Bank One Ballpark Stadium

Bank One Ballpark also known as BOB is located in downtown Phoenix , Arizona . It is bounded by Jefferson Street on the North, Fourth Street on the West and Seventh Street on the East. Owned by Maricopa County , the 49,033-capacity ballpark is the sports hub of the Valley of the Sun. Built 1,100 feet above sea level, Bank One Ballpark is the second-highest facility in the major leagues, after Coors Field in Denver where a fly ball travels seven feet farther for every 1,000 feet of altitude. The ballpark is a high-tech, retractable dome with a natural grass playing surface. The stadium houses Arizona Diamondbacks, a MLB team. The ballpark played a host to 2001 World Series. On June 29, 2004 , Randy Johnson recorded his 4,000 th career strikeout. Bank One Ballpark (BOB) is the only facility in the world that has a retractable roof, air conditioning and a natural turf field all under one roof. This unique combination makes BOB an ideal venue for a wide variety of events any time during the year.

The ballpark is the property of the Maricopa County Stadium District, which is administered by the county Board of Supervisors, and managed by an affiliate of the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks contracted to occupy Bank One Ballpark to the terms of 30 years with an option of extending the lease for an additional 10 years. When MLB announced its plans to award Phoenix an expansion team, a new stadium was built for the team. Opened in 1998, Bank One Ballpark was designed by Ellerbe Becket. On November 16, 1995 , the ground was broken for the construction of the new stadium. Huber, Hunt & Nichols, Inc. handled the project. Built at the cost of $354 million it took 28 months for the construction of the stadium. On March 31, 1998 , the stadium opened its doors. Nearly 15 million baseball fans enjoyed the Arizona Diamondbacks during their first year of play irrespective of Phoenix 's summer heat or monsoon storms. The structure incorporates the traditional look of red brick and green structural steel, the setting that perfectly blends into its surroundings. Shaped like a massive airport hanger many of the design details are taken from the warehouse district that encloses the Ballpark. The Stern Produce Building is one such warehouse that is actually preserved and incorporated into the south facade of the building and is used as a commissary for the Ballpark's concessions stands. The stadium's retractable roof opens to various positions to allow a proper amount of sunlight hit the natural turf without heating the concrete and metal within the stadium. The roof comprises of 9 million pounds of structural steel. Pair of 200-horsepower motors open or close the roof in slightly more than four minutes but less than five minutes. The east and west sides of the roof can function either in accord or separately.

Either side of the roof can be opened to any position. After the first week of May, many games are played with the roof closed. With the roof in the closed position, the minimum height over the playing surface is 180 feet and the maximum height is 200 feet. The stadium is designed to bring down the temperature by 30 degrees within three hours and the cooling system is arranged in such a way that it delivers cool air only where it is needed. The seating capacity ranges from 48,500 for Arizona Diamondback baseball games to approximately 53,000 for a major concert with seating on the field. There are 69 luxury suites located at the mid-level, 6 party suites, 500 restaurant seats, and a picnic area that seats 550. The high-tech practice facilities at the stadium include batting cages and pitching mounds within the stadium itself.

A four tier grandstand stretches from the left field foul pole to homeplate, and around to the right field foul pole. Bleacher seats are behind both the left and right field fences. The main scoreboard is above a 25 foot center field wall that serves as the hitters back drop. The most atypical feature at Bank One Ballpark is the swimming pool, which is located behind part of the right field fence. It gives an opportunity to about 35 guests to see the Diamondbacks play while enjoying a swimming pool, hot tub, fountains, catering and other facilities. When any Diamondback player hits a home run, water cannons shoot fire streams of water 30 to 35 feet into the air. Overlooking left field and third base is Friday's Front Row Sports Grill, which offers food and entertainment. Hi-Tops restaurant is located in the plaza on the west side of the ballpark. Concession stands serve everything from hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza to fresh fruits and vegetables. The Bank One Ballpark has a 1,500 car parking garage located on the south side of the Ballpark. Bank One bought the naming rights, and the stadium was named Bank One Ballpark. Even though, Bank One has merged with New York City-based Chase, a name change is expected to take place sometime during the 2005 baseball season.