Cheney Stadium
| Cheney Stadium | |
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| Location | 2502 South Tyler Street Tacoma, Washington 98405 |
| Coordinates | 47°14′16.92″N 122°29′51.16″W / 47.2380333°N 122.4975444°WCoordinates: 47°14′16.92″N 122°29′51.16″W / 47.2380333°N 122.4975444°W |
| Broke ground | 1959 |
| Built | 1959 |
| Opened | April 16, 1960[1] |
| Renovated | 1992, 1998, 1999, 2011[2] |
| Owner | Pierce County |
| Operator | Tacoma Rainiers |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $940,000 ($6.97 million in 2012 dollars[3])[4] $29-$30 million (renovations)[5][2] |
| Architect | E.L. Mills & Associates[6] Populous (2011 renovation) |
| General Contractor | Mortenson Construction (2011 renovation) |
| Capacity | 9,600 (current) |
| Executive Suites | 16[2] |
| Field dimensions | 325 (LF), 425 (CF), 325 (RF) |
| Tenants | |
| Tacoma Giants (1960-1965), Tacoma Cubs (1966-1971), Tacoma Twins (1972-1977), Tacoma Yankees (1978), Tacoma Tugs (1979), Tacoma Tigers (1980-1994), Tacoma Rainers (1995-2041)[2]  |
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Cheney Stadium, in Tacoma, Washington, is the home field for the Tacoma Rainiers minor-league baseball team of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. The stadium opened in 1960, and has a capacity of 9,600. It is next to Henry Foss High School and the stadium has an agreement with the school to use the school parking lot for parking.
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[edit] History
Cheney Stadium is named for Ben Cheney, a local businessman who worked to bring minor league baseball to Tacoma and also was put in control of the project. Cheney Stadium was constructed in 42 working days after the San Francisco Giants had committed to moving their Triple-A affiliate from Phoenix if the city could open the stadium for the beginning of the 1960 season.[7] Construction included light towers and wooden grandstand seats from Seals Stadium in San Francisco. The wooden grandstand seats are still in place today.
Cheney Stadium has been home to Pacific Coast League baseball continuously since 1960, in the form of seven teams: the Tacoma Giants (1960-65), Cubs (1966-71), Twins (1972-77), Yankees (1978), Tugs (1979), Tigers (A's) (1980-94), and the Rainiers (Mariners) (1995-present).
Notable players who played in Cheney Stadium include Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, and Alex Rodriguez.
[edit] 2009 renovations
On November 11, 2009 it was announced the City of Tacoma was considering a 30 million dollar renovations to Cheney Stadium. Early renovation plans included a new grandstand superstructure, roof and concourse, as well as new concession stands, seats, luxury suites and a restaurant.[5] The proposal drew little controversy from tax payers.[8]
On November 19, 2009 the Tacoma Rainiers renewed their lease with the City of Tacoma to keep playing at Cheney Stadium for 32 years.[9] The deal relied on the renovation proposal getting passed.[9] The proposal, now said to be 28 million dollars in cost, was approved on November 25, 2009.[2] The approval means the Rainiers will continue to play in Tacoma until at least 2041 and the renovations are scheduled to be completed by the 2011 season.[2] The final plan included basic repairs, 16 luxury suites, a kids’ "play area", more restrooms and concession stands, and a new restaurant.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ "About the first day of baseball at Cheney Stadium – April 16, 1960". The News Tribune. April 10, 2011. http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/04/10/1620291/news-brief-10cheneys2.html.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lewis Kamb (November 19, 2009). "Tacoma goes to bat for ballpark". www.thenewstribune.com. The News Tribune. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/968290.html. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
- ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=Jh7ecV24_uAC&pg=PA306&lpg=PA306&dq=%22mccoy+stadium%22+original+architect&source=bl&ots=q1pgOzss8U&sig=XH4jDVFRF4xCvBlMMl2nut0QFso&hl=en&ei=dVl5TufFI8y4twfV1-AG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFsQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
- ^ a b Lewis Kamb (November 11, 2009). "Tacoma board to consider face-lift for Cheney Stadium". www.thenewstribune.com. The News Tribune. http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/rainiers/story/947034.html. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=Jh7ecV24_uAC&pg=PA306&lpg=PA306&dq=%22mccoy+stadium%22+original+architect&source=bl&ots=q1pgOzss8U&sig=XH4jDVFRF4xCvBlMMl2nut0QFso&hl=en&ei=dVl5TufFI8y4twfV1-AG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFsQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
- ^ Lacitis, Erik (April 19, 2005). "Memories fade, but Ben Cheney lives on through stadium". The Seattle Times. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20050419&slug=cheney19m. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- ^ Peter Callaghan (November 19, 2009). "There are good reasons public renovation deal for Cheney drew so little protest". www.thenewstribune.com. The News Tribune. http://www.thenewstribune.com/callaghan/story/960669.html. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
- ^ a b Lewis Kamb (November 19, 2009). "30-year deal keeps Rainiers at Cheney Stadium". www.thenewstribune.com. The News Tribune. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/959874.html. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
[edit] External links
- Cheney Stadium Home Page
- Cheney Stadium on MinorLeagueBallparks.com
- Ben Cheney Stadium Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues
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