Construction
Coors Field was the first new stadium added in a six-year period in which Denver's sports venues were upgraded, along with Pepsi Center and Sports Authority Field at Mile High (originally sponsored by INVESCO). It was also the first baseball-only National League Park since Dodger Stadium was built in 1962. When Marlins Park opened in 2012, Coors Field became the third oldest stadium in the National League, despite its relatively young age.
As with the other new venues, Coors Field was constructed with accessibility in mind. It sits near Interstate 25 and has direct access to the 20th Street and Park Avenue exits. Nearby Union Station also provides light rail access.
Coors Field was originally planned to be somewhat smaller, seating only 43,800. However, after the Rockies drew almost 4.5 million people in their first season at Mile High Stadium - the most in baseball history - the plans were altered during construction, and new seats in the right field upper deck were added.
The center field bleacher section has its own informal name: "The Rockpile." During the 1993 and 1994 seasons when the team played at Mile High Stadium, which was a hybrid football/baseball venue, the Rockpile was located in the south stands, which were in dead center field and very distant from home plate. The same design was incorporated into Coors Field, and is located in deep center field up high. The original Rockpile seats cost a dollar each.
During construction, workers discovered a number of dinosaur fossils throughout the grounds, including a 7-foot-long (2.1 m) 1,000-pound (450 kg) triceratops skull. Because of this, "Jurassic Park" was one of the first names to be considered for the stadium. This later led to the selection of a dinosaur as the Rockies' mascot, "Dinger."
Coors Field was the first major league park with an underground heating system.
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