Anaheim Stadium had been the home of the American League baseball team Angels since their move from Los Angeles following the 1965 season. The stadium opened April 9, 1966, as the California Angels hosted the San Francisco Giants in an exhibition game. The franchise's first American League game was April 19, 1966 vs. the Chicago White Sox. The Los Angeles Angels played at Wrigley Field in 1961 and Chavez Ravine from 1962-65.
The original Anaheim Stadium seated 43,204 (later 43,250). The stadium underwent construction in 1979-80 for additional seating to accommodate the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL. Upon completion in 1981, the stadium seated 65,158 (later 64,593) for baseball. The Rams left Anaheim for St. Louis, MO in 1995. The new Angel Stadium of Anaheim has a seating capacity of approximately 45,050 for the Anaheim Angels.
Other unique features of the new Angel Stadium of Anaheim include terraced bullpens in the outfield, widened concourses, new restroom and concession areas, a spacious and modernized press box and broadcast booths, family-oriented seating sections (The Nestle Family Zone), state-of-the-art club-level and dugout-level suites, the Pepsi Perfect Game Pavilion (a youth-oriented interactive game area) and landscaped courtyards (with statues in rememberance of Gene Autry and Michelle Carew).
In addition, the new Angel Stadium of Anaheim includes three full-service restaurants: The KnotHole Club (a sports bar located at the club level down the right field line); The Diamond Club (an upscale restaurant with outdoor seating on the field level behind home plate); and the Home Plate Club (an indoor restaurant on the club level overlooking the main entrance to the ballpark).
Renovations to Anaheim Stadium began Oct. 1, 1996, reverting the 30-year old structure back to a baseball-only facility. On Sept. 15, 1997, the renovated stadium's new name was announced: Edison International Field of Anaheim. On Dec. 29, 2003, the Angels announced the stadium would be renamed Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Total cost for the stadium renovation was estimated at $100 million and the project was completed in time for the Anaheim Angels Opening Day, April 1, 1998.
The following organizations were involved in implementing the transition of Anaheim Stadium into Angel Stadium of Anaheim: Walt Disney Imagineering, which served as the manager of the design and construction of Angel Stadium of Anaheim; HOK Sports Facilities Group and Robert A.M. Stern Architects, which were responsible for the architectural planning, design and renovation; and Turner Construction, which directed and provided construction services.
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