It took just 19 seconds for a colossal Pittsburgh sports landmark to collapse. Since 1909, Forbes Field was one of baseballs more elite ballparks, an ornate palace for the National Pastime that the team and its fans could feel proud of. Three Rivers Stadium stood alone, literally, as another cookie cutter, or concrete donut, or bowl. Many other witnesses agreed. Meanwhile, the naming of Three Rivers Stadium didnt sit well with many Pittsburghers, who rather would have seen the facility named after David Lawrence, the mayor who first championed the idea of a stadium back in 1948. Steven Adams is a Tribune-Review manager/photography. There was much initial praise for Three Rivers as a civic stadium meant to pull the Pirates and Steelers out of far more rustic times, but the compromised tedium many would ultimately slam it and other so-called cookie-cutter stadiums for was still hardly lost on some even as it doors opened for the first time. The formal closing ceremony centers on home plate. = Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage. A look at Three Rivers Stadium from the top of the upper-deck bleacher seats. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000.It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).. After the initial 10-year contract expired, Heinz Field contracted with Pepsi for exclusive pouring rights, breaking a 50-year tradition with the Steelers. [47][48] On October 1, 2000, the Pirates were defeated 109 by the Chicago Cubs in their final game at Three Rivers Stadium. It was at this venue in 1998 where Sammy Sosa hit his Cub-franchise record 57th homer of the season, besting Hack Wilson, whose record stood for 68 years. Former stadiums of the National Football League, Defunct ballparks in Major League Baseball, "Downtown: Images 10: Stadium over the Monongahela", "It's 'Play Ball' Tonight for Three Rivers lidlifter", "$55,000,000 Three Rivers Stadium tonight replaces", "Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh, 19702000)", "Three Rivers Stadium to feature 'no-skin' look", "Yes, things are different at Three Rivers", "Stadium lights aren't burning city taxpayers", "Led Zeppelin, July 24, 1973, Pittsburgh, PA, Three Rivers Stadium", "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Google News Archive Search", "Pittsburgh brings down Three Rivers Stadium", "Multi Media: Adrien Brody going darker and deeper", "Steelers Break Ground for New Football Stadium", "City, Pirates break ground for PNC Park with big civic party", "PRO FOOTBALL; Steelers Rout Redskins in Last Three Rivers Game", "A Dynamite Drumroll and Three Rivers Stadium Bows Out", "PLUS: STADIUMS; Three Rivers Is Demolished at 30", Pens gone, but Igloo $9.3 million in debt, Three Rivers Stadium: The concrete will crumble but the memories will live on, "Pittsburgh Steelers unveil Immaculate Reception monument ESPN", "Post-Gazette newsroom leaves history Downtown with move to North Side", "The Grandstander: Standing with Clemente", "You can still access the Three Rivers Stadium website", "Pirates Open Their New Park, But Reds Celebrate 3-2 Victory", "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors", "Where are they now? It was a winneruntil the construction bids all came in at $10 million above the projected $26 million cost. Three Rivers Stadium. Franco Harris rushed for 27 100-yard games at Three Rivers Stadium. We had some immaculate times at Three Rivers Stadium.#SteelersHistory #ImmaculateReception pic.twitter.com/F5xEbYOd3j, Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 12, 2018. Marker is at the intersection of Art Rooney Avenue and North Shore Drive, on the left when traveling north on Art Rooney Avenue. By the early 1990s, multipurpose stadiums had gone out of fashion. The expansive parking lot, both Pirates and Steelers team offices, the Allegheny Club (VIP Club) and the press boxes and facilities were not opened until weeks later due to extended labor union work stoppages. Madrid no se detiene en una maana plena de normalidad, aunque con menos gente en las calles y ms policas que cortan por momentos algunas calles . (Historic Pittsburgh), On July 16, 1970, they finally played ball at Three Rivers Stadium. The implosion of Three Rivers Stadium with the Fort Duquesne Bridge over the Allegheny River. The Parrot was an instant hit and remains a popular asset to this day at PNC Park. It contained a symmetrical monotony with all the personality of a breakfast buffet bowla bowl detached from the river in a wasteland of parking areas, wrote author Rob Lubove. The stadium, set for use in late spring 1970, is the future home of the Pirates . The following year, the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception. The rancor became so R-rated that, by 1985, the Pirates set up a G-rated family section at Three Rivers that forbade profanity and alcohol. He hit three of them before anyone else did it even once. Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. Though they would recover, the bulk of their remaining time at Three Rivers Stadium was largely an excruciating exercise in debt-ridden futilityand even though some of the circumstances that led to their misfortunes were self-inflicted, it was clear that by the Bucs third decade at Three Rivers, a new home was badly needed. The final Pittsburgh Steelers home game was played on December 16th, 2000 vs. the Washington Redskins. June 30, 1995: Grateful Dead played their last Pittsburgh show. The view from the top of Three Rivers Stadium during the first game played on July 16, 1970. Official fundraiser page for Pittsburgh Baseball HISTORY TRAIL, THREE RIVERS STADIUM HOME PLATE and Informational Marker As the development of the land. Courtesy of Pittsburgh Steelers Collection. Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first MLB postseason game ever played on artificial turf (1970), the first World Series night game (1971), and the first League Championship Series night contest (1972). Overall, eight other home runs would reach the upper deck in the 30-year history of Three Rivers; the only player, besides Stargell, to reach it multiple times would be Jeff Bagwell, who never played for the Pirates and needed only 57 games as a member of the visiting Houston Astros to do it twice. The Steelers would lose the following week at Three Rivers to the Miami Dolphinson their way to being the first undefeated team in the Super Bowl erabut the Steelers permanently shed their loser image, beginning a brilliant run of football that would net them four Super Bowl trophies over a six-year period. [40], Due to Three Rivers Stadium's multi-purpose design, bands including Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and The Who hosted concerts at the venue. Joe B. Fleisner (left) and Jared Castine stack seats removed from the stands at Three Rivers Stadium on Jan. 3, 2000, in preparation for the auction of the contents. As groundbreaking on the stadium finally took place in 1968, the Bridge to Nowhere finally got somewhereand it wouldnt be just to ferry traffic to Three Rivers. A two-story, concrete marker for Gate D is the only portion of Three Rivers Stadium still standing. Realtime driving directions to Three Rivers Stadium Home Plate Location, Pittsburgh, based on live traffic updates and road conditions - from Waze fellow drivers. A card-carrying member of the Cookie Cutter Society, Three Rivers Stadium was the cookie that needed a bite taken out of it to reveal downtown Pittsburgh for those inside. Explore Academic Pathways Upcoming Events See All Events Mar 03 Cinderella 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Tinnin Fine Arts Center View Event Mar 05 Everyone Is a Raider Day 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm View Event Mar 07 Join Choir Jam 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm [11] It originally seated 50,611 for baseball,[11] but several expansions over the years brought it to 58,729. The man got out, ran onto the field and began kicking footballs through the goalposts. Open now. Having just fallen behind at Three Rivers to the Oakland Raiders by a 7-6 score, the Steelers were 22 seconds away from defeat and facing fourth down 60 yards from the Raiders end zone. The stadium opened in 1970 and was home to the Pittsburgh Steelers football team and the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. No perfect game was ever thrown at Three Rivers, but in 1981 the Pirates Jim Bibby retired 27 Atlanta batters in a row after allowing a leadoff single in the first inning. Stargell was a man of such power, nothing at Three Rivers seemed to be outside of his reach. (Historic Pittsburgh). It was also the first playoff victory in franchise history. The Sports & Exhibition Authority said proceeds from the auction, minus costs and the auctioneers' cut, will be used to pay the $5.2 million demolition cost of Three Rivers Stadium, and to. Homestead Grays (1939-1948) Vital statistics: Lifetime Capacity Outfield dimensions (feet) Behind home plate Fence height The Clem Criteria: Built Demo-lished LF LC CF RC RF Field asymm. Approximate Location of Three Rivers Stadium Left Field Corner Looking Toward Home Plate. The left-field upper deck had been reached by Jeff Bagwell twice, and Bob Robertson, Greg Luzinski, Howard Johnson, Glenallen Hill and Devon White (his home run struck the facade) once each.[68]. Three Rivers Stadium: 1970-2000 Requiem for a ballpark. The Pirates werent complaining either; they all but bookended the decade hoisting a pair of World Series trophies, while winning four other National League East Division titles. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who had moved from Forbes Field to Pitt Stadium in 1964, were large supporters of the project. Heartbreak segued to an even more depressing reality. The Pirates move to Three Rivers Stadium failed to domesticate the base. The particular spot for the new stadium was, in fact, once upon a time the same site as Exposition Park, the Pirates first home. (The story is disputed, but its a good one.). Arch. Three Rivers Stadium, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1970 through 2000, was located in the North Shore section of Pittsburgh. Fans embraced the Steelers in a way never felt by the Pirates; blue-collar fans somehow scraped up enough cash to fill the joint over and over againfrom 1972 on, the Steelers sold out every game at Three Riversand formed rabid fan groups celebrating players from Franco Harris to placekicker Roy Gerela. Throughout their 31 seasons in Three Rivers Stadium, the Steelers posted a record of 182-72, including a 13-5 playoff record. A jury awarded Jones $125,000, but it was reversed on appeal. A proposal for a new sports stadium in Pittsburgh was first made in 1948; however, plans did not attract much attention until the late 1950s. Pittsburgh Jazz Festival Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles B.B. Sets of 2-3 Steel Seat Feet for Three Rivers Stadium Floor MOUNTING Seats from the former home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The initiative's defeat led to the development of "Plan B", an alternate funding proposal that used a combination of monies from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (an extra 1% sales tax levied on Allegheny County), state and federal monies and a number of other sources. The Steelers moved a few yards away to their new home at Heinz Field, while the Pirates took a short walk upriver to PNC Park. Games 3, 4 and 5 of the Series were played at Three Rivers. Get this for your collection. Jul 18, 1998. The Sporting News Leonard Koppett admitted that Three Rivers and its modern ilk were admirably practical buildings, containing creature comforts and working facilities undreamed of in the old days, but he well understood their flaws. [60][61] In 2020, nearly twenty years after the stadium had been demolished, the site had finally been taken down due to the domain expiring. Never mind the possibility of the 100-year flood wreaking havoc on such a complex structure; the U.S. Department of Defense was more concerned with the potentially devastating impact from an act of terrorismbefore that word became a thingand nixed the idea. The model of the stadium, revealed at the end of 1964, was eye candy on a prime level; a 54,000-seat venue with an overhang that protected 70% of the fans, thinning out and angling downward toward the river; private suites; and two restaurants, one open year-round. Theres no atmosphere in this thing, said Hank Novak, a lifelong ballpark employee for the Pirates. Deciding the where was the easy part; little debate was spent on the choice to place a new stadium across from downtown on the north side of the Allegheny, an ugly hodgepodge of industrial blight strewn with abandoned warehouses and neglected trainyards. Advertisement. "No matter what happens, when they tear Three Rivers down, a monument ought to be built there. By the time it put the team up for sale in 1986, the Galbreaths lost $18 million in 15 years at Three Rivers, making a profit only during the ballclubs first full season there (1971). Phil Hundley, a Deeter Ritchey Sipple architect who was not intricately involved in the Three Rivers Stadium project but was around in 2020 to talk about it, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: It had retail. A 1973 Led Zeppelin concert nearly turned into a riot; a year later, Eric Clapton was nailed in the face by a (perhaps) errant frisbee. Three Rivers Stadium (sometimes referred to simply as 3RS or "TRS") was a multipurpose sports stadium and event facility located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Pirates organist Vince Lascheid at Three Rivers Stadium on July 5, 1999. When 70,000 peoplemany without ticketsattempted to force their way into a 1976 concert featuring ZZ Top and Aerosmith, leading to an injury count of at least 250, public officials debated whether to end rock music acts at Three Rivers. Rivers Stadium Club Features Enjoy Chicago Dogs baseball from the comforts of the Rivers Stadium Club. [22] The stadium was named in February 1969 for its location at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Monongahela River, which forms the Ohio River. A 16-year-old boy won a raffle to push the button that began the detonation. Like all the other stadiums of its ilk and time, Three Rivers became an unattractive yet necessary link from ancient times to the modern