Arvest Ballpark
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| Location | 3000 South 56th Street Springdale, Arkansas, 72762 |
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| Coordinates | 36°9′33″N 94°11′42″W / 36.15917°N 94.19500°W |
| Owner | City of Springdale |
| Operator | Rich Baseball Operations |
| Capacity | 7,305 (5,353 fixed seats)[5] |
| Field size | Left Field: 325 feet (99 m) Center Field: 400 feet (122 m) Right Field: 325 feet (99 m) |
| Surface | Patriot bermuda overseeded with rye |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 28, 2007 |
| Opened | April 10, 2008 |
| Construction cost | $50 million ($70.8 million in 2023 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Populous |
| Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti[2] |
| Services engineer | Henderson Engineers[3] |
| General contractor | Crossland Construction[4] |
| Main contractors | John McBride Construction Company Inc.[5] |
| Tenants | |
| Northwest Arkansas Naturals (TL/Double-A Central) (2008–present) | |
Arvest Ballpark is a stadium in Springdale, Arkansas. It is primarily used for baseball, as the home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Texas League. The ballpark has a capacity of 7,305 people and opened in 2008. Arvest Ballpark was designed by the Kansas City architecture firm Populous.[6] Arvest Ballpark was named the 2008 Ballpark of the year by baseballparks.com[7]
History
[edit]The Wichita Wranglers were the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994 and the Kansas City Royals from 1995 to 2007. The Wranglers had struggled with low attendance numbers and an aging Lawrence–Dumont Stadium throughout Bob Rich Jr.'s 18-year ownership of the team. In 2006, Rich sought to move the team to Springdale, contingent on a citizen vote to approve financing for a new stadium.
Springdale's mayor, Jerre M. Van Hoose, and the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Perry Webb, knew what it would take to bring the affiliated Minor Leagues to the area. Not only would they have to find a team willing to move, they would also need to provide them with a better facility than what they would be leaving behind. The referendum concerning a new ballpark was held on July 11, 2006, with voters approving by a narrow margin the continuation of a 1% sales tax to fund construction of the ballpark.[7]
Ground for the ballpark was broken on February 27, 2007. Construction was performed by Crossland Construction and completed in April 2008. On September 10, 2007, a naming rights deal was reached with Arvest Bank Group, Inc. of nearby Bentonville,[8] and the new ballpark's official name was introduced as Arvest Ballpark on October 5, 2007.[9]
The first game played at Arvest Ballpark was the 2008 opening day game between the Naturals and the San Antonio Missions on April 10, 2008. The Naturals lost 7-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 7,820.[10]
Images
[edit]-
Arvest Ballpark Bullpen Cafè, located beyond left field -
View from behind home plate -
Batting cages -
Luxury suite -
Press box
References
[edit]- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Arvest Ballpark". Thornton Tomasetti. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
- ^ "Springdale Minor League Ballpark Phs 6". Reed Construction Data. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
- ^ "8 Projects to Watch in 2008". SportsBusiness Journal. Street's and Smith's. January 21, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ^ a b Bergeron, Angela (2008). "Feature Story - August 2008". Engineering News-Record. McGraw-Hill. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- ^ "Rich Baseball Announces Wranglers' Move to Springdale for '08". Minor League Baseball. December 15, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
- ^ a b Mock, Joe. "Arvest Ballpark in Northwest Arkansas". Baseball Parks. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
- ^ Jensen, Andrew (September 10, 2007). "Arvest Bank Secures Ballpark Naming Rights". Arkansas Business. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- ^ "Naturals Stadium Introduced as Arvest Ballpark". Joplin Business Journal. October 5, 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-12-23. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- ^ "Opening Day Festivities Overshadow Naturals Loss To San Antonio, 7-1". KHBS. Springdale, AR. April 11, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2014.