Pensacola Bayfront Stadium

Pensacola Bayfront Stadium
Blue Wahoo Park
2012 photo of the Stadium
Full name	Pensacola Bayfront Stadium
Location	449 West Main Street Pensacola, FL 32502
Coordinates	30°24′15″N 87°13′11″W / 30.404295°N 87.219662°W / 30.404295; -87.219662Coordinates: 30°24′15″N 87°13′11″W / 30.404295°N 87.219662°W / 30.404295; -87.219662
Broke ground	September 17, 2009[1]
Opened	April 5, 2012
Owner	Community Maritime Park Associates
Operator	Community Maritime Park Associates
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$23,845,045.23[2] ($24.2 million in 2014 dollars[ 1])
Architect	Populous[2] Bullock Tice Associates[2] SMB Architecture[2]
Project manager	Hatch Mott MacDonald/Morette[3]
Structural engineer	Joe DeReuil Associates, LLC.[4]
Services engineer	Schmidt Consulting Engineers[4]
General contractor	Magi Construction JV[2]
Main contractors	Southeastern Construction Inc.[2]
Capacity	5,038[5]
Tenants
Pensacola Blue Wahoos (SL)

Pensacola Bayfront Stadium is a multi-use park in Pensacola, Florida that includes a stadium, public park and amphitheater. The mixed use stadium holds 5,038 people and can be used for a number of events year-round, including baseball, soccer, football, festivals, graduations, and similar events. The multi-use stadium was originally designed to be the home field of the Pensacola Pelicans; it hosts the Cincinnati Reds Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. The stadium is situated facing the Pensacola Bay.

History

On April 28, 2009, the Pensacola City Council gave final approval for the ballpark to be built.^[6]

The entire project cost $54 million and was completed in time for the Blue Wahoos' inaugural home opener on April 5, 2012. Building the ballpark cost $23,845,045.23.^[2]

Stadium Description

Bayfront Stadium is a 117,000 square feet (10,900 m²), 5,270 seat multi-use stadium. Construction includes precast concrete bowl seating, steel framed elevated slabs, post-tensioned slabs-on-grade, and an auger cast pile foundation with concrete grade beams and pile caps. This project was custom designed to meet the needs for the use by a minor league baseball team as well as for accommodating other sporting and festival type events. The structure and slab-on-grade was pile supported due to poor soil conditions and concern over scour from hurricanes.

During steel fabrication and foundation construction, an AA baseball team was acquired. This acquisition required enhancements to the stadium. This was a challenge for the design team who worked diligently to adjust the structure while using newly constructed elements within the enhancements, while providing subcontractors information needed to keep construction moving forward without incurring additional mobilization fees.^[7]

Randall K. and Martha A. Hunter Amphitheater Description

The amphitheater has architecturally exposed steel trusses and frames supporting curved steel roof purlins with a heavy timber, tongue-and-groove roof deck. The steel trusses and frames are designed and shaped to resemble the fronds of a palm tree. The steel structure is supported on concrete piers that are supported on a large concrete pile cap that rests on auger-cast-in-place piles. The concrete piers also support the main stage floor. The stage floor is a flat plate, 8 inches (200 mm) thick post-tensioned concrete slab.^[8]

References

External links

• Friends of the Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park Page and News Updates
• City of Pensacola site for Ballpark
• Pensacola Bayfront Stadium| Pensacola Blue Wahoos
• Joe DeReuil Associates