Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 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).
The Blast Furnace The House that Clemente Built | |
Three Rivers Stadium in 1999 | |
| Location | 792 W General Robinson St Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°26′48″N 80°0′46″W |
| Owner | Pittsburgh |
| Operator | Pittsburgh Stadium Authority |
| Capacity | Football: 59,000 Baseball: 47,971 |
| Field size | Left Field — 335 ft / 102 m Left-Center — 375 ft / 114 m Center Field — 400 ft / 122 m Right-Center — 375 ft / 114 m Right Field — 335 ft / 102 m Wall height — 10 ft / 3 m |
| Surface | Tartan Turf (1970–1982) AstroTurf (1983–2000) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 25, 1968 |
| Opened | July 16, 1970 |
| Closed | December 16, 2000 |
| Demolished | February 11, 2001 |
| Construction cost | US$55 million ($439 million in 2022 dollars) |
| Architect | Deeter Ritchy Sipple Michael Baker Jr. |
| Structural engineer | Osborn Engineering |
| Services engineer | Elwood S. Tower Consulting Engineers |
| General contractor | Huber, Hunt & Nichols/Mascaro |
| Tenants | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) (1970–2000) Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) (1970–2000) Duquesne Dukes (1971) Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL) (1984) Pittsburgh Panthers (NCAA) (2000) | |
| Designated | November 26, 2007 |
Built to replace Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55 million ($438.9 million today) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. Ground was broken in April 1968 and construction, often behind schedule, took 29 months. The stadium opened on July 16, 1970, with a Pirates game. In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. The following year, the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Three Rivers Stadium also hosted the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team for a single season each.
After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers moved into newly built dedicated stadiums: PNC Park and Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium), respectively.