Three Rivers Stadium

Three Rivers Stadium
The Blast Furnace
The House that Clemente Built
View from south in 1999
Map
Pittsburgh is located in the United States
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Location in the United States
Pittsburgh is located in Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Location in Pennsylvania
Address792 W General Robinson St
LocationPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates40°26′48″N 80°0′46″W / 40.44667°N 80.01278°W / 40.44667; -80.01278
OwnerPittsburgh
OperatorPittsburgh Stadium Authority
CapacityFootball: 59,000
Baseball: 47,971
Field sizeLeft Field — 335 ft / 102 m
Left-Center — 375 ft / 114 m
Center Field — 400 ft / 122 m
Right-Center — 375 ft / 114 m
Right Field — 335 ft / 102 m
Wall height — 10 ft / 3 m
SurfaceTartan Turf (1970–1982)
AstroTurf (1983–2000)
Construction
Broke groundApril 25, 1968; 56 years ago (1968-04-25)
OpenedJuly 16, 1970; 54 years ago (1970-07-16)
ClosedDecember 16, 2000;
23 years ago (2000-12-16)
DemolishedFebruary 11, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-02-11)
Construction costUS$55 million
($457 million in 2023 dollars[1])
ArchitectDeeter Ritchy Sipple
Michael Baker Jr.
Structural engineerOsborn Engineering
Services engineerElwood S. Tower Consulting Engineers[2]
General contractorHuber, Hunt & Nichols/Mascaro[3]
Tenants
Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) (1970–2000)
Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) (1970–2000)
Duquesne Dukes (1971)[4]
Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL) (1984)
Pittsburgh Panthers (NCAA) (2000)
DesignatedNovember 26, 2007[5]

Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).

Built to replace Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55 million ($457 million in 2024) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. Ground was broken in April 1968 and construction, often behind schedule, took 29 months.[6] The stadium opened on July 16, 1970, with a Pirates game. In the 1971 World Series, it hosted the first World Series game played at night. The following year, the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Three Rivers also hosted the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team for a single season each.[7][8]

After its closing, Three Rivers was imploded in 2001, and the Pirates and Steelers moved into new dedicated stadiums: PNC Park and Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium), respectively.

  1. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Experience – Public / Government". Elwood S. Tower Consulting Engineers. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  3. ^ "Three Rivers Stadium". Ballparks.com. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  4. ^ "082517" (PDF).
  5. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers Search". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on March 21, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  6. ^ "31 Slices of Three Rivers History". Pittsburgh Steelers. Archived from the original on February 25, 2005. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  7. ^ "Pittsburgh Maulers". United States Football League History. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  8. ^ "A Fond Farewell". Sports Illustrated. December 15, 2000. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved August 7, 2008.