Introduction
Safeco Field is a retractable roof (a roof which can be mechanically deployed from some retracted position) baseball park situated in the Seattle, Washington, United States. Safeco Field, also referred as SAFECO Field or The Safe, is the home ballpark of the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Seattle Mariners. It was opened on July 15, 1999, and is operated and owned by the Washington-King County Stadium Authority.
The first professional baseball game was played on July 15, 1999, between the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners, which the Mariners lost 3-2. Safeco Field got its name from the Seattle-based Safeco Insurance Company, who purchased the naming rights at a cost of $40 million for 20 years.
The address of Safeco Field is –
1250 First Ave. South
Seattle, WA 98134,
United States.
Design
Design of the Safeco Field was proposed by the two architectural firms NBBJ and 360 Architecture. Construction officially began on March 8, 1997, and continued until July 1999. The construction cost was about $517.6 million. Safeco Field has four main gates open to all ticket holders, which are situated at the northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest corners. The structure covers almost nine acres, weighs twenty-two million pounds and contains adequate steel to build a skyscraper fifty-five stories high. A retractable roof covers the whole stadium but does not encircle it, giving it an open air feel. The scoreboard and bleacher seats are located above the bullpens in left field. There are five main levels to the stadium: Main Concourse (100 level), Upper Concourse (300 level), Suite level, Club level (200 level), and Field (or Street).
Dimensions
• Surface – Perennial Ryegrass blend / Kentucky Blue Grass.
• Capacity – 47,116 (baseball) and 30,144 (football).
• Left Field – 331 ft (101 m).
• Right Field – 326 ft (99 m).
• Center Field – 405 ft (123 m).
• Right-center – 385 ft (118 m).
• Left-center – 390 ft (119 m).
Features
• The ballpark features a natural grass field, an irregular field dimension and a brick facade.
• The stadium also features luxury suites, a retractable roof, and modern clubhouse facilities for players.
• Beverages and food stands are available throughout the stadium; selling foods, snacks, sodas and beer.
• The stadium also provides a technology that allows spectators to order food from their seat using a Nintendo DS or cell phone.
• There is a Children’s Hospital Playfield located in a northeast corner on the main concourse of the stadium, which is a playground for children.
• Apart from the baseball, Safeco Field is also used for other sport events, for instance, WWE WrestleMania XIX was hosted in 2003, as well the college football Seattle Bowl (NCAA) was hosted in 2001.