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CHS Field is a
Located in the historic Lowertown District of Saint Paul, the park is built upon the former site of a long-vacant industrial-use facility. In September 2012, the stadium was approved for $25 million in funding from the
Official website
Ryan Companies project page
Snow Kreilich Architects project page
{{Music venues of Minnesota College baseball venues in the United States Sports in Saint Paul, Minnesota Sports venues in Saint Paul, Minnesota Baseball venues in Minnesota Minor league baseball venues Sports venues completed in 2015 International League ballparks 2015 establishments in Minnesota
baseball park
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...
in downtown Saint Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
, Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. It is home to the St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...
of the International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
of Minor League Baseball, as well as home to Hamline University's baseball team. With the Saints' affiliation to the Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
, beginning in 2021, CHS Field is the smallest Triple-A ballpark in the Minors, and the closest (at a distance of 12.9 miles along surface streets and Interstate 94
Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...
) to its tenant's parent MLB club.
History
Located in the historic Lowertown District of Saint Paul, the park is built upon the former site of a long-vacant industrial-use facility. In September 2012, the stadium was approved for $25 million in funding from the Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...
. The remainder of the funding for the US$64 million project was shared between the city and the Saints.
The construction of this new ballpark was prompted in part by the deteriorating state of the Saints' original ballpark, Midway Stadium
Midway Stadium was the name of two different minor league baseball parks in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, both now demolished. The name derived from the location of the stadium in St. Paul's Midway area, so named because it is roughly ha ...
, which was built in 1982. Midway Stadium was located in an industrial area of Saint Paul, near the Minnesota State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Also known by its slogan, "The Great Minnesota Get-Together", it is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and the second-largest state fa ...
grounds. A groundbreaking event was held by the Saints on May 10, 2014, with the first concrete being poured on the site.
On September 8, 2014, it was announced that Fortune 100
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along w ...
cooperative CHS Inc., based in nearby Inver Grove Heights
Inver Grove Heights is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 35,801 at the 2020 census. The city was formed on March 9, 1965, with the merger of the village of Inver Grove and Inver Grove Township.
It is one of 1 ...
, had acquired the naming rights to the ballpark. The Saints played their first game at the park on May 18, 2015, against the Sioux City Explorers
The Sioux City Explorers are a professional minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are members American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Si ...
in an exhibition match. The first regular season game was against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major Leagu ...
on May 21, 2015. On August 2, 2016, CHS Field hosted the American Association All-Star Game. The Saints again hosted the event on July 23, 2019.
In July 2017, the field hosted the Minnesota American Legion Baseball State Tournament, which was won by Tri-City Red, with Ham Lake also advancing to the Central Plains Regional Tournament.
The Saints have shattered attendance records since the park's opening in 2015, shattering the American Association mark in the park's opening season by drawing 404,528 fans, while also setting an independent professional baseball record by drawing 8,091 fans per night. The following season they bettered both marks, drawing 413,482 on an average of 8,438 fans over 49 dates. The Saints set a franchise record on August 13, 2019, by drawing 10,631 fans to a 10-2 victory over Winnipeg.
Ballpark features
Beyond left field is a grassy picnic area known as "The Lawn" which can seat 1,000 people. Designed for groups, the picnic area offers a buffet-style selection of food. CHS Field also boasts several environmentally-friendly features. An estimated 12 percent of the stadium's electricity is generated by 300solar panel
A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...
s. A 27,000-gallon rain water collector supplies the park's sprinklers and toilets. Biking to the park is encouraged, with 24 bike racks placed adjacent to the park on Broadway Street.
References
External links
Official website
Ryan Companies project page
Snow Kreilich Architects project page
{{Music venues of Minnesota College baseball venues in the United States Sports in Saint Paul, Minnesota Sports venues in Saint Paul, Minnesota Baseball venues in Minnesota Minor league baseball venues Sports venues completed in 2015 International League ballparks 2015 establishments in Minnesota