Harbor Park

Last updated
Harbor Park
Norfolk Harbor Park logo.png
Harbor park.jpg
Harbor Park in 2006
Harbor Park
Location150 Park Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia
United States
Coordinates 36°50′34.04″N76°16′43.93″W / 36.8427889°N 76.2788694°W / 36.8427889; -76.2788694
Owner City of Norfolk
Operator Maryland Baseball Holding, LLC
Capacity 11,856 (2015–present) [1]
12,067 (1993–2014) [2]
Field sizeLeft field: 333 ft (101 m)
Center field: 400 ft (120 m)
Right field: 318 ft (97 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundFebruary 21, 1992 [3]
OpenedApril 14, 1993
Construction cost$16 million
($32.4 million in 2022 dollars [4] )
Architect Populous
(Formerly HOK Sport)
Project manager McDevitt and Street Co. [5]
Structural engineer Kerr Conrad Graham Associates [6]
Services engineerBredson & Associates, Inc. [7]
General contractorOMNI Construction Inc. [5]
Tenants
Norfolk Tides (IL/AAAE) 1993–present

Harbor Park is a stadium, used primarily for baseball, on the Elizabeth River, in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Once rated the best minor league stadium by Baseball America , it is home to the Norfolk Tides Minor League Baseball team. The Tides are the Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A farm team and compete in the International League. Harbor Park opened on April 14, 1993, and can seat 12,067 people.

Contents

Features

Seating includes 9,000 lower deck seats, 2,800 upper deck seats and a 300-person capacity picnic area. The stadium also features 24 luxury skyboxes with seating for 400, and a 225-seat full-service restaurant with a panoramic view of the field from the first base side. A record crowd of 14,263 was reached August 31, 1996. [8]

The field is a natural grass playing surface which features a state of the art irrigation and drainage system. The outfield dimensions are 333 feet to the left field foul pole, 400 feet to straightaway center, and 318 down the right field line.

A pair of video boards of which its combined size is the largest in the minor leagues were installed prior to the 2022 regular season. The replacement of the previous scoreboard in right field has a height and width of 32 by 114 feet (9.75 by 34.75 meters) and is second in size to the one at Las Vegas Ballpark. The newer video board in left field is 24 by 60 feet (7.32 by 18.29 meters). Both were constructed by Daktronics. [9]

Throughout the 1990s, the stadium served as the home field for some of Norfolk's high school football games, primarily Maury, Granby, and Booker T. Washington. In 1996, BTW opened a new stadium on the school campus; in 2005, Maury and Granby moved to a new facility, Powhatan Field. In the past, the stadium also hosted high school football postseason games, although that has not happened since 2012.

Transportation

The Tide light rail has a station along Park Avenue, adjacent to Harbor Park stadium. Amtrak also has its Norfolk station adjacent to the stadium.

Notable events

Harbor Park hosted the 1998 Triple-A All-Star Game in which the International League All-Stars defeated the Pacific Coast League All-Stars, 8–4. [10]

During Major League Baseball's search for a new home for the Montreal Expos, Norfolk submitted a proposal which would have expanded Harbor Park to temporarily accommodate a major league team. Norfolk's bid was rejected and the Expos eventually became the Washington Nationals. [11]

On March 30, 2007, the Washington Nationals played an exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles at Harbor Park. The game was sold out two weeks in advance; attendance was 12,408. [12] The Orioles and Nationals played another exhibition game in 2009; the Orioles and Tides also play each other in occasional exhibition games, having done so in 2012, 2014, and 2018.

On October 28, 2008, Barack Obama held a rally at Harbor Park. [13]

On December 16, 2008, the city of Norfolk approved a plan by the Tides to build a party deck in right field, behind the home team's bullpen. Completed in March 2009, two weeks before an Orioles–Nationals exhibition game, the deck holds 400 people but did not increase stadium capacity, except during sold-out games, when the deck accommodates some overflow. The right field fence was moved in 20 feet, to accommodate the deck, setting it at its current distance of 318 feet. [14]

The concert band piece Harbor Park Holiday, written in 1996 by Norfolk native James L. Hosay, was written about Harbor Park.

