Minute Maid Park

Minute Maid Park was built on the idea of a downtown ballpark that was financed by private and government funding in 1996. Fourteen of Houston's top companies came together to form the Association. Houston Sports Facilities association offers a $35 million interest-free loan with no repayments for up to 10 years of the ballpark's operation. The Harris-Houston County Athletic Authority had the necessary support to present the ballpark proposal to the public in November 1996. The people voted and approved this $250 million project. .

The downtown Houston ballpark was originally named Enron Field on April 7, 1999, and was renamed Astros Field on February 27, 2002, by agreement between the Houston Astros and Enron Corp. Some time later, the ballpark changed its name to Minute Maid - a subsidiary of Coca-Cola that acquired the naming rights for $100 million over 30 years.

The architects when designing the stadium recommended early on that a retractable roof would be appropriate for the Texas climate. Since the construction of the first retractable football field - the Skydome in 1989 - designers have worked on several types of retractable roofs. However, the roof at Minute Maid Park completely retracts from the ballpark to reveal the largest open area of any retractable covered baseball stadium in existence today. A total of 50,000 square feet of glass on the west wall of the retractable roof gives fans a view of the Houston skyline, even when the roof is in the closed position. The roof panels are mechanized to open and close in 12-20 minutes. To cover the football field, steel sheets were rolled in sequence along the tracks on the east and west sides of the stadium.

Playground surface area up to 3 acres with drainage and irrigation system including 6,682 straight feet of perforated pipe, 4,406 straight feet of PVC pipe corresponding to 78 sprinklers to serve the maintenance of the yard grass.

A total of 400 speaker cabinets are scattered throughout the seating areas and nearly 1,000 were found along the boardrooms at the Minute Mail Park football field. Speakers are distributed throughout the football field to be able to broadcast sound to any audience present on the field.

As of 2016, Minute Maid Park has a capacity of 41,168 seats, including 5,197 club seats and 63 luxury suites. Minute Maid Park seats are dark green to match the classic design and look of the football field. The pitch has nine different seating areas: Dugout Boxes, Field Boxes, Crawford Boxes, Bullpen Boxes, Club Tier I, Club Tier II, Terrace Deck, Mezzanine, Torchy's Party Deck, Budweiser Brew House and Upper Deck.

One of the most popular seating areas is the Crawford Boxes, located in the left section. This area offers fans a unique perspective on what it feels like to be a pro midfield player. Elegantly decorated luxury suites with bar/buffet, social area and closed circuit TV, suites offer privacy and comfort to the audience.

Visitors to Minute Maid Park can choose for themselves tours with different themes, destinations, and costs to have a better overview of the football field as well as similar clubs in the city. city. Tours will not be available on home game days or while players are practicing

Website : www.mlb.com/astros/ballpark

Phone : +1 713-259-8000

Hours of Operation :

Monday - Saturday: 10:00 - 15:00