| Metropolitan Stadium | |
|---|---|
| The Met | |
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| Location | 8000 Cedar Ave. South Bloomington, Minnesota (now demolished) |
| Broke ground | June, 1955 |
| Opened | April 24, 1956 |
| Closed | December 20, 1981 |
| Demolished | January 28, 1985 |
| Owner | City of Minneapolis |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $8. Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the US state of Minnesota in Hennepin County, and the third core city of the Minneapolis-St Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Grass is the common word that generally describes Monocotyledonous green Plants The family Gramineae ( Poaceae) are the "true grasses" and include The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 5 million |
| Architect | Osborn Engineering |
| Tenants | Minneapolis Millers (AA) (1956-1960) Minnesota Twins (MLB) (1961-1981) Minnesota Vikings (NFL) (1961-1981) Minnesota Kicks (NASL) (1976-1981) |
| Capacity |
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| Field dimensions | Left Field - 343 ft (105 m) Left-Center - 365 ft (117 m) Center Field - 402 ft Right-Center - 370 ft Right Field - 330 ft Backstop - 60 ft Wall - 8 feet |
Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis, now the site of the Mall of America. Osborn Engineering, officially Osborn Architects & Engineers, is an architectural and engineering firm noted mostly for designing sports stadiums The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional Minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis Minnesota until 1960 This article refers to the former minor league that existed from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based out of Minneapolis Minnesota. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The 1961 NFL season was the 42nd Regular season of the National Football League. The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd Regular season of the National Football League. Minnesota Kicks were a professional Soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington Minnesota from 1976 to 1981 North American Soccer League (NASL was a professional soccer League with teams in the United States of America (U The Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome, often simply called The Metrodome, is a domed sports Stadium in downtown Minneapolis Minnesota. Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the US state of Minnesota in Hennepin County, and the third core city of the Minneapolis-St Mall of America (also MOA, MoA or the Megamall) is a super-regional shopping mall located in the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington
It opened in 1956 as the home of a minor league baseball team, the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, replacing ancient Nicollet Park and built to major league specifications. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional Minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis Minnesota until 1960 This article refers to the former minor league that existed from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 Nicollet Park is a former Baseball ground located in Minneapolis Minnesota, United States Although located in Bloomington, the stadium was paid for by the city of Minneapolis. It sat in the middle of a 161-acre plot located in a cornfield, with all excess land set aside for parking. It originally seated 18,000, and would have seated more if not for an explosion and two fires. It was expanded to 22,000 in 1959.
In the 1950s, major league owners Calvin Griffith and Horace Stoneham called the stadium the finest facility in the minors; Stoneham added that it was better than all but two major league stadiums of the time. Calvin Robertson Griffith ( December 1 1911 - October 20 1999) born Calvin Robertson in Montreal, Canada, was Horace C Stoneham ( April 27 1903 — January 7 1990) was the principal owner of Major League Baseball 's New York/San Francisco Indeed, the Met's primary purpose was to attract a big-league team to the area. The NFL was also interested in placing a team at the Met. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Chicago Cardinals moved two of their home games against the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles to Bloomington for the 1959 NFL season. The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York City suburb of East Rutherford New Jersey. The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 1959 NFL season was the 40th Regular season of the National Football League.
The Millers were then the top farm team of Stoneham's New York Giants, and there was some hope or expectation that the Giants might relocate there. The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. Under major league rules of the time, the Giants had priority rights to a major league team in the Twin Cities. The Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators also seriously considered moving there. The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. However, the Giants chose to follow the Brooklyn Dodgers to the west coast. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA San Francisco had long been home to the Pacific Coast League's San Francisco Seals, the top farm team of the Boston Red Sox. The Pacific Coast League (PCL is a Minor league baseball league operating in the West and Midwest of the United States. For the professional hockey team see San Francisco Seals (hockey. The Boston Red Sox are a Professional baseball team based in Boston Massachusetts, and are the reigning (2007 World Series Champions. As part of the deal, the Millers' parent team then became the Red Sox. The Red Sox were certainly not planning to move anywhere. However, in 1961, another American League entry, the Washington Senators, did, to become the Minnesota Twins. The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Millers and their perennial crosstown rival St. Paul Saints were then promptly folded by Major League Baseball. The St Paul Saints are a professional baseball team based in Saint Paul Minnesota, in the United States. The Twins were joined that fall by an NFL expansion team, the Minnesota Vikings. The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based out of Minneapolis Minnesota.
