When was Turner Field demolished?
754364#9
Between 1996 and 1997, the inside of the stadium was demolished. The stadium was imploded on August 2, 1997; the remains were later removed and demolished. A parking lot, built for Turner Field now stands on the site, with an outline of the old stadium built in. The monument that marked the landing point of Hank Aaron's historic 715th home run stands in the same place it did when the stadium was on the site.
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
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The ballpark was built in the Southeastern Atlanta neighborhood of Summerhill. across the street from the former home of the Braves, Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, which was demolished in the summer of 1997 and replaced with a parking lot. The parking lot is painted with the field location and configuration of the old ballpark. The section of the outfield wall with the monument marking where Hank Aaron's 715th home run went over it was reinstalled in its original location, and still stands today. From 2002 to 2004, the failed Fanplex entertainment center was located adjacent to the stadium's parking lot. The stadium contained 5,372 club seats, 64 luxury suites, and three party suites.
Turner Field
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Following the 1996 Summer Paralympics, Olympic Stadium was retrofitted between September 1996 and April 1997 with the synthetic 400 m athletic track and 35,000 seats removed. The new venue, called Turner Field in honor of then-Braves owner and former Goodwill Games founder Ted Turner, opened on April 4, 1997 with a 5–4 win over the Chicago Cubs. Turner Field hosted two games of the 1999 World Series (swept by the Yankees in four games) and the 2000 MLB All-Star Game. On November 12, 2013, The Braves organisation announced that the team would move into a new ballpark located in Cobb County, SunTrust Park, in time for the 2017 season. Then-Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed stated that the stadium site would be redeveloped once the Braves vacated Turner Field. The Braves' final game at Turner Field took place on October 2, 2016, with a 1–0 win over the Detroit Lions. In May 2014, Georgia State University announced its intentions to pursue the Turner Field site for a mixed-use development. One proposed development plan included reconfiguring Turner Field into a 30,000 seat (American) football stadium and building a new baseball field on the footprint of the former Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, incorporating the wall where Hank Aaron hit his historic 715th home run; an alternate proposal submitted in November 2015 would adaptively reuse portions of the ballpark for a mixed housing and retail development while a new American football-specific stadium would be built to the north along with the aforementioned new baseball field. On December 21, 2015, the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority announced that it had accepted Georgia State's bid for the stadium property. On August 18, 2016, Georgia State and the Atlanta–Fulton County Recreation Authority reached a tentative purchase agreement for Turner Field, and the purchase and redevelopment plan was approved by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on November 9, 2016. On January 5, 2017, the sale of Turner Field was officially closed, and the former ballpark was redeveloped into Georgia State Stadium starting in February 2017. The stadium conversion is occurring over multiple phases, with the first phase completed in time for Georgia State's home opener on August 31, 2017.
Venues of the 1996 Summer Olympics
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Turner Field's left field vista was dominated by advertising fixtures from two iconic Atlanta corporations. In 2009, a new large Coca-Cola bottle was installed behind left field. Replacing an earlier version made of various pieces of baseball equipment, the new bottle featured a HD display around the label, as well as LED lighting. Next to this second iteration of Turner Field's Coca-Cola bottle was a Chick-fil-A cow, added in 2008. Wearing a Braves hat, the cow did the Tomahawk Chop along with fans while holding a sign with rotating slogans which tie in to the fast-food chain's successful "Eat Mor Chikin" advertising campaign. The cow was removed from Turner Field following the 2015 season for refurbishment before being installed at SunTrust Park.
Turner Field
14135294#1
In 1997, the Braves moved into Turner Field. The ballpark was built across the street from the former home of the Braves, Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, which was demolished in the summer of 1997.