age. 15 years later, the midsummer classic returned in 1994. But the river that created the most beautiful valley and the home of the Giant Forest is totally overlook. Fifty years ago, on July 16, 1970, Three Rivers Stadium opened in Pittsburgh, Pa. (It would take 10 years for that person, Kevin McClatchy, to fully purchase the Bucs.). . After his arrest and asked to explain his lapse into mental freefall to do all of these things, the man put the blame on Steelers quarterback Mark Malone, who was finishing up an awful (46% completion rate, six touchdowns, 19 interceptions) season for Pittsburgh. The stadium, which took more than 2 years to build at a cost of $55 million, seated 47,971 fans for baseball games, and 59,000 for football games. Two months later, on Dec. 16, the Steelers played their final game at Three Rivers, defeating the Washington Redskins 24-3. When Parker, who once said, Money isnt everythingpeace of mind is important to me, hit free agency in 1983, he wasted no time fleeing Pittsburgh. The prescript to Three Rivers Stadium is a familiar one: Aging ballpark, long ago gorgeous and glittering, is beginning to age beyond repair. The only Pirate who wore a jersey for the very first game and this, the very last, was bench coach Richie Hebner, who started at third base in Three Rivers inaugural game, attracted ladies with his good looks and boos from everyone else for his subpar defense, and later criticized the stadium by stating, My fathers cemetery has more life in it than this ballpark. A crowd of 55,351, the largest ever to see a baseball game at Three Rivers, watched as the Bucs blew a late lead and bowed to the Chicago Cubs, 10-9. Jun 06, 1999. With 59,568 in attendance, the largest crowd to ever attend a baseball game at the stadium,[33] the National League won 87 in the tenth inning. [65] The average attendance would peak in 1991, when the Pirates averaged 25,498per game. Almost as surprisingly, the fans returneddrawing over two million in both 1990 and 1991, the only two times they would reach the figure at Three Rivers. [67] On September 30, 1972, Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente got his 3,000th hit at Three Rivers Stadium, three months before his death. From the ashes of the drug-infested, small-crowd doldrums of the mid-1980s, the Pirates rose like a Phoenix to be reckoned with at the end of the decade. The Jumbotron scoreboard, which replaced the original board that extended below the upper deck behind center field, received a high bid of $475,000 from a Massachusetts company that carted it about for various events. The concourse areas were dark and dingy. [33][62] The first pitch was thrown by Dock Ellisa striketo Ty Cline. Costing $1.5 million, the board would be replaced after just 13 years by a Jumbotron placed higher up in the top deck. July 16, 2020 8:00 am ET. In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. [66] In 1979, the Pirates again won a World Championship, yet again defeating the Baltimore Orioles in a seven-game World Series. The Steelers were significantly better at the facility that turned them from laughingstocks to conquerors, winning 182 of 254 home games and another 13 of 18 playoff games. In 2011, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the Three Rivers Stadium website was still active, 11 years after the facility's demolition. Three Rivers Stadium implosion as seen from Point State Park. Roughly a decade later, outfielder Andy Van Slyke had a cigarette lighter thrown in his direction; upon picking it up, Van Slyke read an attached message that said, Use this to light a fire under you. His teammate, Bobby Bonillain the midst of an All-Star season in 1988was heavily booed at Three Rivers because his home batting average was 100 points lower than on the road. Roberto Clemente, aging like fine wine at 37, batted .341 and dominated the postseason to followhitting .387, shining on defense from the outfield, and earning World Series MVP honors as the Bucs came back from an early 2-0 series hole to defeat the Baltimore Orioles in seven games. Numerous seats were auctioned off, including 3,727 of the blue field level seatssnapped up by the minor-league Long Island Ducks. The look of the stadium, meanwhile, would be the responsibility of Deeter Ritchey Sipple (DRS), which drew up the beautiful downtown plaza Mellon Square and the highly acclaimed Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, the first sports structure with a retractable roof. With both facilities have come collateral development only dreamed about a half-century earlier, with a modern mix of parking, dining, business and green space; per example, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has relocated its headquarters right at the point where Three Rivers southeast (Gate C) entrance