MLB Baseball Stadiums

Minute Maid Park/Astros Field/Enron Field

Tenant: Houston Astros (NL)
Opened: March 30, 2000 (exhibition against the New York Yankees)
First regular season game: April 7, 2000 (against the Philadelphia Phillies)
First regular season indoor game: May 27, 2000 (against the Atlanta Braves)
Construction began: November 1, 1997
Style: Retractable roof
Capacity: 42,000 (March 2000); 40,950 (April 2000)
Surface: Burmuda (2000); Seashore Paspalum (August 2001)

Dimensions: Left field: 315 ft.; left-center: 362 feet; center field: 435 feet; right-center: 373 feet; right field: 326 feet; backstop: 49 feet.

Fences: Left field: 21 feet; center field: 9 feet; right field: 7 feet.

Materials: Concrete and steel structure clad in brick and limestone.

Architect: HOK Sport (Kansas City)
Construction: Brown & Root (Houston), Barton Malow (Southfield, MI) and Empire Construction
Owner: Harris County-Houston Sports Authority
Cost: $250 million
Public financing: $180 million, or 68 percent, from a 2 percent hotel tax and a 5 percent rental-car tax
Private financing: $52 million, or 20 percent, from Astros owners; $33 million, or 12 percent, from no-interest loan
Lease: 30 years (2000-2029); $7.1 million annually ($4.6 million rent; $2.5 million to capital improvements fund)