On August 30, 2019, Harbor Park hosted the RIP Paul Walker fantasy football draft party. Actor Leslie David Baker of the hit television show The Office was in attendance as well.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottawa Lynx</span> Minor league baseball team

The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal Expos (1993–2002), Baltimore Orioles (2003–2006), and Philadelphia Phillies (2007). At the time, it was the only IL franchise in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Tides</span> Minor League Baseball team

The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapeake Bay. The team plays their home games at Harbor Park, which opened in 1993. The Tides previously played at High Rock Park in 1961 and 1962, Frank D. Lawrence Stadium from 1961 to 1969, and at Met Park from its opening in 1970 until the end of the 1992 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodger Stadium</span> Baseball park in Los Angeles, California

Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of US$23 million. It is the oldest ballpark in MLB west of the Mississippi River, and third-oldest overall, after Fenway Park in Boston (1912) and Wrigley Field in Chicago (1914), and is the largest baseball stadium in the world by seat capacity. Often referred to as a "pitcher's ballpark", the stadium has seen 13 no-hitters, two of which were perfect games. Its also been deemed the most popular MLB stadium on social media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriole Park at Camden Yards</span> Baseball stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a baseball stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was completed in 1992 to replace Memorial Stadium. The stadium is in downtown Baltimore, a few blocks west of the Inner Harbor in the Camden Yards Sports Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahlen Field</span> Baseball stadium in Buffalo, New York

Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Pilot Field, the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark, North AmeriCare Park, Dunn Tire Park, and Coca-Cola Field. Home to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League, it opened on April 14, 1988, and can seat up to 16,600 people, making it the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States. It replaced the Bisons' former home, War Memorial Stadium, where the team played from 1979 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AutoZone Park</span>

AutoZone Park is a Minor League Baseball stadium located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and is home to the Memphis Redbirds of the International League, the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's (MLB) St. Louis Cardinals. It also hosts Memphis 901 FC of the USL Championship, the second tier of U.S. soccer. In 2009, the stadium was named Minor League Ballpark of the Year by Baseball America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">League Park</span> Former baseball park in Cleveland, Ohio, United States (1891-1946)

League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Dunham Street and Lexington Avenue in the Hough neighborhood. It was built in 1891 as a wood structure and rebuilt using concrete and steel in 1910. The park was home to a number of professional sports teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball. League Park was first home to the Cleveland Spiders of the National League from 1891 to 1899 and of the Cleveland Lake Shores of the Western League, the minor league predecessor to the Indians, in 1900. From 1914 to 1915, League Park also hosted the Cleveland Spiders of the minor league American Association. In the late 1940s, the park was also the home field of the Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crosley Field</span> Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio

Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) and third American Football League (1940–41). It was not the original home of the current NFL franchise of the same name: the home of those Bengals in 1968 and 1969 was nearby Nippert Stadium, located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Crosley Field was on an asymmetrical block bounded by Findlay Street (south), Western Avenue, Dalton Avenue (east), York Street (north) and McLean Avenue (west) in the Queensgate section of the city. Crosley has the distinction of being the first major-league park with lights for playing night games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Diamond (Richmond, Virginia)</span> Baseball stadium in Richmond, Virginia, United States

The Diamond is a baseball stadium located in Richmond, Virginia, USA, on Arthur Ashe Boulevard. It is the home of Richmond Flying Squirrels of the Eastern League and the Virginia Commonwealth University baseball team. From 1985 to 2008, it was the home of the Richmond Braves, the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Diamond seats 12,134 people for baseball; however, for Flying Squirrels games, advertising banners cover up the top rows of the upper deck, reducing seating capacity to 9,560.

