Area of fair territory: xxx,000 sq. ft

Area of foul territory: Small

Fences: Vary from 8 - 12 ft.

Elevation: 635 feet

General Information

Address:
One Brewers Way
Milwaukee, WI 53214
For ticket information call: (414) 902-4100

Who Plays Here: Milwaukee Brewers (NL)
First Opened: March 30, 2001 (exhibition against the Chicago White Sox)
First regular season game: April 6, 2001 (5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds)
Construction began: October 22, 1996
Style: Convertible roof
Surface: Natural grass

Architect: HKS, Inc. (Dallas), NBBJ (L.A.), Eppstein Uhen Architects (Milwaukee).
Construction: Huber, Hunt & Nichols Inc. (Indianapolis), Clark Construction (Chicago), Hunzinger Construction (Milwaukee); Roof: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America.

Owners: Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball District (64 percent), Milwaukee Brewers (36 percent).

Cost: $400 million.
Public financing: $310 million (77.5%) from a five-county, one-tenth-of-a-cent sales tax.
Private financing: $90 million (32.5%) from the Brewers owners.

   Beginning in January 1996, the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball District began levying a .10 cent sales tax in the 5-county region to help finance its $160 million contribution toward building Miller Park.  The Milwaukee Brewers $90 million contribution toward Miller Park includes $40 million from Miller Brewing Company naming rights, concessionaire buildout and the American League, $20 million from the Bradley Foundation and $1 million from the Helfaer Foundation, $15 million from the Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation, and $14 million from the Milwaukee Business Community.  The Baseball District owns 64 percent of Miller Park and the Brewers own 36 percent.

   The roof in action - March 23, 2001.

History

   Miller Park is a "old is new" ballpark, built in the traditional mold but reflecting local architecture; other ballparks in the same vein are Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Pac Bell in San Francisco, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

   The ballpark has a retractable dome roof to protect against the cool weather in Wisconsin during the spring and fall; it's modeled on the SkyDome in Toronto.  The ballpark is located in what used to be the center field parking lot of Milwaukee County Stadium, the Brewers' former home field.  The park was originally scheduled to open in 1999, but financing problems delayed the opening by a year (a crane accident in July 1999 killed three construction workers and spread tons of debris on the site added another year to the delay), and the 1999 All Star game was not played in Milwaukee as planned.  The 1999 game was played in Fenway Park, which may soon be demolished, and the 2000 game was in Atlanta. The All-Star game is scheduled to be played there in 2002.

The roof: The $50 million, 7-panel retractable roof opens and closes like a fan in about 10 minutes.  Miller Park has 11,700 seats and 20 skyboxes on the main field level, another 12,650 seats on the loge level, 4,150 seats and 50 skyboxes on the suite level and 14,500 seats on the upper terrace level.  Seating represents a split-bowl concept where seating levels hang over others slightly, bringing fans closer to the action on the field.  Amenities include a brew pub, open air patios and walkways, a Hall of Fame and a children's area.

The construction: The 260-acre area immediately surrounding Miller Park was improved through the spending of $72 million in government funds:

• $36 million from the state of Wisconsin.
• $18 million from Milwaukee County.
• $18 million from the city of Milwaukee.

   This work included freeway relocation, new entrances and exits, roads and walkways, lighting, utilities and other development, some of which would have been included in regular public improvement budgets. There are nearly 13,000 parking spaces within walking distance of the ballpark. Areas around the park include numerous amenities and landscaping, including a monument to the County Stadium site.

Analysis

   There were some early slugfests at Miller Park in 2001, and it quickly earned the reputation of being a bandbox; however, over the course of the entire season, run production was up only marginally while home run power was boosted only for lefties but not for righties.

     It's hard to say how this ballpark will play, based on the plans alone.  The old Milwaukee County Stadium was a neutral park overall, and played as a pitcher's park early in the year, then as a hitter's park as it warmed up and the ball carried further.  The new park has little foul territory down the foul lines, which will favor hitters, and the ability to close the roof in cold weather may also favor the long ball.  However, this park is about the same in the alleys than the old one, but substantially deeper at the foul poles - this may cancel out the effect of less foul territory and the temperature controlled environment.

   In the SkyDome in Toronto, the opening of the roof creates a barrier to the wind coming off the lake and forces air to funnel in towards the plate - this makes the SkyDome a better pitcher's park when the roof is open and the wind blows hard.  Depending on how the wind patterns affect the new stadium, the park might end up playing differently when the roof is open.

Defense: Because of the deeper distances to the foul lines, corner outfielders will have more territory to cover than they did in County Stadium.  While the limited foul territory will be more forgiving than the old stadium, mobility will still be a desired attribute.  The short alleys will help hide a center fielder's lack of range.

     The Brewers have two underrated glove men - Jeromy Burnitz in right and Geoff Jenkins in left.

Who it benefits: Any hitter or pitcher who likes to play in controlled environments.  Pitchers who hate the extreme cold of Wisconsin will love the new park.  Hitters with good power to the alleys might be able to take advantage of the park's offense-increasing attributes without losing many taters in the corners.

     Richie Sexson has good alley power and hit 28 HR at home, versus just 17 on the road.  Slugger Geoff Jenkins is another hitter with good alley power, and can hit to all fields, and showed a mildly favorable home-road split. 

Who it hurts: An extreme pull hitter, like Jeromy Burnitz, might lose some home runs to the deeper foul poles.  Burnitz hit .219 at home and .281 on the road.

Park Factors

Seating Chart

Miller Park will seat approximately 43,000 people for baseball as follows:
Field level: 11,581 seats
Field level suites: 320 seats
Loge level: 12,714 seats
Club level: 3,493 seats
Club level suites: 674 seats
Terrace level: 14,070
Disabled seating (all levels): 411 spaces

Miller Park will have 66 public restrooms, 30 permanent concession stands, seven public stairways, six passenger elevators, five escalators, and four pedestrian ramps.

Location

   Left field (E), Menominee River and South 44th Street, later US-41 Stadium Freeway; third base (N), Story Parkway and Interstate 94; first base (W), General Mitchell Boulevard; right field (S), West National Avenue and the National Soldiers Home.

Left field: 342 ft

Left Field Power Alley: 374 ft

Center field: 400 ft

Right Field Power Alley: 378 ft

Left field: 355 ft

Backstop: 56 ft

Foul territory: small

• Second highest LHB HR factor in NL in 2001
• Third highest batting average factor in NL in 2001

• President George W. Bush, who was once a part-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, threw the ceremonial first pitch of the first regular season game at Miller Park on April 6, 2001.
• Hank Aaron and Robin Yount were consulted during the construction of the ballpark.
• Sean Casey of the Cincinnati Reds got the first hit here on April 6, 2001, a single in the top of the second inning. Three days later he hit a home run to get the first hit ever at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
• Michael Tucker of the Cincinnati Reds hit the first official home run here on April 6, 2001, a two-run shot in the top of the fourth inning. Jeromy Burnitz hit the first official Brewers home run, a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth inning of the same game.