Metropolitan Stadium
The Met "Met Stadium" "Old Met" | |
Aerial view from southeast in 1962 | |
Location in the United States Location in Minnesota | |
| Address | 8000 Cedar Avenue South |
|---|---|
| Location | Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 44°51′16″N 93°14′31″W / 44.85444°N 93.24194°W |
| Owner | City of Minneapolis (1956–1977) Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (1977–1981) |
| Capacity | Baseball: 18,200 (1956) 21,000 (1957–1959) 30,022 (1960–1961) 39,525 (1962) 40,073 (1963–1964) 45,182 (1965–1969) 45,914 (1970–1972) 45,921 (1973–1974) 45,919 (1975–1981) Football: 41,200 (1961–1964) 47,900 (1965–1970) 49,784 (1971–1973) 47,900 (1974–1976) 48,446 (1977–1981) |
| Field size | Left field: 343 ft (105 m) Left-center: 365 ft (111 m) Center field: 402 ft (123 m) Right-center: 370 ft (113 m) Right field: 330 ft (101 m) Backstop: 60 ft (18 m) Wall: 8 feet (2.4 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 20, 1955 |
| Opened | April 24, 1956 |
| Closed | December 20, 1981 |
| Demolished | January 28, 1985 |
| Construction cost | $8.5 million ($98.3 million in 2024 dollars) |
| Architect | Osborn Architects & Engineers Thorshov and Cerny |
| Structural engineer | Tepper Engineering |
| General contractor | Johnson, Drake & Piper/Kimmes/Axel Ohman |
| Tenants | |
| Minneapolis Millers (AA) 1956–1960 Minnesota Twins (MLB) 1961–1981 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) 1961–1981 Minnesota Kicks (NASL) 1976–1981 Chicago Cardinals (NFL) 1959 (2 games) | |
Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was an outdoor sports stadium in the north central United States, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Millers of Minor League Baseball were the original tenant from 1956 to 1960, but Metropolitan Stadium was best known as the home of the American League's Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL); both played at the "Met" for 21 seasons, from 1961 through 1981. The Minnesota Kicks of the North American Soccer League (NASL) also played there from 1976 to 1981.
Southwest of the airport, the stadium site is now the Mall of America, which opened in 1992.