Minute Maid Park
| The Juice Box | |
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| Former names | The Ballpark at Union Station (2000) Enron Field (2000–2002) Astros Field (February–July 2002) |
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| Address | 501 Crawford Street |
| Location | Houston, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°45′25″N 95°21′20″W / 29.75694°N 95.35556°WCoordinates: 29°45′25″N 95°21′20″W / 29.75694°N 95.35556°W |
| Public transit |
METRORail: Convention District Station METRO bus: 3, 6, 11, 20, 30, 37, 48, 50, 77, 137, 163, 236, 255, 256, 257 |
| Parking | Estimated 25,000 total spots within walking distance |
| Owner | Harris County-Houston Sports Authority |
| Operator | Harris County-Houston Sports Authority |
| Capacity | 41,676 (2016–present) 41,574 (2015) 42,060 (2013–2014) 40,981 (2012) 40,963 (2011) 40,976 (2006–2010) 40,950 (2000–2005) |
| Record attendance | 44,203, September 26, 2001 |
| Field size |
Left Field - 315 feet (96 m) Left-Center - 362 feet (110 m) Left-Center (deep) - 404 feet (123 m) Center Field - 436 feet (133 m) Right-Center - 373 feet (114 m) Right Field - 326 feet (99 m) Backstop - 49 feet (15 m) |
| Surface | Platinum TE Paspalum |
| Scoreboard | 54 feet (16 m) high by 124 feet (38 m) wide |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 1, 1997 |
| Opened | March 30, 2000 (Exhibition) April 7, 2000 (Regular Season) |
| Renovated | 2010 (Off season) |
| Construction cost |
$250 million ($348 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Populous Molina & Associates |
| Project manager | Schindewolfe and Associates |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc. (Bowl) Uni-Systems, Inc. (Roof) |
| General contractor | Brown & Root/Barton Malow/Empire Joint Venture |
| Tenants | |
| Houston Astros (MLB) (2000–present) | |
Minute Maid Park, previously known as The Ballpark at Union Station, Enron Field, and Astros Field, is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States, that opened in 2000 to house the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). The ballpark is Houston's first retractable-roofed stadium, and features a natural grass playing field. The ballpark was built as a replacement of the Astrodome, the first domed sports stadium ever built, which opened in 1965. It is named for beverage brand Minute Maid, a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, which acquired naming rights in 2002 for $100 million over 30 years. As of 2016, Minute Maid Park has a seating capacity of 41,676, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 luxury suites.
The largest entrance to the park is inside what was once Houston's Union Station, and the left-field side of the stadium features a railway as homage to the site's history. The train moves along a track on top of the length of the exterior wall beyond left field whenever an Astros player hits a home run and/or the Astros win a game. The engine's coal car is filled with giant oranges in reference to Minute Maid's most famous product, orange juice.
In 1909, during the time when West End Park was Houston's premier ballpark, the Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company]] commissioned the design of a new union station for the city from New York City-based architects Warren and Wetmore. The location called for the demolition of several structures of Houston prominence. Horace Baldwin Rice's residence and Adath Yeshurun Congregation's synagogue among other structures were removed.
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