Turner Field, formerly Centennial Olympic Stadium and soon to be formerly home of the Atlanta Braves, is a "huge success."
That's according to WBUR's Curt Nickisch, and he's talking about the stadium's transformation — and, more broadly, about the very smart way that transformation was managed by the city following its role as host of the 1996 Olympic Games.
In a recent three-part series for WBUR, Nickisch reviewed Atlanta's games in light of Boston's potential 2024 bid.
"In Atlanta, almost across the board, people say the Olympics changed their city for the better," he wrote. "Some go so far as to say the Games transformed Atlanta, especially downtown."
The new stadium was a cornerstone of that.
Nickisch quoted one recent study: "No venue built for a major sporting event since has been more effective than Turner Field."
This is what worked: The city built a "no-frills" stadium and, immediately after the games, converted it with $200 million of private money.
And fans remember it fondly.
"I feel like [Turner's] still got life, you know,” Dalton Beal told WBUR. “And it’s my childhood. I grew up coming to Turner Field to watch the Braves play, and it’s tough to see it go.”
Of course, Atlanta's legacy as Olympic host is more complicated than the story of one stadium triumphantly remaking itself into another kind of stadium.
The Braves move is similarly nuanced: The team has said moving to Cobb brings it closer to the heart of its fan base.
As the Braves' SunTrust Park continues to take shape in Cobb County, Turner Field's fate remains unwritten.
"Never forget for all the future years that we are able to enjoy this stadium,” Braves President Stan Kasten said in April of 1997, at the home opener.
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