First Tennessee Field
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section is about a planned or proposed stadium. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the stadium approaches. |
| First Tennessee Field | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | 1st Avenue & Gateway Blvd Nashville, Tennessee |
| Broke ground | 2007* |
| Opened | April 2009* |
| Closed | N/A |
| Demolished | N/A |
| Owner | Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County |
| Operator | Nashville Sounds |
| Construction cost | $47 million* |
| Architect | HOK Sport Looney Ricks Kiss Architects |
| Tenants | |
| Nashville Sounds (PCL) (2009-) | |
| Capacity | |
| approximately 10,000* |
|
First Tennessee Field is the name of a minor league baseball stadium planned for construction in Nashville, Tennessee. The new park will sit on the banks of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville, on the former site of the metropolitan government's thermal transfer power plant. It will be home to the Nashville Sounds of the Pacific Coast League, replacing Herschel Greer Stadium. Naming rights to the new stadium have been claimed by Memphis-based First Tennessee Bank.
A consortium of twelve banks will fund $23 million of the cost of construction of the stadium. Another $17 million will come from tax-increment financing. The remaining portion of construction costs will be assumed by Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, the main developer, who will purchase some of the land for residential development. Together, the financing assures that no public money will be used. First Tennessee Field itself is estimated to cost $47 million. It will be the central part of a $200 million retail, entertainment, and residential complex, which is expected to continue the revitalization of Nashville's "SoBro" (South of Broadway) district.
Initially, Nashville mayor Bill Purcell refused to approve the deal unless taxpayers were at no risk, following the construction of LP Field and the Gaylord Entertainment Center in the mid-1990s. Both of those ventures, initiated by former mayor Phil Bredesen, now the governor of Tennessee, proved to be very costly to Nashville taxpayers. First Tennessee Field will cost the Metro Government $500,000 per year to maintain. Metro currently spends $250,000 per year on Greer Stadium, a cost that will cease once Greer is demolished or sold. Purcell ultimately adopted the project, thanks to the involvement of the banks. First Tennessee Field was officially approved by the Metro Council on February 7, 2006. As part of the agreement, the Sounds will manage the facility, but the Metro government will own it.
The stadium is scheduled to open in April 2009, two years later than the original target date due to the numerous delays in government approval of the project. The opening date may be delayed again due to conflict between the project developers and the local government.
|
Nashville athletic venues |
