After the ballpark was instead named after Ted Turner, the city of Atlanta renamed the section of Capitol Avenue on which the stadium sits Hank Aaron Drive, giving Turner Field the street number 755, after Aaron's home run total. The first game is Thursday against Tennessee State. "The history and tradition that's here, we're just hopeful we can start our own history here.". The Centennial Olympic Games have left a lasting impact on the city of Atlanta. At the south end, the permanent stands carried on beyond the finish line, then bent around sharply behind what would become home plate in an obvious baseball configuration. After the 1996 Olympics were complete the stadium was officially given as a gift to the Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc. (the Atlanta Braves.) It was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium for the 1996 Olympics. The same way the Braves did when they went from the Olympics to baseball, we wanted people to say, 'Wow, this is an incredible football facility with a lot of history.'". An All-Star Game, too. When Atlanta stunningly landed the 100th anniversary of the Olympics, organizers saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one brick-and-mortar stone. After breaking ground in the summer of 1993, what emerged was the 85,000-seat centerpiece of the Atlanta Olympics. [1] This was considered a good agreement for both the Olympic Committee and the Braves, because there would be no use for a permanent 85,000 seat track and field stadium in Downtown Atlanta (as the 71,000 seat Georgia Dome was completed 4 years earlier by the state of Georgia) and the Braves had already been exploring opportunities for a new stadium.[2]. A World Series was played here. "When you realize the iconic nature of this stadium, the history that's in this stadium ... it's a fascinating opportunity for us," said Georgia State athletic director Charlie Cobb, "It's transformational. Centennial Olympic Stadium was constructed to host the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies, and its temporary facilities were later removed to become the Turner Field we know today, according to the 1996 Olympic Games official report. A massive tennis facility on Stone Mountain is now abandoned. Across the street from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the new Olympic Stadium arose. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. [3] Since then, other stadiums including [lDolphin Stadium]] in Miami, Florida, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY and a horse track in Tokyo have installed larger boards. The Atlanta Braves are leaving Turner Field and moving into a new 42,000-seat, $672 million stadium complex in Cobb County in 2017. Centennial Olympic Stadium was constructed to host the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies, and its temporary facilities were later removed to become the Turner Field we know today, according to the 1996 Olympic Games official report. Centennial Olympic Park is still a popular and frequently crowded park, full of families and young children playing in the iconic Olympic rings fountain constructed 20 years ago. Ted Turner, then owner of the Braves, agreed to pay a large sum of the cost to build Centennial Olympic Stadium (approximately $170 million of the $209 million bill), if in turn, the stadium was built in a way that it could be converted to a new baseball stadium and that the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) paid for the conversion. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Often called "The Ted", Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Here is an interactive map showcasing the facilities used during the Centennial Olympic Games in Georgia: Centennial Olympic Park is still a popular and frequently crowded park. The official MLB Ballpark application perfectly complements and personalizes your trip with digital ticketing functionality, mobile check-in, special offers, rewards and exclusive content. As soon as the Olympics were over, a hasty conversion turned the stadium into what it was meant to be all along: Turner Field, a 50,000-seat ballpark for the Atlanta Braves named after then-owner Ted Turner. Some stadiums fell into disrepair. The most popular name choice among Atlanta residents for the new stadium at the time of its construction (according to a poll in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) was Hank Aaron Stadium. The Braves were grumbling about the need for a new park to replace aging Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium, while the Summer Games needed a huge new stadium for its showpiece sport as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. When the Braves moved to a new facility in the suburbs this season, the stadium they left behind did something that rarely happens to discarded buildings in what-have-you-done-for-me-lately Atlanta: The Ted has morphed into Georgia State Stadium (and, don't get too accustomed to that name, either; the plan calls for a new corporate ID). This Sun Belt Conference team that has only been around since 2010 will try to carve out its own legacy. Randy Johnson pulled off that rarest of baseball feats: the perfect game. The legacy that the Olympics left is different from location to location. The legacy that the Olympics left is different from location to location. ATLANTA (AP) — Call it the chameleon of stadiums. See the vault that holds the secret Coca-Cola recipe, go behind the scenes to view the bottling process, and browse exhibits with more than 1,200 Coca-Cola artifacts. Immediately after the 1996 Summer Paralympics, which followed the Olympics, much of the north end of the stadium was removed in order to convert it to its permanent use as a 49,000-seat baseball park. At the same time, Olympic Village dormitories were given to local universities to house their students, and many other facilities used during the Games continue to enrich Atlanta’s community and skyline today. Still, this new moniker will take some getting used to. At the other end, an expanse of temporary bleachers completed the distorted oval. Baseball Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The stadium opened on March 29, 1997 with the construction taking just over three years at a cost of just over $209 million, about $314 million in today’s dollars. The stadium contains 59 luxury suites and three party suites. The MLB Ballpark app is your mobile companion when visiting your favorite Major League Baseball ballparks. The stadium begins its new chapter as the 24,000-seat home of Georgia State's fledgling football program. Visit the World of Coca-Cola attraction in Atlanta with this skip-the-line admission ticket to the home of the famous beverage brand. Some stadiums fell into disrepair. That certainly seems appropriate for a place that's always changing, always transforming. Too Few Polling Places. So, on the parking lot just south of the Braves' dated, cookie-cutter stadium, a revolutionary concept was born. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz pitched here on the way to Cooperstown. The stadium was originally constructed as the 85,000-seat Centennial Olympic Stadium and used for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics. "If I wasn't from Georgia, I would have no idea this was a former baseball stadium. Facilities used during the Olympics stretched as far as Washington, D.C., and within Georgia could be found as far as the coast of Savannah and Columbus, Ga., although most of the Olympic Games were held locally. "Some of the best athletes in the world came out here and competed," said Sullivan, who was born three days after the closing ceremony for the '96 Summer Games. Many existing facilities were improved as a result of the 1996 Olympics, and many were built specifically for the event. A 1,080 foot (329 meter) long LED display was also added to the upper deck for primarily displaying advertisements. As soon as the Olympics were over, a hasty conversion turned the stadium into what it was meant to be all along: Turner Field, a 50,000-seat ballpark for … The game lasted 5 hours and 35 minutes. Among the improvements was installation of a $10 million video display, which was at the time listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest high definition video board. Turner Field is currently home to the MLB team the Atlanta Braves. It was comprised of two major sections. Centennial Olympic Stadium was the 85,000-seat main stadium of the 1996 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.Construction of the stadium began in 1993, and it was complete and ready for the opening ceremony in July 1996, where it hosted track and field events and the closing ceremony. They've done an amazing job with it.". "It feels like a football stadium" said Panthers cornerback Chandon Sullivan, looking ahead to the next life for this ever-changing structure in the shadow of the downtown Atlanta skyline. This story is part of “Atlanta Remembers: The 1996 Olympics,” WABE’s series on the impact of the 1996 Summer Olympics on Atlanta, 20 years later.
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