Metropolitan Stadium
| The Met, "Met Stadium", "Old Met" | |
 |
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| Location | 8000 Cedar Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°51′16″N 93°14′31″W / 44.85444°N 93.24194°WCoordinates: 44°51′16″N 93°14′31″W / 44.85444°N 93.24194°W |
| Owner |
City of Minneapolis (1956–1977) Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (1977–1981) |
| Capacity |
Baseball: 18,200 (1956) 21,000 (1957–1959) 30,637 (1960–1963) 40,000 (1964–1968) 45,914 (1970–1972) 45,921 (1973–1974) 45,919 (1975–1981) Football: 41,200 (1961–1964) 47,900 (1965–1970) 49,784 (1971–1973) 47,900 (1974–1976) 48,446 (1977–1981) |
| Field size |
Left Field: 343 ft (105 m) Left-Center: 365 ft (111 m) Center Field: 402 ft (123 m) Right-Center: 370 ft (110 m) Right Field: 330 ft (100 m) Backstop: 60 ft (18 m) Wall: 8 feet (2.4 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 20, 1955 |
| Opened | April 24, 1956 |
| Closed | December 20, 1981 |
| Demolished | January 28, 1985 |
| Construction cost | US$8.5 million ($74.9 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Osborn Architects & Engineers Thorshov and Cerny |
| Structural engineer | Tepper Engineering |
| General contractor | Johnson, Drake & Piper/Kimmes/Axel Ohman |
| Tenants | |
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Minneapolis Millers (AA) (1956–1960) Minnesota Twins (MLB) (1961–1981) Minnesota Vikings (NFL) (1961–1981) Minnesota Kicks (NASL) (1976–1981) |
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Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "the Ice Palace" when the Minnesota Vikings played, "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Millers minor league baseball team played at Met Stadium from 1956 to 1960. The Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Vikings then played at the "Met" from 1961 to 1981. The North American Soccer League soccer team Minnesota Kicks also played there from 1976 to 1981.
The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America.
Beginning in 1953, inspired by the Boston Braves' move to Milwaukee, Gerald Moore, the president of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, led the drive to lure a Major League team to Minnesota by constructing a modern stadium built to Major League specifications. After the rejection of numerous sites, a stadium committee appointed by Moore approved a 160-acre (0.65 km2) plot of farmland in Bloomington. The stadium would replace Nicollet Park as the home of the American Association's Minneapolis Millers. As the site in Bloomington was approximately equidistant from the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul, it was thought this would be the best location for a prospective Major League team.
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