game |
MLB
Rank |
Team Wins |
Average Ticket Price |
MLB
Rank |
|
2007 |
2,672,409 |
16 |
32,993 |
16 |
88 |
24.01 |
11 |
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2006 |
2,480,717 |
15 |
30,626 |
15 |
78 |
24.01 |
10 |
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2005 |
2,689,529 |
12 |
33,204 |
12 |
69 |
24.01 |
8 |
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2004 |
2,940,731 |
10 |
36,305 |
10 |
63 |
24.01 |
5 |
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2003 |
3,268,509 |
2 |
40,352 |
2 |
93 |
24.60 |
3 |
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ballparksofbaseball.com |
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