Great American Ball Park is a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. It served as the home stadium of the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB), and opened on March 31,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

, replacing

Cinergy Field Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 Major League Baseball season, 1970 throug ...

(formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Reds' home field from

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

. Great American Insurance bought the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of ...

to the new stadium at US$75 million for 30 years.

History

Planning and funding

In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a ½%

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a gove ...

increase to fund the construction of new venues for both the Reds and the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL).Great American Ball Park
/ref> According to the lease agreement, the Reds owed $2.5 million in rent annually for years 1–9 to Hamilton County, and owe $1 annually for years 10-35 of the contract. The Reds and the Bengals had previously shared occupancy of Riverfront Stadium, but by the mid-1990s, they complained that the multi-purpose stadium lacked amenities necessary for small-market professional sports teams to compete and each lobbied for venues of their own. Nearby Paul Brown Stadium broke ground in 1998 and was opened on August 19, 2000.

Design and construction

Great American Ball Park was built by the

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

firms HOK Sport (now Populous) and GBBN at a cost of approximately US$290 million. It is located on the plot of land between the former site of Riverfront Stadium (currently, The Banks mixed-use development) and Heritage Bank Center (previously, U.S. Bank Arena, previously Riverfront Coliseum). The limited construction space necessitated the partial demolition of Cinergy Field. It was fully demolished on December 29, 2002. MSA Design has been the Official Architect of the Cincinnati Reds since 2009.

2015 All-Star Game

The ballpark hosted the

2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 86th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game was played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio on Tuesday, July 14. It was televised nationally on Fox. The Am ...

. The Reds put in $5 million for improvements, which included two new bars and upgraded concession stands.

Features

The original address of Great American Ball Park was 100 Main Street. However, after the death of former

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

and longtime broadcaster

Joe Nuxhall Joseph Henry Nuxhall (; July 30, 1928 – November 15, 2007) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. Immediately after retiring as a player, he became a radio broadcaster for the Reds f ...

in 2007, the address was changed to 100 Joe Nuxhall Way. A sign bearing Nuxhall's traditional signoff phrase "rounding third and heading for home" is located on the

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

side exterior of the park. The

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is an entity established by Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds franchise that pays homage to the team's past through displays, photographs and multimedia. It was instituted in 1958 to recognize the ...

is adjacent to Great American Ball Park. In honor of

Crosley Field 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) ...

, the Cincinnati Reds' home park from 1912 to June 1970, a monument reminiscent of the park's infamous

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

was built on the main entrance plaza on Joe Nuxhall Way; statues of Crosley-era stars Nuxhall,

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...

Ernie Lombardi,

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

man Ted Kluszewski, and

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams, from to . The only player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of both ...

are depicted playing an imaginary baseball game. Pahigian, Josh, & O'Connell, Kevin. "The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip, 2nd: A Fan's Guide to Major League Stadiums". P. 201. Lyons Press, 2012. The Gap. A 35-foot-(10.7-m)-wide break in the stands between home plate and third base called "The Gap" is bridged by the concourse on each level (see photo). Aligned with Sycamore Street, it provides views into the stadium from downtown and out to the skyline from within the park. Great American Ballpark 2

Power Stacks. In right center field, two smokestacks, reminiscent of the

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

s that were common on the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

in the 19th and early 20th centuries, flash lights, emit flames and launch fireworks to incite or respond to the home team's efforts. When the Reds strike out a batter, fire blows out of the stacks beginning with the 2012 season (previously, steam was spewed out following a strikeout). Fireworks are launched from the stacks after every Reds home run and win. The seven baseball bats featured on both smokestacks symbolize the #14 of

Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (born April 14, 1941), also known by his nickname "Charlie Hustle", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a membe ...

. On May 15, 2015, a part of the top of the right smokestack caught on fire during the 6th inning of a Reds game, caused by a loose propane valve, causing smoke to be blown across the field, several sections of seats to be evacuated, and the

Cincinnati Fire Department The Cincinnati Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services for Cincinnati, Ohio. The department, which was established on April 1, 1853, was the first fully paid and professional fire department in the United States. A ...

being called to put it out. No one was injured. The Spirit of Baseball. A 50-foot-by-20-foot (15 x 6 m) Indiana limestone

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

carving near the main entrance features a young baseball player looking up to the heroic figures of a batter, pitcher and fielder, all set against the background of many of Cincinnati's landmarks, including the riverfront and Union Terminal. Local designers and artist created the piece between 2001 and 2003 with concept, design and project oversight / management by Berberich Design. The illustrative artist was Mark Riedy, the sculptors of the scale model used for fabrication were Todd Myers and Paul Brooke with fabrication by Mees Distributors. The Mosaics. Just inside the main gates off the Crosley Terrace are two mosaic panels measuring wide by high. The mosaics depict two key eras in Reds history: "The First Nine", the 1869 Red Stockings who were the first professional baseball team in history with a record of 57–0 in their first season and "The Great Eight", the famous Big Red Machine that won back-to-back World Series in 1975 and 1976. The mosaics were created between 2001 and 2003 with concept, design and project oversight / management by Berberich Design. The illustrative artist was Mark Riedy. These mosaic panels are made of opaque glass tiles and were produced in Ravenna, Italy by SICIS. The Panoramas. Panoramas of

downtown Cincinnati Downtown Cincinnati is the central business district of Cincinnati, Ohio, as well the economic and symbiotic center of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. It also contains a number of urban neighborhoods in the low land area between the Ohio Ri ...

