Tenant: Milwaukee Brewers (NL)
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: Grass
Capacity: 43,000 (baseball only)

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, or 77.5 percent, from a five-county, one-tenth-of-a-cent sales tax.
Private financing: $90 million, or 22.5 percent, from the Brewers owners.

Milwaukee Brewers tickets:

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

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.

Dimensions: Left field: 344 feet (2001); left field power alley: 370 feet (2001); center field: 400 feet (2001); right field power alley: 374 feet (2001); right field: 355 feet (2001), 345 feet (2006); backstop: 56 feet (2001).

Fences: Vary in height from 8 feet to 12 feet.

Miller Park is a traditional ballpark reflecting local architecture, but has a retractable dome roof to protect against the cool weather in Wisconsin during the spring and fall. The ballpark is located in what used to be the center field parking lot of Milwaukee County Stadium, the Brewers' former home field. The originally scheduled April 1999 opening was delayed because of financing problems which were eventually resolved. The delay meant that the 1999 All Star game was not played in Milwaukee as planned, although it was played there in 2002.

A plan was developed that would have allowed the Brewers to play in their new $250 million stadium by April 2000. Construction of the park began on October 22, 1996, followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking on November 9. Work appeared to be proceeding on schedule until a crane accident in July 1999 killed three construction workers and spread tons of debris on the site. Opening day was moved back to April 6, 2001. It is centrally located in the city of Milwaukee about 2 miles west of downtown.

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 1,200,000-square-foot park includes 25 miles of deep piles, 70,000 cubic yards of structural concrete, 4,600 pieces of pre-cast concrete, and 9,000 tons of steel. All of this is enough to build a 50-story building.

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.

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.

Huber, Hunt & Nichols Inc. of Indianapolis was selected by the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District board for construction of Miller Park. The Huber, Hunt team included the Chicago office of the Clark Construction Co. and Hunzinger Construction of Milwaukee, the builder of the former Milwaukee County Stadium, which opened in 1953. Hunzinger also worked on Milwaukee's $170 million Wisconsin Center project, replacing the former downtown convention center with an expanded version. Huber, Hunt was construction manager for Jacobs Field, the Cleveland Indians' ballpark, and Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. The Phoenix stadium, like the Brewers' stadium, has a convertible roof.

Miller Park Trivia:

• Site of the 2002 All-Star game.
• 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 official 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 official 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.
• Helfaer Field, a Little League ballpark located next to Miller Park, occupies part of the site where County Stadium once stood.
• New video boards and a party section in right field were added before the 2006 season.
• The Indians played a series against the Angels at Miller Park in April 2007 because a snow storm in Cleveland made playing there impossible.

More on Miller Park:

• 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.
• Modern Marvels - Domed Stadiums (VHS).