1997 Atlanta Braves season
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In April and May 2014, Georgia State University officials expressed an interest in acquiring Turner Field and converting it into a 30,000-seat open-air stadium for the Panthers football program. New development, including retail, residential and student housing, would also be put into use on the Turner Field site. Additionally, a new baseball field would be built on the former Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium site, incorporating the outfield wall where Hank Aaron hit his record-breaking 715th home run. While Mayor Reed showed preference towards Georgia State's plan, at least three offers from other developers were up for consideration. On August 13, 2015, the Braves officially gave notice to the city of Atlanta and Fulton County that the team would not exercise the option to extend their lease at Turner Field and would vacate the stadium by December 31, 2016, allowing the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority to move forward with any redevelopment plans. On November 23, 2015, Georgia State submitted an alternative proposal for redeveloping Turner Field, where portions of the current ballpark would be rebuilt into a mixed retail and housing development and a new football-specific stadium would be constructed north of Turner Field along with the new baseball field. While vetting bids for redevelopment, two casino firms showed interest in the Turner Field property; however, they did not submit bids due to Mayor Reed's and the community's opposition to casino gaming. On December 21, 2015, the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority announced that they have accepted the joint bid by Georgia State University and real estate firm Carter for the stadium property. Georgia State was considered the front-runner for the property as the other two bids submitted were from little known entities with no documented redevelopment experience. Residents of the Summerhill neighborhood expressed their criticism for Turner Field's quick sale without their input; however, city and county officials stated that a quick sale was necessary to keep the burden of the stadium's security and upkeep from falling on the tax payers' shoulders once the Braves move out. On August 18, 2016, Georgia State and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority reached a tentative purchase agreement for Turner Field, and the purchase and redevelopment plan was approved by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on November 9, 2016. On January 5, 2017, the sale of the Turner Field property to Georgia State was officially closed, with the stadium conversion project beginning in February 2017. The stadium conversion will occur over multiple phases, while the first phase was completed in time for Georgia State's opener on August 31, 2017.
Turner Field
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Turner Field was also home to the first NL Wild Card Game in 2012 between the Braves and St. Louis Cardinals. The Braves were behind 6–3 in the bottom of the 8th inning when Andrelton Simmons hit a fly ball to shallow left field that dropped in between Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma and left fielder Matt Holliday. Umpire Sam Holbrook called Simmons out, citing the infield fly rule. Had an infield fly not been called, Simmons would have been credited with a single and Atlanta would have had the bases loaded with one out. Fans at Turner Field began to litter the field with debris, prompting the game to be delayed for 19 minutes. The Braves lost the game 6–3, ending their season.
Turner Field
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In a post-game ceremony, home plate was removed and delivered to SunTrust Park by Hank Aaron and Braves chairman Terry McGuirk, as those remaining at Turner Field watched its progress on the video board. While home plate was being driven up Interstate 75, the ceremony included a parade of fans representing each state in the Braves' television footprint and speeches from Braves dignitaries, followed by a simultaneous performance of the Braves' signature "Tomahawk Chop" rally cry by the crowd still at Turner Field and the small gathering of team executives and Little Leaguers at SunTrust Park.
Turner Field
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The 2016 season was the Braves' final season at Turner Field, before moving to their new home at SunTrust Park. The stadium was originally built as a venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics before being converted for use by the Braves for the 1997 season. The team scheduled a number of special events and limited-edition giveaways in honor of its final season at Turner and the players wore a commemorative sleeve patch on their uniforms for the entire season. The patch showed an outline of the stadium with the words "Turner Field; Final Season, 19972016".
2016 Atlanta Braves season
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Between April and May 2014, Georgia State University announced its intentions to pursue the Turner Field site for a mixed use development. One proposed development plan included reconfiguring Turner Field into a football stadium and building a new baseball field on the footprint of the former Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, incorporating the wall where Hank Aaron hit his historic 715th home run; an alternate proposal submitted in November 2015 proposed adaptively reusing portions of the ballpark for a mixed housing and retail development while a new football-specific stadium was built to the north along with the aforementioned new baseball field. On December 21, 2015, the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority announced that they had accepted Georgia State's bid for the stadium property. It was decided to go with the reconfiguration plan and on August 18, 2016, Georgia State and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority reached a tentative purchase agreement for Turner Field, and the purchase and redevelopment plan was approved by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on November 9, 2016.
Georgia State Stadium