GoMart Ballpark is the current home field for the Charleston Dirty Birds, a baseball team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. It also has been used by the baseball programs of West Virginia University, Marshall University, and the University of Charleston. The stadium, which opened in April 2005, is located in the East End of Charleston, West Virginia. It seats 4,500 fans and cost $25 million to build. The dimensions of the field are as follows: left field - 330 feet, center field - 400 feet, right field - 320 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herschel Greer Stadium</span> Demolished Minor League Baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Herschel Greer Stadium was a Minor League Baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, on the grounds of Fort Negley, an American Civil War fortification, approximately two mi (3.2 km) south of the city's downtown district. The facility closed at the end of the 2014 baseball season and remained deserted for over four years until its demolition in 2019. Following an archaeological survey, the land is expected to be reincorporated into Fort Negley Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Hernández (infielder)</span> Puerto Rican baseball player (born 1969)

José Antonio Hernández Figueroa is a Puerto Rican professional baseball player and coach. Hernández played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an infielder for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies from 1991 to 2006. He was an MLB All-Star in 2002. Since 2019, Hernández has been a coach for the Baltimore Orioles of MLB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nationals Park</span> Baseball park in Washington, DC

Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals. Since its completion in 2008, it was the first LEED-certified green major professional sports stadium in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in San Antonio, Texas

Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium is a stadium in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the San Antonio Missions Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League. The UTSA Roadrunners baseball team also plays some home games at the stadium. The stadium is named for Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who is a former Texas legislator and San Antonio councilman and mayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S.B. Ballard Stadium</span>

S.B. Ballard Stadium, formerly Foreman Field, is a 21,944-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in 1936 with a football game between the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary's Norfolk Division, which is now Old Dominion University. It is currently the home of Old Dominion Monarchs football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Johnson (baseball)</span> American baseball player (1956–2021)

Ronald David Johnson was an American baseball player, coach and minor league manager. From 2012 through 2018, he managed the Norfolk Tides of the International League, Triple-A farm system affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. His 2018 season with Norfolk was his 14th season as a Triple-A manager; Johnson formerly helmed the Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League (2005–09), and the Omaha Royals (1998) and Omaha Golden Spikes (1999) of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coca-Cola Park</span> Baseball Park in Pennsylvania, United States

Coca-Cola Park is an 8,278-seat baseball park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A level Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Norfolk, Virginia</span>

There are several professional minor-league sports teams as well as college sports teams in the Norfolk, Virginia area.

Minor League Baseball teams were based in Portsmouth, Virginia, in various seasons between 1895 and 1968. Early, Portsmouth teams, called the Portsmouth Truckers, Portsmouth Pirates and Portsmouth Browns were Virginia League members based in Portsmouth, playing between 1895 and 1928. The Portsmouth Cubs were affiliates of the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies, playing in the Class B level Piedmont League from 1935 to 1955. The team became the Portsmouth Merrimacs from 1953 to 1955.

References

  1. ↑ "2015 Norfolk Tides Media Guide". Minor League Baseball. March 15, 2015. p. 164. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ "2014 Norfolk Tides Media Guide". Minor League Baseball. March 19, 2014. p. 162. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Stadium Starting Lineup". The Virginian-Pilot . Norfolk. February 22, 1992. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  4. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Robinson, Tom (July 1, 1992). "Omni Submits Lowest Bid for Construction of Tides' Stadium". The Virginian-Pilot . Norfolk. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Ken Olson Experience". LinkedIn . Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Pro Baseball Sports Facilities". Bredson & Associates, Inc. Archived from the original on April 10, 2002. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  8. ↑ Radford, Rich (September 1, 1996). "14,263 Pack Harbor Park as Tides Roll". The Virginian-Pilot . Norfolk. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ Stanley, John. "Norfolk Installs Largest Video Board Space in Minor Leagues," Norfolk Tides, Thursday, February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Triple-A All-Star Game Results (1998–2002)". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  11. ↑ Minium, Harry (December 17, 2004). "Norfolk Not Likely to Make Another Push for Expos". The Virginian-Pilot . Norfolk. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ Radford, Rich (March 31, 2007). "A Painful Win for Area's O's Fans". The Virginian-Pilot . Norfolk. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  13. ↑ Watson, Denise M.; Wagner, Lon (October 29, 2008). "For Harbor Park Crowd, Barack Obama Hits a Home Run". The Virginian-Pilot . Norfolk. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  14. ↑ Minium, Harry (December 17, 2008). "Tides Hope to Bring Back the Home Run at Harbor Park". The Virginian-Pilot . Norfolk. p. 1, Sports section. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2008.

Pictures

Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Norfolk Tides
1993 – present		Succeeded by
current
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.