Chase Field

From SoSH

Chase Field

Location:	Pheonix, Arizona
Opened:	March 31, 1998
Owner:	Maricopa County Stadium District.
Surface:	Anza Grass
Architect:	Ellerbe Becket (Minneapolis) Bill Johnson (design principal)
Current Capacity:	48,569
Build Cost:	$349 Million (some estimates come in at $414M).
Tenants:	Arizona Diamondbacks (1998 - Present)

1 Stadium History
2 Trivia
3 Field Dimensions
4 Wall Height
5 External Links

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Stadium History

The Arizona Diamondbacks, a 1998 MLB expansion team, play at Chase Field. Located in downtown Phoenix, on a site bounded by Fourth Street to the west, Seventh Street on the north and the Southern Pacific railroad tracks on the south, the ballpark is a state-of-the-art, retractable dome with a natural grass playing surface. The ballpark is owned by the Maricopa County Stadium District, which is governed by the county Board of Supervisors, and operated by an affiliate of the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks occupy Chase Field pursuant to the terms of a 30-year license agreement. At the Diamondbacks' option, the lease can be extended for an additional 10 years. The Diamondbacks enjoy priority usage of Chase Field and retain all baseball-related revenues. In addition, the Diamondbacks' affiliate receive a percentage of revenue from non-baseball revenue producing events held in Chase Field.

Funding for the construction of Chase Field came from an increase in the general sales tax in Maricopa County. The sales tax was increased one-quarter of one cent and became effective April 1, 1995. It is estimated to have generated $70-$75 million annually. The amount of revenue to be raised by the tax was capped at $238 million. The construction manager for the project was Huber, Hunt & Nichols, Inc. The project architect was Ellerbe Becket, Inc., designers of such facilities as Atlanta's Olympic Stadium, the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., Boston's Fleet Center and the construction of Madison Square Garden.

Originally called Bank One Ballpark, the stadium's name was changed to Chase Field on September 23, 2005. Bank One Corporation, which owned the naming rights to the stadium, merged with J.P. Morgan Chase & Company in 2004.

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