AJC
History of Turner Field
Nov 12, 2013
A look at the history of Turner Field, which opened in 1996 as Olympic Stadium:
- June 1996: At a cost of $207 million Olympic Stadium is built just south of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and in time for the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympic games.
- Sept. 1996-April 1997: Olympic stadium is retrofitted into a baseball-only, open-air, natural grass facility. Construction included the demolition of 35,000 seats. Turner Field seats 49,000 when it opens. The stadium is owned by Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority and leased to the Braves.
- Aug., 2, 1997: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium is demolished to make way for a parking lot.
- Oct. 23, 1999: Turner Field hosts its first World Series game. The Braves lost to the New York Yankees, who would go on to sweep the series.
- May 2012: The city of Atlanta enters talks with the Atlanta Braves about a broad redevelopment project around Turner Field that would improve fan amenities tied to the stadium.
- July 2013: Cobb County officials and the Braves begin secret talks about a possible stadium deal that would move the Braves to a new stadium in Cobb.
- July 2013: The Braves and the city of Atlanta discuss a plan to possibly bring a public rail system to Turner Field, talks tied to the 2016 expiration of the Braves Turner Field lease with Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority.
- Nov., 7, 2013: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is informed that the Braves plan to move to Cobb County.
- Nov. 11, 2013: The Atlanta Braves announce the team's intention to move to a Cobb County.
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
