PNC Park
Pittsburgh, PA

After spending 30 years at Three Rivers Stadium, a dull cookie cutter stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates now play at one of the most beautiful ballparks in baseball. During the mid 1990’s with the terrible economic situation in baseball, the Pirates demanded that a ballpark be built or they would move to another city. The Pirates began drawing up plans for a new ballpark that would be similar to their previous home before Three Rivers

Stadium, Forbes Field. Bonds were approved for $216 million to build a ballpark for the Pirates in 1997. Construction began in April 1999. The ballpark was named PNC Park after PNC Bank bought the naming rights to the ballpark.

The Pirates christened PNC Park on April 9, 2001 when they played the Cincinnati Reds. From the outside PNC Park looks like a classic ballpark from bygone years. 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 their 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 MLB, a view of the downtown Pittsburgh skyline.

With 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. Fans can walk around the entire main concourse of the stadium without losing sight of the field. In the outfield, fans can sit in the section of bleachers in left field, or sit in right field and try to catch a homerun ball if it is not hit into the river. Fans can overlook the bullpens and catch an excellent view of the field from left centerfield. An out of town scoreboard is part of the 21 foot high right field fence, in honor of Roberto Clemente who wore No. 21. A 42 ft. by 24 ft. scoreboard video board is located behind the bleachers in left field.

From the main grandstand at PNC Park, Pirate fans receive magnificent views of the downtown Pittsburgh skyline and the Roberto Clemente bridge. The light standards are toothbrush style, and are patterned after the ones that were at Forbes Field. PNC Park has many amenities that Three Rivers Stadium did not have. Some of them include Outback Steakhouse, located above the left field bleachers, with a party deck that overlooks both the playing field and the city and a Pirates Hall of Fame. PNC Park has two elaborate food courts; Smorgasburgh, which offers popular items from some of Western Pennsylvania's favorite eateries and Pop's Plaza, which offers more traditional ballpark food. Other areas include shops along General Robison Street such as Vincent's Pizza and Atria's Restaurant, which are accessible from inside and outside PNC Park. 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. Since its opening in 2001, PNC Park has become one of the top ballparks in baseball.