PHILLIES STADIUM

Citizens Bank Park is located just east of the site of Veterans Stadium on the north side of Pattison Avenue between 11th and Darien Streets in South Philadelphia and spans a 21-acre site. The ballpark structure is situated uniformly within the city street grid. The Citizens Bank Park is a 43,500-seat baseball-only stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that opened on April 9, 2004 and hosted its first baseball game on April 12. It was built to replace the now-demolished Veterans Stadium (a football/baseball facility) and is the new home of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. The Phillies sold the naming rights for the stadium to Citizens Bank for $95 million over 25 years. The structure of the ballpark is formed by multi-story buildings that contain fan facilities, team offices, and services that surround the grandstand bowl and face 11th Street on the west, Pattison Avenue on the south and Darien Street on the east. On the north, lower scaled buildings parallel Hartranft Street and create an open-air concourse. At the four corners of the site, landscaped entrance plazas open the park to the street. Each of these plazas has a distinct character and focus. Citizens Bank Park consists of three levels, the lower deck, a suite level, and the upper deck. The main grandstand extends from the left field foul pole to home plate, to the right field foul pole, and into right center field. There is a break in the upper deck along the first base side, allowing the seating area to be closer to the field. Additional seating is located behind the left field fence. One notable feature is the seating bowl, which has many angles, similar to Shibe Park. The main scoreboard/video board is located above these seats. Around 400 bleacher seats are located on the roof of the outfield pavilion. Fans are able to see the skyline of downtown Philadelphia from beyond the center field fence. Split level bullpens are located in right center field. Four 10-foot tall bronze sculptures of Phillies legends Steve Carlton, Richie Ashburn, Mike Schmidt, and Robin Roberts are located beyond the outfield seating areas. Citizens Bank Park has many amenities, including restaurants and a team store. When one of the Phillies players hits a homerun, fans are treated to a new home run celebration, the icon of Citizens Bank Park. A gigantic Liberty Bell (50' high and 35' wide) accompanied by a Citizens Bank Park sign is located in left-center field above the rooftop bleacher seats. Towering 100 feet above street level, the Bell comes to life after every Phillies home run. The Bell and clapper swing side-to-side independently and its neon edges light up and pulsate. The Bell's ring is heard throughout Citizens Bank Park. Located in the outfield concourse area is Ashburn Alley. This festive outdoor entertainment area in the Phillies Ballpark is dedicated to Hall of Famer and former broadcaster Richie "Whitey" Ashburn. Ashburn Alley features a street-fair type atmosphere complete with picnic areas, family-fun amenities, treasured Philadelphia moments in baseball, enhanced concessions with plenty of Philadelphia flavor, clear views to the playing field, and a special viewing area overlooking the bullpens. The architects and constructors who undertook the design and development of Citizens Bank Park were; Ewing Cole Cherry Brott (Philadelphia) and HOK Sport (Kansas City) and Driscoll/Hunt (a joint venture between L. F. Driscoll Co. of Bala Cynwyd, PA and Hunt Construction Group, Inc. of Indianapolis) in association with Synterra/Todd (a joint venture between Synterra of Philadelphia and Don Todd Associates, Inc. of San Francisco, respectively. The cost was $346 million.