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SAFECO FIELD
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SEATTLE, WA
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Pristine
and nostalgic are two characteristics that describe the home of the
Seattle Mariners, Safeco Field. For over two decades fans who wanted to see
the Mariners play had to watch them at to the concrete and sterile Kingdome.
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Kingdome was outdated by then.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 $40 million 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 are above the bullpens in left field.
More bleacher seats are located above the hitters backdrop in
centerfield. Above the bleachers is the main video/scoreboard. 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.
After the 2012 season, the Mariners
spent $15
million in upgrades and additions to Safeco Field.
Renovations included replacing the existing
video/scoreboard with the largest HD videoboard in
baseball: 57 feet high by 201.5 feet wide. A new
restaurant named after former M's DH Edgar Martinez,
"Edgar's," was built in the ballpark's left field
corned edge. In an effort to make the ballpark more
hitter friendly, the Mariners moved the outfield
fences closer to homeplate before the 2013 season.
Left-center field was decreased from 390 feet to 378
feet, centerfield from 405 feet to 401 feet and
right-center field from 385 feet to 381 feet. The
left field wall that was 16 feet high has been
shortened to 8 feet high pushing the manual
scoreboard above the left field fence and out of
play. The Mariners hope that the shorter fences will
lead to more offensive production as the team has
been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball
lately.
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FACTS & FIGURES
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-Tenant:
Seattle Mariners
-Capacity:
47,447
-Surface:
Grass
-Cost:
$517 Million
-Opened:
July 15, 1999
-Dimensions:
331-L, 378-LC, 405-DP, 401-C, 385-RC, 326-R
-Architect:
NBBJ
-Owner: Washington/King County Stadium Authority
-Former Name(s): None
-Naming
Rights: Safeco Corp., $2 million through 2019 |
-Public
Financing: 72%: .017% sales tax credit, .5% food/beverage
restaurant sales tax, 5% admissions tax
-Private
Financing: 28%: Mariners contributed $145 million
-Safeco Field Seating
Chart
-Home Dugout: First Base
-Safeco Field
Ground Rules
-Directions & Parking
-Fan Experiences |
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CURRENT WEATHER AT
SAFECO FIELD
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MAP & DIRECTIONS TO
SAFECO FIELD
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Address:
1250 First
Avenue South,
Seattle, WA 98134
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MEMORABLE MOMENTS
AT SAFECO FIELD
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All Star Game: 2001
On April
15, 2009 Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 400th career homerun as a Seattle
Mariner.
A.L. Rookie of the Year &
MVP Ichiro
Suzuki in 2001.
116 wins by the Mariners in 2001.
Yankees
closer Mariano Rivera collects his 600th save on September 13, 2011.
White Sox
pitcher Philip Humber throws a perfect game on April 21, 2012.
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