Cheney Stadium

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Cheney Stadium
Cheney Stadium Sunset.jpg
Location2502 South Tyler Street
Tacoma, Washington
United States
Coordinates47°14′16.92″N 122°29′51.16″W / 47.2380333°N 122.4975444°W / 47.2380333; -122.4975444Coordinates: 47°14′16.92″N 122°29′51.16″W / 47.2380333°N 122.4975444°W / 47.2380333; -122.4975444
OwnerPierce County
OperatorSchlegel Sports Group
Executive suites16[3]
Capacity6,500[7]
Field sizeLeft field: 325 ft (99 m)
Center field: 425 ft (130 m)
Right field: 325 ft (99 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 2, 1960[1]
Built1960
OpenedApril 16, 1960[2]
Renovated1992, 1998, 1999, 2011[3]
Construction cost$940,000[4]
($8.22 million in 2020 dollars[5])
$29–$30 million (renovations)[3][6]
ArchitectE.L. Mills & Associates[4]
Populous (2011 renovation)
Structural engineerAnderson Birkeland & Anderson[1]
General contractorEarley Construction Co.[1]
Mortenson Construction (2011 renovation)
Tenants
Tacoma Rainiers (PCL/AAAW) 1960–present[3]
Tacoma Defiance (USLC) 2018–present
OL Reign (NWSL) 2019–2021

Cheney Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Tacoma, Washington, United States. Originally built for baseball, the stadium is currently home to the Tacoma Rainiers of the Triple-A West, as well as professional soccer club Tacoma Defiance of the USL Championship. The stadium opened in 1960 and has a capacity of 6,500. It is next to Henry Foss High School, and the stadium has an agreement with the school to use the school parking lot for parking.

History[]

Cheney Stadium is named for Ben Cheney, a local businessman who worked to bring minor league baseball to Tacoma and also was put in control of the project. Cheney Stadium was constructed in 42 working days after the San Francisco Giants had committed to moving their Triple-A affiliate from Phoenix if the city could open the stadium for the beginning of the 1960 season.[8] Construction included light towers and wooden grandstand seats from Seals Stadium in San Francisco. The wooden grandstand seats are still in place today.

Cheney Stadium has been home to Pacific Coast League baseball continuously since 1960, in the form of seven teams: the Tacoma Giants (1960–65), Cubs (1966–71), Twins (1972–77), Yankees (1978), Tugs (1979), Tigers (A's) (1980–94), and the Rainiers (Mariners) (1995–present).

Notable players who played in Cheney Stadium include Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Reggie Jackson and Ken Griffey Jr., as well as Tom Kelly, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Félix Hernández, Cliff Lee and Alex Rodriguez.

The stadium hosted the baseball competition of the 1990 Goodwill Games[9] and hosted the 30th annual Triple-A All-Star Game on July 12, 2017.[10]

It was the Seattle Mariners' alternate training site in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball campaign and the abbreviation of the Major League Baseball season.[11]

2011 renovation[]

On November 11, 2009, it was announced the City of Tacoma was considering a $30 million renovation to Cheney Stadium. Early renovation plans included a new grandstand superstructure, roof and concourse, as well as new concession stands, seats, luxury suites and a restaurant.[6] The proposal drew little controversy from taxpayers.[12]

On November 19, 2009, the Tacoma Rainiers renewed their lease with the City of Tacoma to keep playing at Cheney Stadium for 32 years.[13] The deal relied on the renovation proposal getting passed.[13] The proposal, now said to be $28 million in cost, was approved on November 25, 2009.[3] The approval means the Rainiers will continue to play in Tacoma until at least 2041, and renovations were completed before the 2011 season.[3] The renovations included basic repairs, 16 luxury suites, a kids' "play area", more restrooms and concession stands, and a new restaurant.[3]

Soccer[]

The reserve team of the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer, known at the time as Seattle Sounders FC 2, moved to Cheney Stadium in 2018. The team rebranded as the Tacoma Defiance in 2019, but maintained the Sounders affiliation. The club plans to build their own soccer-specific stadium in a nearby parking lot, with assistance from the Rainiers, and aims to open the new ground in 2021. OL Reign, then known as Reign FC, of the National Women's Soccer League announced their move to Cheney Stadium in 2019, and will join the Defiance at the new stadium.[14][15] It takes less than a day to convert the stadium between baseball and soccer by removing the pitchers mound and covering the infield with sod.[16] Reign moved their home matches to Lumen Field beginning with the 2022 season.[17]

Gallery[]

  • Outfield and scoreboard

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Tacoma-Pierce County Buildings Index - Image Display". Tacoma Public Library. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  2. ^ McGrath, John (April 10, 2011). "About the First Day of Baseball at Cheney Stadium – April 16, 1960". The News Tribune. Tacoma. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Kamb, Lewis (November 19, 2009). "Tacoma Goes to Bat for Ballpark". The News Tribune. Tacoma. Retrieved November 25, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b Evans Yankopolus, Jennifer (2006). Almanac of Architecture & Design 2006. Atlanta: Greenway Communications LLC. ISBN 0-9755654-2-7.
  5. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Kamb, Lewis (November 11, 2009). "Tacoma Board to Consider Face-Lift for Cheney Stadium". The News Tribune. Tacoma. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  7. ^ Website, Team. "Cheney Stadium". Cheney Stadium. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  8. ^ Lacitis, Erik (April 19, 2005). "Memories Fade, but Ben Cheney Lives on Through Stadium". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  9. ^ "Traffic Impacts During the Goodwill Games" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. May 1991. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  10. ^ "2017 TRIPLE-A ALL-STAR GAME". MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  11. ^ Dykstra, Sam. "Roundup: Major League alternate training sites," Minor League Baseball, Thursday, July 16, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020
  12. ^ Callaghan, Peter (November 19, 2009). "There Are Good Reasons Public Renovation Deal for Cheney Drew so Little Protest". The News Tribune. Tacoma. Retrieved November 25, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ a b Kamb, Lewis (November 19, 2009). "30-Year Deal Keeps Rainiers at Cheney Stadium". The News Tribune. Tacoma. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  14. ^ Baker, Geoff (January 30, 2019). "Reign FC announces immediate move to Tacoma, dropping Seattle from name". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  15. ^ Hammond, Andrew (January 30, 2019). "Seattle Reign is moving its 2019 games to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma; and S2 becomes Tacoma Defiance". The News Tribune. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  16. ^ "Transforming Cheney Stadium Into a Field of Dreams". Reign FC. March 11, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  17. ^ "OL REIGN RETURNS HOME TO SEATTLE". OLReign.com. Retrieved 15 December 2021.

External links[]

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