Forty years earlier, Art Rooney had paid $2,500 he had floating around from winnings at the racetrack to purchase an expansion National Football League team in Pittsburgh. [65] The average attendance would peak in 1991, when the Pirates averaged 25,498per game. June 30, 1995: Grateful Dead played their last Pittsburgh show. Even the pleasing evergreen views beyond the fences from inside Forbes Field were rapidly being overcome by industry and other inevitable forms of development. Roberto Clemente statue outside Three Rivers Stadium is shown on October 16, 1994 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was to call for a 70,000-seat stadium with hotels, marina, and a 100-lane bowling alley. [14] The following season, the Pirates advanced to the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. A proposal for a new sports stadium in Pittsburgh was first made in 1948; however, plans did not attract much attention until the late 1950s. The particular spot for the new stadium was, in fact, once upon a time the same site as Exposition Park, the Pirates first home. Roberto Clemente tallied his 3,000th hit within its walls on Sept. 30, 1972. Photographed By Harry S. Coughanour, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, circa 1970. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. On September 30, 1972, Clemente collected his 3,000th career hit with a fourth-inning double; it would be his last hit of the seasonand, alas, the last of his career. The National League won the game 72 and the Pirates' Ken Brett was the winning pitcher. The dual-sport structure had been the epicenter of Pittsburgh sports for 30 years since opening on July 16, 1970. The statue was originally located in Schenley Park, just beyond the left-field fence of Forbes Field. Three Rivers Stadium Home Venues Rock Doo Wop Radio Jazz Pop Blues Thirty Years of Stadium Rock Three Rivers Stadium during its short 30 year existence from 1970 to 2000 hosted almost 50. At the time of the demolition, Three Rivers Stadium still had $27.93 million in debt ($42.7 million today), some of it from the original construction but the rest from renovations in the mid-1980s, bringing more criticism to the public funding of sports stadiums. The following year, the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception. Throngs of people gather at Point State Park to get a view of the implosion. The initiative's defeat led to the development of "Plan B", an alternate funding proposal that used a combination of monies from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (an extra 1% sales tax levied on Allegheny County), state and federal monies and a number of other sources. Koch would even get high on his own supply while doing Parrot duty, which must have made for the most kaleidoscopic experience by an employee of the Pirates since Dock Ellis claimed he threw a 1970 no-hitter on LSD. It was very nice. Removed from downtown Pittsburghs choking smoke and untamed rivers, elegant Forbes Field was built in a vernal, cultural paradise on the outskirts of town, where three was the magic numberfrom three Pirates world titles to Babe Ruths last three homers to the last tripleheader to all those triples. It was the second ballpark to be located across the river from downtown Pittsburgh as the Pirates had played at Exposition Park from 1890 to 1909. (It would take 10 years for that person, Kevin McClatchy, to fully purchase the Bucs.). It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The scoreboard was located above the centerfield seats in the upper deck. [47][48] On October 1, 2000, the Pirates were defeated 109 by the Chicago Cubs in their final game at Three Rivers Stadium. The longest game at the stadium was played on August 6, 1989, when Jeff King hit a walk-off home run 5hours and 42minutes into the 18-inning contest, as the Pirates once again beat the Cubs 54. Its spaciousness was evident from the outside; tall windows stretched upward and across, allowing patrons on cascading levels of table seating and barstools to enjoy the game while eating and/or imbibing. [26][27] The team donned new uniform designs for the first time that day, a similar plan was for new "mini-skirts" for female ushers. The outfield wall was a 10-foot wooden fence which eventually got covered with paddingand thank goodness for that when, in a 1998 game, the Pirates Turner Ward ran right through the right-field wall while (successfully) making a catch on a Mike Piazza fly ball. We had some immaculate times at Three Rivers Stadium.