Colt Stadium
| Colt Stadium | |
|---|---|
 The stadium in 1962. | |
| Location | Houston, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°41′18″N 95°24′31″W / 29.68833°N 95.40861°WCoordinates: 29°41′18″N 95°24′31″W / 29.68833°N 95.40861°W |
| Opened | 1962 |
| Closed | 1964 |
| Demolished | 1970s |
| Owner | Harris County |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost |
US$2 million ($15.4 million in 2014 dollars[ 1]) |
| Capacity | 33,000 |
| Field dimensions |
Left Field - 360 ft (110 m) Left-Center - 395 ft (120 m) Deep Left Center - 427 ft (130 m) Center - 420 ft (128 m) Deep Right Center - 427 ft (130 m) Right Center - 395 ft (120 m) Right Field - 360 ft (110 m) |
| Tenants | |
| Houston Colt .45s (MLB) (1962-1964) | |
Colt Stadium was a Major League baseball stadium that formerly stood in Houston, Texas. It was the home of the Houston Colt .45s. It was their temporary home from 1962-1964 while the Astrodome was being built, just to the south of it. The stadium consisted of an uncovered grandstand stretching from foul pole to foul pole and small bleacher stands in right and left field. One baseball annual published just before the 1962 season referred to it as "a barn-like thing". It is best remembered for the horribly hot and humid weather (and attendant mosquito population) that had necessitated building the first domed stadium.
The stadium was abandoned when the Astrodome was completed. The Astros would occasionally use it for running and exercising to acclimatize players to warm weather before a road trip. However, the players had to be careful as rattlesnakes would often take up residence on the field. Monsanto engineers also used it as a testing ground for what would become known as Astroturf, inviting cars and horses to ride on the synthetic surface to gauge its durability. It sat abandoned for ten years, accumulating random odds and ends from near-by Astroworld and weathering in the blistering Texas sun. It was eventually broken down and moved to Gómez Palacio to serve as the home of a Mexican League baseball team. Its site was paved over, adding some area to the Astrodome parking lot.
The right field corner of the stadium was located in what is now the northwest corner of the Reliant Center. Much of the northern half of the stadium (center field, left field and the third base stands) is occupied by a power station, and home plate was approximately located where a light pole in the adjacent parking lot is.
References
External links
- www.ballparks.com Colt Stadium page
- www.ballparksofbaseball.com Colt Stadium page
- www.ballparkwatch.com Colt Stadium page
- 1962 video featuring Colt Stadium (YouTube)
- Footage of 1962 game at Colt Stadium (YouTube)
- more Colt Stadium trivia
| Preceded by first ballpark |
Home of the Houston Colt .45s 1962 - 1964 |
Succeeded by Harris County Domed Stadium |
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