Southwest University Park

Southwest University Park

August 2014
Full name Southwest University Park [1]
Location 1 Ballpark Plaza
El Paso, Texas 79901
Coordinates 31°45′32″N 106°29′35″W / 31.759°N 106.493°W / 31.759; -106.493Coordinates: 31°45′32″N 106°29′35″W / 31.759°N 106.493°W / 31.759; -106.493
Owner City of El Paso
Operator MountainStar Sports Group
Capacity 7,500 (fixed seating)
9,500–10,000 (plus additional seating)[2]
Field size Left Field: 322 ft (98 m)
L. Center: 392 ft (119 m)
Center: 406 ft (124 m)
R. Center: 384 ft (117 m)
Right Field: 322 ft (98 m)[2]
Construction
Broke ground May 30, 2013[3]
Opened April 28, 2014[4]
Construction cost $72 million[5]
Architect Populous
MNK Architects, Inc.[6]
Project manager International Facilities Group, LLC[7]
Structural engineer Walter P Moore[6]
Services engineer Henderson Engineers, Inc.[6]
General contractor C. F. Jordan/Hunt[8]
Tenants
El Paso Chihuahuas (PCL) (2014–present)

Southwest University Park is a stadium in El Paso, Texas. Primarily used for minor league baseball, it is the home of the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Opened in 2014, the facility has an official capacity of 9,500, with 7,500 fixed seats with the rest being berm and party deck standing room sections.[3][2]

The name "Southwest University" is applied as a corporate sponsor, and not as the home stadium of the University (which has no intercollegiate athletics program).[9] Southwest University Park was named as the best new ball park in 2014 by Ballpark Digest.[10] The elevation of the playing field is approximately 3,750 feet (1,140 m) above sea level.

History

The complex is situated upon the site of El Paso's former City Hall, which was demolished by implosion on April 14, 2013, to make way for the stadium.[11] Former El Paso Mayor Ray Salazar had filed a 2013 lawsuit to stop the demolition of the old City Hall, alleging the misuse of public funds by city officials, but the lawsuit was dismissed in court.[12][13]

Ground for the ballpark was broken on May 30, 2013 with 300 people attending the event, including members of MountainStar Sports Group, the ownership group of the El Paso Pacific Coast League team, Pat O'Conner, president and CEO of Minor League Baseball, and City Representatives Ann Morgan Lilly, Susie Byrd, Cortney Niland, and Steve Ortega.[14]

On March 5, 2014, it was announced that the team had signed a 20-year naming rights deal for the ballpark with Southwest University, an El Paso based business and technical school known until 2012 as Southwest Career College.[9][15]

Features

The design theme is based on the Union Depot and incorporates architectural details found in the region's historic buildings, such as the Kress Building in Downtown El Paso. It also pays tribute to the city's baseball history through various forms of art.[16]

Some of the notable features of the ballpark include:

References

  1. ↑ "Officials Present Southwest University Park" (Press release). Minor League Baseball. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ballpark Guidelines". El Paso Chihuahuas. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Ramirez, Cindy (May 30, 2013). "Downtown El Paso Ballpark Groundbreaking Today". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  4. ↑ "El Paso Home Opener Pushed Back". El Paso Chihuahuas. February 7, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  5. ↑ Bracamontes, Aaron (April 20, 2014). "Officials Promise Southwest University Park Will Be Ready". El Paso Times. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Ballpark Concept Videos Added to City's Website". El Paso Development News. December 2, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  7. ↑ Ramirez, Cindy (December 13, 2012). "El Paso City Council Approves Consulting Contract for Downtown Ballpark". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  8. ↑ Ramirez, Cindy (January 6, 2013). "El Paso City Council to Award Baseball Stadium Contract". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Officials Present Southwest University Park". El Paso Chihuahuas. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  10. ↑ "2014 Best New Ballpark: Southwest University Park". Ballpark Digest. November 14, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ Ramirez, Cindy (June 14, 2013). "Downtown El Paso Ballpark Investors Want to Pay $12.1M More Toward Stadium". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  12. ↑ Ramirez, Cindy (2016-04-28). "Former Mayor Ray Salazar dies at 85". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  13. ↑ "Editorial: Farewell to El Paso Mayor Ray Salazar". El Paso Times. 2016-05-02. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  14. ↑ Ramirez, Cindy (May 30, 2013). "300 Celebrate as Downtown El Paso Ballpark Breaks Ground". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  15. ↑ Daniel Borunda, "El Paso Chihuahuas ballpark to be named Southwest University Park", El Paso Times, March 6, 2014. Southwest University is not the same institution as the University of the Southwest located in Hobbs, New Mexico.
  16. ↑ Ramirez, Cindy (January 31, 2013). "El Paso Ballpark Will Reflect Union Depot Design". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
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