Tropicana Field Stadium

Originally named the Florida Suncoast Dome and then the ThunderDome, Tropicana Field is a domed stadium located in St. Petersburg , Florida . In the hopes of attracting a Major League Baseball team, the construction on the new stadium began in Tampa/St. Petersburg area on November 22, 1986 . Originally named the Florida Suncoast Dome, it was first used to attract Chicago White Sox. But the government soon agreed to build a "new" Comiskey Park in 1989. As a result, the Sox owners dropped the idea of moving the team to Tampa Bay . A domed stadium was preferred because of the rain that the area receives throughout the year. On March 3, 1990 , the construction of the stadium but still it didn't have any team to boast of. The attempts to attract teams from San Francisco and Seattle failed because even their government heed to their request to get them built or renovate the stadium. Meanwhile, the stadium kept on hosting the basketball, hockey, and many other events.

The Suncoast Dome failed to get any team until 1993 when the Tampa Bay Lightning made the stadium its home for 3 seasons. By that time the stadium was also renamed the Thunderdome. The Arena Football Tampa Bay Storm also played there set attendance records for that league as well. Eventually, the stadium received a MLB franchise in 1995, when it expanded its area of influence. The new team was named the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The stadium underwent a $70 million renovation, but the total revenues cost $115 million to complete only eight years earlier. In 1996, the stadium became known as Tropicana Field, when Tropicana bought the naming rights to the stadium. The income helped the officials to upgrade the concourses, installation of Astroturf, clubhouses, dugouts, additional luxury suites, restrooms, elevators, escalators and administrative offices. Even though the stadium was primarily built to host the sport of baseball, the organization decided to renovate the stadium to make it more baseball friendly. The Devil Rays played their first regular season baseball game at the Dome on March 31, 1998 , where the Devil Rays played against the Detroit Tigers and lost the game by 11-6. The Tropicana Field features one of the world's largest cable-supported domed roofs made of teflon-coated fiber glass.

White and coral stucco and green tinted, non-mirrored glass cover the outer surface walls of the stadium. 100 high-backed upholstered "Scout Seats" located in the first few rows behind home plate have individual monitors that showcases views from all stadium cameras, statistics and special concession menus. The stadium has 7 escalators and 23 elevators. Stadium has hosted hockey, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, weightlifting, ping pong, karate, gymnastics, figure skating, 5-K runs, equestrian events, motorcycling, sprint car, monster truck and mud bog racing. The amenities in the stadium includes interactive game areas, the Pepsi/Devil Rays Fan Wall of Fame, a 3 story/365-day-a-year sports bar and retail shops are located outside the right and center field walls, a restaurant with seating for 350 people etc. For over 20 years, the stadium featured artificial turf and all-dirt base paths. Seats behind the backstop are located only 50 feet from home plate. The Tropicana Room is the most multipurpose venue in the stadium.

It has a buffet with carved meats, pastas, salads, and more at evening games and brunch at afternoon games. Located on the mezzanine level behind home plate it is available on game days to fans with a Home Plate Box, Field Box, Lower Club Box, Diamond Club or suite tickets. The expanded concourses feature nearly 290 points of sale. Eight escalators and seven elevators provide fans with easy access between levels. The Florida Power Walkway is the largest outdoor ceramic mural in Florida . Made with 1,849,091 brightly colored 1x1 inch tiles, it represents the sun, sea and beach. The roof of the dome is lit orange after the Devil Rays win at home. The orange light stands for the ballpark's title sponsor, Tropicana Dole Beverages. The scoreboard is put up beyond the right centerfield seats. Before the 2000 season, the Astroturf was removed, and was replaced by Field Turf, which is a plastic grass. The facility hosted the Final Four NCAA men's college basketball tournament in 1999.