was once located. Breaking up the symmetry in the middle deck at left is the Allegheny Club, an expansive restaurant and lounge seating up to 700. Terry Bradshaw was a frequent target of boosbut his successors at the quarterback spot fared far worse. It was followed closely by crowds of 60,000-plus for the Rolling Stones and Genesis. The initial chatter toward a modern stadium actually predated the universitys purchase of Forbes by a decade. The North Side, that industrial wasteland, was making a serious bid to become the place to see and be seen in Pittsburgh. [23][24] It would sometimes be called The House That Clemente Built after Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente. Home, the place of origin or a destination point, is where the heart is. Spectators are easily distracted by mesmerizing views of downtown Pittsburgh, the Allegheny River and the Sixth Street Bridge, now named after Pirates legend Roberto Clemente. After being hotly debated throughout the entire southwestern Pennsylvania region the initiative was soundly defeated in all 11 counties; only in Allegheny County was it even close (58-42). [57], On September 30, 2012, members of the Society for American Baseball Research marked and painted the home plate and first base of the former stadium on the 40th Anniversary of Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit.[58]. Dahlen Ritcheys vision of side-by-side facilities for the Pirates and Steelers, surrounded by a profusion of development, has finally been realizedeven if it came one generation of sports venue ethos later than expected. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. The dual-sport structure had been the epicenter of Pittsburgh sports for 30 years since opening on July 16, 1970. 40 26.717 N, 80 0.833 W. Marker is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County. The perfect storm hit the Bucs after the 1992 season, facing an offseason in which free agents Bonds, ace pitcher Doug Drabek and Gold Glove second baseman Jose Lind all departed for richer teams in bigger markets because the Pirates simply lacked the capital to retain them. An 8-by-12-foot area of the 406 marker section of the Forbes Field brick wall, 12 Romanesque window frames, and the Babe Ruth plaque showing where his 714th home run landed were in the Allegheny Club at Three Rivers. Essentially, Ritchey envisioned PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) four decades before they were built. Baseballs acceleration of free agency dollars exposed the widening gulf between big and small markets, and the Pirates clearly represented the latter. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "threeriversstadium" Flickr tag. [9] The same site had hosted Exposition Park, which the Pirates had left in 1909. Much like the Pittsburgh Penguins would do with the site of Civic Arena, the Steelers retained development rights to the site of Three Rivers, and would later build Stage AE on portions of the site, as well as an office building that hosts the studios for AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, the headquarters of StarKist Tuna, and the regional headquarters of Del Monte Foods. It hosted the World Series in 1971 and 1979 and the All-Star Game in 1974 and 1994. Not even their rousing World Series season of 1960, capped by Bill Mazeroskis legendary walk-off homer in the seventh game against the New York Yankees, sped up the clock on any timetable. [35][36] It had a dirt skin infield on the basepaths for baseball through 1972,[26] until converted to "sliding pits" at the bases for 1973. Pittsburgh beats Oakland 13-7 in an AFC Divisional playoff game on Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for three Rivers Stadium Seats Set of 4 connected w/Cert from Free Markets HCS at the best online prices at eBay! You can contact Steven at sadams@triblive.com. Three Rivers Stadium, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers from 1970 to 2000. [15][18], Ground was broken in 1968 on April 25,[15][19][20] and due to the Steelers' suggestions, the design was changed to enclose centerfield. The Steelers, surprisingly, were not immune to the fans bully ethic. After getting used to Three Rivers for half a season in 1970, the Pirates first full campaign at the stadium a year later resulted in their first world title since their fabled 1960 run at Forbes Field. Koch would even get high on his own supply while doing Parrot duty, which must have made for the most kaleidoscopic experience by an employee of the Pirates since Dock Ellis claimed he threw a 1970 no-hitter on LSD. Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates' and Steelers ' home at the time, had been designed for functionality rather than "architecture and aesthetics".
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