Florida Suncoast Dome
| "The Trop" | |
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Tropicana Field Opening Day 2010
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| Former names | Florida Suncoast Dome (1990–1993) Thunderdome (1993–1996) |
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| Address | One Tropicana Drive |
| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°46′6″N 82°39′12″W / 27.76833°N 82.65333°WCoordinates: 27°46′6″N 82°39′12″W / 27.76833°N 82.65333°W |
| Public transit | 16th Street & 1st Avenue S |
| Owner | City of St. Petersburg |
| Operator | Tampa Bay Rays Ltd. |
| Capacity | 45,369 (1998) 44,027 (1999) 44,445 (2000) 43,772 (2002–2006) 38,437 (2007) 36,048 (2008) 36,973 (2009–2010) 34,078 (2011–2013) 31,042 (2014–present) 42,735 (including tarp-covered seats) |
| Field size |
Left Field – 315 ft (96 m) Left-Center – 370 ft (110 m) Center Field – 404 ft (123 m) Right-Center – 370 ft (110 m) Right Field – 322 ft (98 m) Backstop – 50 ft (15 m) |
| Surface |
AstroTurf (1998–1999) Shaw Sports Turf (2017-Present) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 22, 1986 |
| Opened | March 3, 1990 |
| Construction cost | US$130 million ($238 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | HOK Sport (Kansas City); Lescher & Mahoney Sports (Tampa); Criswell, Blizzard & Blouin Architects (St. Petersburg) |
| Structural engineer | John A. Martin & Associates (bowl) Geiger Engineers P.C. (roof) |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc. |
| General contractor | Huber, Hunt & Nichols |
| Tenants | |
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Tampa Bay Storm (AFL) (1991–1996) Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) (1993–1996) Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) (1998–present) St. Petersburg Bowl (NCAA) (2008–present) |
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AstroTurf (1998–1999)
FieldTurf with dirt infield (2000–2010)
AstroTurf GameDay Grass (2011–2017)
Tropicana Field is a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, that has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the team's inaugural season in 1998. The stadium is also used for college football, and since December 2008 has been the home of the St. Petersburg Bowl, an annual postseason bowl game. It is currently the only non-retractable domed stadium in Major League Baseball, and is the smallest MLB stadium by seating capacity when obstructed-view rows in the uppermost sections are covered with tarp as they are for most Rays games.
Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and was originally known as the Florida Suncoast Dome. In 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved to the facility and its name was changed to the Thunderdome until the team moved to their new home in downtown Tampa in 1996. In October 1996, Tropicana Products, a fruit juice company then based in nearby Bradenton, Florida, signed a 30-year naming rights deal.
After Tampa was awarded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 1970s, St. Petersburg decided it wanted a share of the professional sports scene in Tampa Bay. It was decided early on that the city would attempt to attract Major League Baseball. Possible designs for a baseball park or multi-purpose stadium were proposed as early as 1983. One such design, in the same location where Tropicana Field would ultimately be built, called for an open-air stadium with a circus tent-like covering. It took several design cues from Kauffman Stadium, including fountains beyond the outfield wall.
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Wikipedia