| San
Francisco 49ers - Monster Park |
| Address: |
Monster Park
602 Jamestown Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94124 |
|
| Name: |
Monster Park |
| Home Team:
|
San Francisco 49ers |
| Capacity:
|
69,734 |
| Playing
Surface: |
Grass |
| Year Opened:
|
1958 |
|
Originally built for the San
Francisco Giants (MLB), Monster Park has been the home of the
49ers since 1971. Talk of building a stadium in the San Francisco
area first began in 1954, when mayor George Christopher promised
to build a stadium if a major league team would move to the
area. Later in the year, a $5 million bond was issued to build
a stadium. Along with the Brooklyn Dodgers (MLB), the New York
Giants (MLB) decided to move to the west coast after the 1957
season. The Giants moved to San Francisco, while the Dodgers
moved to Los Angeles. Two locations for a new stadium in San
Francisco were discussed. One in downtown, and one at Candlestick
Point. The site at Candlestick Point, located near the San Francisco
Bay, was chosen because of the price of land. Construction on
the stadium began in August of 1958. Immediately after construction
began, problems arose. Neighbors complained about numerous things,
grand juries investigated irregular funding in the stadium,
seats were delayed being installed because of a Teamster strike,
and the stadium was called a fire trap. However, the stadium
was completed. The stadium was named Candlestick Park, after
its location. The Giants played the first game ever at Candlestick
Park was on April 20, 1961. In September 2004, Candlestick Park
was renamed Monster Park after Monster Cable Products Inc. purchased
the naming rights for four years. When
it opened, Monster Park had around 45,000 seats. While the
Giants were playing at Monster Park, the 49ers were playing
at Kezar Stadium. The 49ers had played at Kezar Stadium since
1946. After only several years of existence, Candlestick Park
began to deteriorate. At one point the mayor of San Francisco
proposed that a new $50 million stadium be built in the downtown
area, but his idea was dropped. However, the city spent $16.1
million in 1971 to improve and make the stadium multipurpose,
where the San Francisco 49ers (NFL) would also play. Monster
Park was enclosed, increasing the seating capacity to 59,000,
retractable seats were added in right field to allow the conversion
to a football field, and the grass field was replaced by Astroturf.
The 49ers played their first game at Monster Park on October
10, 1971. Very few changes have taken place since 1971 at
Candlestick Park. In 1979, the Astroturf was replaced by grass.
In 1995, Candlestick Park was renamed 3 Com Park after 3 Com
Corp. bought the naming rights. After the 1999 MLB season,
the San Francisco Giants moved into SBC Park. Since then,
the 49ers have had the stadium to them self. After the 2001
NFL season, 3 Com Park was renamed Candlestick Park and is
now known as Monster Park. The 49ers continue to sell out
every game. However the team hopes to move into a new stadium
in the future.
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