Metrodome
Minneapolis, MN

Although the Metrodome may be considered one of the worst venues in baseball, Twins fans still come out each spring and summer to see their team play. The Twins have called Minneapolis their home since 1961, playing their first two decades at Metropolitan Stadium. Located in Bloomington, MN the Twins shared this stadium with the Minnesota Vikings (NFL). By the mid 1970s it began to show its age. Both teams began the push for a new stadium and in 1977 the Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill authorizing construction of a multipurpose domed stadium. A 25 acre site was chosen in downtown Minneapolis for the stadium and construction began on December 20, 1979. The dome consists of an air supported fiberglass fabric roof. A 340 ton cover for the dome is held in place by air pressure generated fans and steel cables. The roof has snow melting ducts to prevent a collapse. However, in fall 1982 the dome collapsed, but was re-inflated.

Named after former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, the H.H.H. Metrodome opened on April 3, 1982. It was the third dome stadium to open. Approximately 48,678 blue seats circle the entire stadium for baseball. Making up the right field wall of the Metrodome are 7,600 retractable seats which allow for the conversion from baseball to football. A huge scoreboard/video board is located above the upper deck in left field. Over the past two decades the Metrodome has changed very little. Before the 1994 season the dugouts were moved closer to the field allowing for three rows of seats increasing the seating capacity by 900. A gathering plaza for fans was added in 1996 along Kirby Puckett Place. This is a place for groups to meet and enjoy food and beverages. To help reduce the number of empty seats, a 200 foot long curtain was added to cover many of the seats that are in the upper deck in right field. After the 2003 season, the Astroturf was removed from the Metrodome and replaced with Fieldturf. For more than a decade, the Twins have been trying to get a new ballpark built to replace the Metrodome because it has the fewest quality number of seats in baseball as many are situated for football. In May 2006, the State of Minnesota approved financing for construction of a new ballpark. Constructed in downtown Minneapolis, Target Field opens in April 2010. The Minnesota Twins played their last game at the Metrodome, an American League Division Series game against the New York Yankees on October 11, 2009.