The Twins and the Vikings then played at the "Met" from 1961 to 1981. The NASL soccer team Minnesota Kicks also played there from 1976 to 1981. North American Soccer League (NASL was a professional soccer League with teams in the United States of America (U Minnesota Kicks were a professional Soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington Minnesota from 1976 to 1981
The Met was expanded several times through the years. During the summer of 1961, the first two tiers of the triple-deck stand were extended down the first base side, just past the right field corner, increasing capacity to 30,637. This was largely to the benefit of the Vikings. For 1965, a large double-decked grandstand, paid for by the Vikings, was installed in left field. This left the Met with the unique configuration of a double deck in left field, and bleachers behind third base. The big left field stand was originally planned to be capable of sliding toward or away from the gridiron (as Denver's Mile High Stadium later would be), but that part of the project was never realized. Mile High Stadium (known as Bears Stadium until 1968) was a Baseball, Soccer and football stadium that stood in Denver
The park had a skeletal feel, and it was obvious that it had once been a minor league baseball stadium. Unlike most multipurpose stadiums built during this time, there were very few bad seats for baseball. It was well-known as a hitter's park; its short foul lines--343 to left, 330 to right--were particularly friendly to pull hitters such as Harmon Killebrew. Harmon Clayton Killebrew (ˈkɪləˌbɹuː born June 29 1936 is a former Major League Baseball player and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The 330-foot marker in right was actually closer to right-center, leading to speculation that right field was even closer. [1] Since the Met was built in 1956, however, this would not have been a problem for the Twins; baseball required all parks built after 1958 to have foul lines of at least 325 feet.
It also provided an overwhelming home-field advantage for the Vikings late in the season and in the playoffs due to Minnesota's famously cold temperatures. The Vikings played 11 playoff games at the Met, and lost only three of them.
In 1965, both the Major League All-Star Game and the World Series were played at the Met, one of the few times that coincidence has happened since the former event was inaugurated in 1933. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. The Vikings hosted the 1969 NFL championship game at the stadium. The 1969 NFL Championship Game was the 37th and final championship game played prior to AFL-NFL Merger.
The Met was not well maintained; there were many broken railings in the third deck by the late 1970s. Its fate was essentially sealed when, as part of the AFL-NFL Merger, the NFL declared that stadiums smaller than 50,000 were inadequate for its needs; the Met only seated 48,700 for football. The AFL-NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues However, the Vikings would not even consider playing at the University of Minnesota's Memorial Stadium, and demanded a brand-new stadium as a condition of staying in town. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities ( U of M or The U) is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. Memorial Stadium also known as the " Brick House " was the home of Minnesota Golden Gophers football from 1924 until 1981 Since football-only stadiums were not seen as viable at the time, the Twins decided not to renew their lease at the Met after the 1981 season (though they themselves began complaining about having to deal with extremely cold weather for early- and late-season games).
This accelerated the push for construction of a new stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which was completed in 1981. The Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome, often simply called The Metrodome, is a domed sports Stadium in downtown Minneapolis Minnesota. On September 6th, the Minnesota Kicks, the local North American Soccer League franchise, lost their last home game, a semi-conference final play-off game, to the Ft. Minnesota Kicks were a professional Soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington Minnesota from 1976 to 1981 North American Soccer League (NASL was a professional soccer League with teams in the United States of America (U Lauderdale Strikers, 3-0. The Twins played their last game at the Met on Sept 30, 1981 losing to Kansas City 5-2 on a rainy afternoon. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 And finishing the trifecta, the Vikings played their last game on Dec 20, 1981, dropping a 10-6 decision to the Kansas City Chiefs, the same team that topped the Vikings in Super Bowl IV, the first of four Super Bowl failures for the team. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City Missouri. Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one (after Super Bowl III) to officially bear Met Stadium was officially abandoned when the Vikings and the Twins moved to the Metrodome in January 1982 and the Kicks folded after 1981 soccer season. For the next three years, Met Stadium sat there being unused, decaying and was highly vandalized. Demolition kickoff for Metropolitan Stadium started on Jan 28, 1985 and continued for the next four months. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) After the rubble was cleared, the lot sat vacant for several years, although the nearby Met Center, which had opened in 1967 just north of the Met, continued to provide entertainment for hockey fans. The Met Center was an indoor arena that formerly stood in Bloomington Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis Minnesota.
After the Met
The Mall of America, which opened in 1992, stands on the site of what is now nostalgically called "the Old Met. Mall of America (also MOA, MoA or the Megamall) is a super-regional shopping mall located in the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington " A brass plaque in the shape of home plate, embedded in the floor in the northwest corner of Nickelodeon Universe, commemorates the site's days as a sports venue. For the Nickelodeon themed area inside Kings Island theme park see Kings Island - Nickelodeon Universe. Near the opposite corner, mounted high on the wall, is a red stadium chair denoting the precise landing spot (including elevation) of Harmon Killebrew's 520-foot home run, a blast to the upper deck in deep left-center field on June 3, 1967. Harmon Clayton Killebrew (ˈkɪləˌbɹuː born June 29 1936 is a former Major League Baseball player and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. This was the longest homer Killebrew ever hit, and the longest ever hit in Metropolitan Stadium.
- ^ Smith, Curt (2001). Curt Smith (born 20 March Storied Stadiums. New York City: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0786711876.
Quote
"There is not a finer facility in all of minor league baseball, and not two better in the Majors. " - Calvin Griffith, 1959
External links
| Preceded by Nicollet Park |
Home of the Minneapolis Millers 1956 – 1960 |
Succeeded by none |
| Preceded by Griffith Stadium |
Home of the Minnesota Twins 1961 – 1981 |
Succeeded by Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
| Preceded by First stadium |
Home of the Minnesota Vikings 1961 – 1981 |
Succeeded by Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
| Preceded by Shea Stadium |
Host of the All-Star Game 1965 |
Succeeded by Busch Memorial Stadium |
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