, Mt. Adams, the

and

Northern Kentucky Northern Kentucky is the third-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, and its cities and towns serve as the de facto "south side" communities of Cincinnati, Ohio. The three main counties ...

are visible from most of the park. Great American Ballpark View From Behind Home Plate

The Scoreboard. At wide, the scoreboard from

Daktronics Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. Founded in 1968 by ...

is the sixth largest in

, and the 15th largest in the United States out of all LED screens. The Reds paid $4 million to install a new, LED scoreboard and HD video screen in time for the 2009 season. The scoreboard did not add any size from the previous, but added HD quality. The scoreboard clock was originally a replica of the Longines clock at

,Leventhal, Josh (2006). ''Take Me Out to the Ballpark''. P. 69. but has since been modified. The Toyota Tundra Home Run Deck. If a Reds player hits the "Hit Me" sign located between the Power Stacks located in right field, a randomly selected fan will win the red

Toyota Tundra The Toyota Tundra is a pickup truck manufactured in the United States by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota since May 1999. The Tundra was the second full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese manufacturer (the first was the Toyota T100), but th ...

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

located on top of an

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They ...

shaft approximately from home plate beyond the center field fence, which is valued at approximately US$31,000. Crosley Terrace. As a nod to

, the Reds' home from 1912 to 1970, a monument was created in front of the main entrance to highlight the park's famous left-field terrace. Bronze statues of Crosley-era stars

, Ernie Lombardi, Ted Kluszewski, and

(created by sculptor

Tom Tsuchiya Tom Tsuchiya also known as Norikazu (born August 3, 1972) is an American artist who creates public sculpture. He is best known for bronze sculptures for Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Pahigian, Josh, & O’Connell, Kevin. ...

) are depicted playing in an imaginary ballgame. The grass area of the terrace has the same slope as the outfield terrace at Crosley Field. 4192 Mural. A three-piece mural on the back of the scoreboard in left field depicts the bat

used for his record-breaking 4,192nd hit and the ball he hit in . This was replaced with new banners in 2015 as part of the All-Star Game upgrades. Great-american-ball-park

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. Located on the west side of Great American Ball Park on Main Street, the Hall of Fame and Museum celebrate the Reds' past through galleries and extensive use of multimedia. The Hall of Fame has been in existence since 1958, but did not previously have a building. Riverboat Deck. A private party area located above the

batter's eye The batter's eye or batter's eye screen is a solid-colored, usually dark area beyond the center field wall of a baseball stadium, that is the visual backdrop directly in the line of sight of a baseball batter, while facing the pitcher and awai ...

. Center Field. The dimension of in center field is a tribute to the same center field dimension in the Reds' previous home,

Riverfront Stadium Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 Major League Baseball season, 1970 throug ...

. Riverfront Club. A glass encased restaurant on the third level of the stadium that serves upscale food and has views of the field and the river. Rose Garden. Adjacent to both the stadium and the Reds Hall of Fame is a rose garden that symbolizes

's record-breaking 4,192nd hit. It was strategically placed here because the ball landed around this area in Riverfront Stadium. The garden is visible from a stairwell in the hall of fame displaying the number of balls that Rose hit.

Screen renovations for the 2009 season

After the 2008 season, all of the scoreboards in the park were replaced by new HD video displays. The Reds signed a ten-year contract with the

company of

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State Univ ...

, and also contracted with

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

for the HD video cameras and production equipment, operated from a renovated control room. A team of 25 people are responsible for the content of the displays. The previous displays were installed by the Trans-Lux company when Great American Ball Park was built. However, Trans-Lux went bankrupt, and the team could not find replacement parts. "We were just limping through, hoping the old scoreboard would make it to the end of the 2008 season", said Reds spokesman Michael Anderson. Jennifer Berger, Reds senior director of entertainment, events and production said that the team would assume the responsibility of the cost of maintaining the displays; the fans would not have to bear the brunt of paying for them. The team expected to save money in the long term due to the displays' increased energy efficiency.

Fan amenities

Nursing Suite. For the 2015 season, Great American Ball Park became the first MLB ballpark to feature a suite designed exclusively as a place for mothers to feed and care for their babies. Reds COO Phil Castellini, a father of 5, says he felt compelled to do his best to provide a worthwhile solution after stadium officials told him an increasing number of women were asking where they could nurse their children at the ballpark. The suite has 5 glider chairs, diaper-changing stations, a restroom, a kitchenette, refrigerator, lockers, and televisions showing the game. It's located on the Suite Level near the Champions Club elevators.

Notable non-baseball events

Concerts

Other events

*On October 31, 2004, President George W. Bush and

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

held a campaign rally in Great American Ball Park. *On April 27, 2008, a memorial service for Staff Sergeant Keith Matthew Maupin was held at Great American Ball Park.

Milestones and notable moments

Opening day (March 31, 2003)

Other firsts

Attendance records

Bold indicates the winner of each game.

Statistics

* Ticket windows: 25 * Concourse widths: * Escalators: 3 * Passenger elevators: 14 * Public restrooms: 47 (20 women, 20 men, 7 family) * Concession stands: 28 * Parking spaces: 850 * Club seats: 4,235 * Suites: 63

References

Bibliography

* Leventhal, Josh, ''Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Tour of Baseball Parks Past and Present''. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2006. * Stupp, Dann, ''Opening Day at Great American Ball Park''. Sports Publishing L.L.C., 2003.

External links

Stadium site on MLB.com

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum

Cincinnati Reds - Ballpark Tours

Great American Ballpark Photos

Great American Ball Park Seating Chart
{{Authority control Cincinnati Reds stadiums Sports venues in Cincinnati Major League Baseball venues Sports venues completed in 2003 Baseball venues in Ohio 2003 establishments in Ohio Populous (company) buildings Olympic stadiums