Tenant: Texas Rangers (AL)
Opened: April 1, 1994
Surface: Bermuda Tifway 419 grass
Capacity: 49,178

Architects: David M. Schwarz Architectural Services (Washington, DC); HKS, Inc. (Dallas)
Construction: Manhattan Construction Company (Tulsa, OK)
Owner: Arlington Sports Facilities Development Authority
Cost: $191 million
Public financing: $135 million, or 71 percent, from a one-half-cent sales tax increase in the city of Arlington over 12 to 15 years
Private financing: $56 million, or 29 percent, from the Rangers owners

Texas Rangers tickets:

• Viewpoint Tickets - Best prices on Rangers tickets, Baseball tickets and MLB All Star tickets.

Location: Adjacent to Six Flags over Texas on the west side of the amusement park at the northwest corner of East Randol Mill Road and Ballpark Way. Left field (E) Ballpark Way, right field (S) E Randol Mill Road and parking lot, 1st base (W) Pennant Drive and parking lot, 3rd base (N) park, Copeland Road and I-30.

Dimensions: Left field: 334 ft.; left-center: 388 ft.; center field: 400 ft.; right-center deepest: 407 ft.; right-center: 381 ft.; right field: 325 ft.; backstop: 60 ft.; foul territory: small.

Fences: Left field: 14 ft.; center and right fields: 8 ft.

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is fan- and player-friendly with modern amenities that Rangers fans hadn’t seen in more than 20 years of play in Arlington Stadium. Outside the park, visitors can wander up Nolan Ryan Expressway and stroll along the Rangers Walk of Fame, reading about each team in franchise history on the brick path beneath them.

Once inside, there’s a 17,000-square-foot baseball museum and a children’s learning center, open year-round. Beyond the center-field wall, the park is enfolded by a four-story office building fronted by wrought-iron decor with a subtle cajun flavor. The top floor holds the offices of the Texas Rangers, the second and third floors are leased to local businesses, and the first floor has been turned into retail shops and ticket windows.

The field itself is located 22 feet below street level in order to avoid summer winds, and the seats alongside either dugout are as close to the baselines as any in baseball. The $191-million stadium took 23 months to build and features modern innovations like an infield tarp that is mounted on hydraulic lifts and stored below ground level along the left-field line. On top of the offices in center field stands a wind screen (measuring 42 feet by 430 feet) that minimizes the impact of stiff breezes.

On May 7, 2004 the Rangers announced a deal with Ameriquest Mortgage Company to immediately rename their ballpark Ameriquest Field in Arlington. The 30-year agreement was reported to be for about $75 million. A crisis in the subprime mortgage industry caused Ameriquest to give up its naming rights, and on March 1, 2007 the team announced the stadium would be called Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Trivia:

• Granite and brick facade.
• Covered pavilion porch in right field features pillars similar to of those at Tiger Stadium.
• Outfield has many nooks and crannies reminiscent of Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.
• Bullpens raised 5 feet above playing surface so fans can see who is warming up.
• A total of 122 suites: 44 on the lower level; 78 on the upper level.
• Construction began on April 2, 1992.
• Part of a complex that will include two man-made lakes and a Riverwalk area featuring shops and restaurants.
• Funding for the ballpark authorized by a January 19, 1991, referendum that approved a half-cent increase in the City of Arlington sales tax.
• Five levels: lower deck, lower suites, club deck, upper suites, and upper deck.
• Picnic area in front of four-story office building in center field.
• Site of the 1995 All-Star Game.
• The last MLB stadium built with a higher seating capacity than the one it replaced.

More on Rangers Ballpark in Arlington:

• Seating chart

Recommended Reading (bibliography):

• Fodor's Baseball Vacations, 3rd Edition: Great Family Trips to Minor League and Classic Major League Ballparks Across America by Bruce Adams and Margaret Engel.
• The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip: A Fan's Guide to Major League Stadiums by Joshua Pahigian and Kevin O'Connell.
• Joe Mock's Ballpark Guide by Joe Mock.
• Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Tour of Baseball Parks Past and Present by Josh Leventhal and Jessica Macmurray.
• The Ballpark Book: A Journey Through the Fields of Baseball Magic (Revised Edition) by Ron Smith and Kevin Belford.
• Ballparks: A Panoramic History by Marc Sandalow and Jim Sutton.
• Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit (2nd Edition) by Joanna Cagan and Neil deMause.
• Public Dollars, Private Stadiums: The Battle over Building Sports Stadiums by Kevin J. Delaney and Rick Eckstein.
• Sports, Jobs, and Taxes: The Economic Impact of Sports Teams and Stadiums by Roger G. Noll and Andrew Zimbalist.