PIRATES STADIUM

Pittsburgh Pirates play at one of the Most beautiful ballparks in Major League baseball. PNC park opened in 2001, shortly after the controlled implosion of Three Rivers Stadium. The Park is named after PNC bank which bought the naming rights. Construction began in April of 1999. The Pirates played an exhibition game on 31st of March, 2001, against the New York Mets and christened PNC Park on April 9, 2001 when they played the Cincinnati Reds. From the outside PNC Park looks like a classic ballpark from years gone by. Fans walk to PNC Park from various parking facilities around the ballpark, can walk across the Roberto Clemente Bridge from downtown Pittsburgh or can even drive there boat to the ballpark. Once outside the main entrance of the ballpark, fans see a brick front, steel structure, terra cotta tiled pilasters, dramatic masonry arches along the home plate entryway, and a flat green steel roof. Statues of Honus Wagner and Roberto Clemente are also outside the stadium. Once inside fans must take stairs, ramps or the escalator to reach the main concourse and upper levels. However after the upward trip, fans are greeted with perhaps the best view of any in Major League Baseball, a view of the downtown Pittsburgh skyline. Having a capacity of 38,365, PNC Park is baseball’s second smallest ballpark. The ballpark has only two decks of seats that extend from the right field foul pole to homeplate and around to the left field foul pole. Club seats, located on the lower section of the upper deck; and the press box, located at the top of the upper deck, allow for the upper level seats to be much closer to the field. Luxury suites are wedged between the lower and upper decks. From its north side site, the park provides a dramatic sweeping view of downtown Pittsburgh. The Allegheny River and Roberto Clemente (6th Street) Bridge also provide prominent landmarks in the ballpark vista. The steel structure, stone front and pilasters, dramatic masonry arches along the homeplate entryway, and a steel roof evoke memories of Forbes Field. The archways lead to a public arcade, open year round, that features shops, restaurants, and a Pirates Hall of Fame. The ballpark fits snuggly into the existing city grid, similar to classic urban parks like Wrigley and Fenway. The outer promenade at PNC Park is known as the River Walk, and gives fans views of the city, the river, and the field. A life-size replica of a pirate ship, contains virtual reality pitching and batting cages, rope courses and other games, give parents and their children another form of recreation besides the Pirates game. The Roberto Clemente bridge which is next to the ballpark is closed on game days to allow fans to walk from downtown Pittsburgh across the river to the ballpark. Architecture and Construction was undertaken by, HOK Sport  and L.D. Astorino & Associates,  Dick Corporation and Barton Malow  respectively.