#SteelersHistory #ImmaculateReception pic.twitter.com/F5xEbYOd3j, Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 12, 2018. When the dust settled, the remains were visible. A multi-use facility, it also hosted many concerts and special events prior to demolition on February 11, 2001. . Roberto Clemente, aging like fine wine at 37, batted .341 and dominated the postseason to followhitting .387, shining on defense from the outfield, and earning World Series MVP honors as the Bucs came back from an early 2-0 series hole to defeat the Baltimore Orioles in seven games. Meanwhile, the team found that their only way to replace Barry Bonds was to stick Al Martin in left field every night. Three Rivers Stadium Home Plate Location. Official fundraiser page for Pittsburgh Baseball HISTORY TRAIL, THREE RIVERS STADIUM HOME PLATE and Informational Marker As the development of the land. That decision was in turn reversed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which agreed with her argument about the Baseball Rule and also noted that the opening to the concourse through which the foul had passed was a purely architectural choice that was not necessary to the game of baseball. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise and National Football League (NFL) franchise respectively. Franco Harris rushed for 27 100-yard games at Three Rivers Stadium. The Steelers moved a few yards away to their new home at Heinz Field, while the Pirates took a short walk upriver to PNC Park. It was at this venue in 1998 where Sammy Sosa hit his Cub-franchise record 57th homer of the season, besting Hack Wilson, whose record stood for 68 years. Former stadiums of the National Football League, Defunct ballparks in Major League Baseball, "Downtown: Images 10: Stadium over the Monongahela", "It's 'Play Ball' Tonight for Three Rivers lidlifter", "$55,000,000 Three Rivers Stadium tonight replaces", "Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh, 19702000)", "Three Rivers Stadium to feature 'no-skin' look", "Yes, things are different at Three Rivers", "Stadium lights aren't burning city taxpayers", "Led Zeppelin, July 24, 1973, Pittsburgh, PA, Three Rivers Stadium", "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Google News Archive Search", "Pittsburgh brings down Three Rivers Stadium", "Multi Media: Adrien Brody going darker and deeper", "Steelers Break Ground for New Football Stadium", "City, Pirates break ground for PNC Park with big civic party", "PRO FOOTBALL; Steelers Rout Redskins in Last Three Rivers Game", "A Dynamite Drumroll and Three Rivers Stadium Bows Out", "PLUS: STADIUMS; Three Rivers Is Demolished at 30", Pens gone, but Igloo $9.3 million in debt, Three Rivers Stadium: The concrete will crumble but the memories will live on, "Pittsburgh Steelers unveil Immaculate Reception monument ESPN", "Post-Gazette newsroom leaves history Downtown with move to North Side", "The Grandstander: Standing with Clemente", "You can still access the Three Rivers Stadium website", "Pirates Open Their New Park, But Reds Celebrate 3-2 Victory", "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors", "Where are they now? Site of Three Rivers Stadium in background. One silver lining to perhaps emerge from the Pirates lack of fans during the 1980s is that there were fewer of them to abuse the players. Downtown Pittsburgh peaks over the top of the other side. Numerous seats were auctioned off, including 3,727 of the blue field level seatssnapped up by the minor-league Long Island Ducks. [70] The largest attendance for a football game was on January 15, 1995, when 61,545 spectators witnessed the Steelers lose to the San Diego Chargers. A Billy Graham Crusade took place at Three Rivers in June, 1993. The Allegheny Club doubled as an ode to the past; it included a segment of Forbes Field famed brick wall, and a plaque honoring Babe Ruths final home run (hit at Forbes in 1935). The first World Series night game was played at the stadium on Oct. 13, 1971. No team ever scored 20 or more runs in a game at Three Rivers Stadium. Will the last baseball fan to leave Three Rivers Stadium please turn out the lights? Wagner, Kiner and Clemente could all agree that excitement was never in short supply at the Old Lady of Schenley Park. After being hotly debated throughout the entire southwestern Pennsylvania region the initiative was soundly defeated in all 11 counties; only in Allegheny County was it even close (58-42). In 1979, the Pirates introduced the Pirate Parrot, a mascot patterned after the successful debut of the Phillie Phanatic in Philadelphia a year earlier. The family paid about $800 for the seats at auction. After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pirates and Steelers each moved into newly built stadiums. It took 10 years to wipe it off the books. [32] In 1993, the Pirates placed tarps on most of the upper deck to create a better baseball atmosphere, reducing capacity to 47,687. A card-carrying member of the Cookie Cutter Society, Three Rivers Stadium was the cookie that needed a bite taken out of it to reveal downtown Pittsburgh for those inside. This view of Three Rivers Stadium from Mount Washington, about a mile away on the south side of downtown Pittsburgh, shows Point State Park where the Allegheny River (next to the stadium) joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River. Thirty years after feeling stuck and helpless at an aging Forbes Field, the Pirates began to get that sinking feeling all over again at Three Rivers. There was much initial praise for Three Rivers as a civic stadium meant to pull the Pirates and Steelers out of far more rustic times, but the compromised tedium many would ultimately slam it and other so-called cookie-cutter stadiums for was still hardly lost on some even as it doors opened for the first time. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 04:17. . Outside of the gates, an homage to the past was erected with the placement of a Roberto Clemente statue. Many other witnesses agreed. The stadium, which took more than 2 years to build at a cost of $55 million, seated 47,971 fans for baseball games, and 59,000 for football games. It is in North Shore in Pittsburgh in Allegheny County Pennsylvania, Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 20, 2012. Even the four expansion teams from 1969 had recorded inaugural Opening Day victories.13 As for the Pirates, they had now played their final opener at Old Lady Forbes.14 They would play 41 more games in the historic ballpark before moving to their new home, Three Rivers Stadium, on July 16. But the river that created the most beautiful valley and the home of the Giant Forest is totally overlook. If 25,000 people go (to Three Rivers) for a game, said one-time Pirate Phil Garner to The Sporting News, most of them will still be there two hours after the game.. [9] The same site had hosted Exposition Park, which the Pirates had left in 1909. In the summer of 1998, Three Rivers Stadium receive its death sentence with the approval of PNC Park and Heinz Field, side-by-side facilities built exclusively for the Pirates and Steelers, respectively. The formal closing ceremony centers on home plate. Steven Adams is a Tribune-Review manager/photography. Three Rivers Stadium was simply not a good place to take in a game. Costing $1.5 million, the board would be replaced after just 13 years by a Jumbotron placed higher up in the top deck. The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first game in Three Rivers Stadium on September 20, 1970a 19-7 loss to the Houston Oilers. Instead of allowing cars to park, the team instructed fans to park downtown and walk to the stadium over bridges or take shuttle buses. location, location, location. After his arrest and asked to explain his lapse into mental freefall to do all of these things, the man put the blame on Steelers quarterback Mark Malone, who was finishing up an awful (46% completion rate, six touchdowns, 19 interceptions) season for Pittsburgh. Joining a wave of sports construction that swept the United States in the 1990s, both the Pirates and Steelers began a push for a new stadium. Appears to be made of some kind of wood. The university wanted the land for expanded graduate facilities. Second photo is the dismantling of a section of the outfield wall at Forbes Field. Madrid no se detiene en una maana plena de normalidad, aunque con menos gente en las calles y ms policas que cortan por momentos algunas calles . The park was not configured for baseball, so sightlines were not good. Deciding the where was the easy part; little debate was spent on the choice to place a new stadium across from downtown on the north side of the Allegheny, an ugly hodgepodge of industrial blight strewn with abandoned warehouses and neglected trainyards. It was a cold Sunday, Feb.. Roughly a decade later, outfielder Andy Van Slyke had a cigarette lighter thrown in his direction; upon picking it up, Van Slyke read an attached message that said, Use this to light a fire under you. His teammate, Bobby Bonillain the midst of an All-Star season in 1988was heavily booed at Three Rivers because his home batting average was 100 points lower than on the road.