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Bill Walsh Field
at
Candlestick Park

Aerial View
Copyright 2006 by Aerial Views Publishing

  Stadium Resources  
Address 490 Jamestown Avenue
San Francisco CA 94124
Phone (415) 467-1994
Official Website
Seating Weather
Newspaper Articles
Satellite View
49ers Gear
  Calendar of Events  
Hotels, Dining & Deals in San Francisco

  The Facility  
Date Built April 12, 1960
Major Renovation 1972
Ownership
(Management)
City of San Francisco
(City of San Francisco)
Surface Grass
Cost of Construction $24.6 million
Stadium Financing 100% publicly financed
Former Names Candlestick Park
(1960-1994)
3Com Park
(1995)
3Com Park at Candlestick Point
(1996-2002)
San Francisco Stadium at Candlestick Point
(2002-2003)
Monster Park
(2004-2008)
Stadium Architect John Bolles
  Other Facts  
Tenants San Francisco 49ers (NFL)
(1971-Present)
Former Tenants San Francisco Giants (MLB)
(1960-1999)
Oakland Raiders (NFL)
(1961)
Population Base 7,150,000
On Site Parking 8,000
Nearest Airport San Francisco International Airport
Retired Numbers #HC Bill Walsh
#12 John Brodie
#16 Joe Montana
#34 Joe Perry
#37 Jimmy Johnson
#39 Hugh McElhenny
#42 Ronnie Lott
#70 Charles Krueger
#73 Leo Nomellini
#79 Bob St. Clair
#80 Jerry Rice
#87 Dwight Clark

Championships 1st

XVI
1981
2nd

XIX
1984
3rd

XXIII
1988
4th

XXIV
1989
5th

XXIX
1994

  Seating  
Football 70,207
Average Ticket $64.00 (2005)
Fan Cost Index (FCI) $347.00 (2005)
The Team Marketing Report FCI includes: four average-price tickets; four small soft drinks; two small beers; four hot dogs; two game programs; parking; and two adult-size caps.
Baseball 58,000
Luxury Suites 93 Suites
Club Seats None
  Attendance History  
Season  Total  Capacity Change
1993 501,476 90% 1.4%
1994 516,808 92% 3.1%
1995 518,928 93% 0.4%
1996 438,564 78% -15.5%
1997 501,641 90% 14.4%
1998 537,385 96% 7%
1999 544,231 97% 1.27%
2000 541,960 97.1% -0.4%

2001 2002 2003 2004
539,756 541,593 540,644 518,271

2005 2006 2007 2008
523,426 545,207 544,226

Sources: Mediaventures

Home of the San Francisco Forty Niners and the former home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team, Candlestick Park is the only stadium in the country to have hosted six NFC Championship Games, three Western Division Championships, 12 NFC West Conference Games, two World Series, and two All-star games.

The history behind the original name of Candlestick Park was quite colorful. Candlestick Point and the cove in its embrace were named long ago after the indigenous candlestick bird. A member of the curlew family, the candlestick is a wading bird with long, thin legs and a body about the size of a chicken, according to nationally known ornithologist Henry L. Betten. At one time thousands of these birds inhabited the Bay Area, but they were nearly hunted to extinction by the 1950s due toothe enormous demand for their delicate and delicious meat.

Candlestick originally was constructed by Charles Harney, General Contractor in 1958. The first game at Candlestick Point was played on April 12, 1960, between the Giants and St. Louis. The then-near-capacity crowd of 42,269 watched the Giants beat the Cardinals 3 - 2. In November 1969 the stadium, which spans 14.5 acres on an 83-acre site, was expanded by General Contractor William and Burrows to seat 62,000 during football games and 59,000 during baseball games, becoming one of the first modern multipurpose stadiums. In order to keep its facilities and services up to date, Candlestick Park undergoes annual renovations each spring. The next renovation phase will increase seating capacity to 71,000. Phones for the hearing impaired have been installed, all restrooms are now wheelchair accessible, and the concourses were recently enlarged.

The Stadium has six escalators, three passenger elevators, and one freight elevator. At one time its escalators were considered the longest in the country. There are four locker rooms, two first-aid stations, 2,000 locks, and 44 concession stands. Parking capacity is an ample 8,000 cars, 300 buses, 200 limousines, and 300 motorhomes.

Brilliant lighting for night events is supplied by nine 140 to 240 foot towers, providing more than 350 foot-candles of light on the arena surface. It is considered to be the best-lighted stadium in the United States, literally turning night into day and exceeding the requirements of color television cameras. A new, state-of-the-art Sony video display board was installed in January 1994.

Scoreboard
Click Here to Get Your Personalized Scoreboard
In addition to hosting baseball and football games, Candlestick Park holds ride and drive events in the parking lot, Mickey Thompson Off-Road Races, and rock concerts. In fact, the Beatles performed their last U.S. concert there on August 29, 1966. The Rolling Stones and Monsters of Rock concerts, in 1981 and 1987, respectively, each drew crowds of 85,000, and Pope John Paul II's 1987 visit attracted 86,000 people.

"As much as the San Francisco 49ers' tradition is defined by great stars - from Y.A. Tittle to Joe Montana to Steve Young and Jerry Rice - its home stadium is surrounded by an incomparable aura. Candlestick Park is a menacing structure that can give you the chills.

Start with the breathtaking view of San Francisco Bay on the stadium's side. Add the aroma of the popular tailgate parties. Witness hotdog wrappers swirling in the unpredictable wind. Bundle up for typically brisk and damp conditions, and brace for a sea of 49ers - red outerwear in the stands. These are some of the things that make the "the Stick" perhaps the NFL's most flavorful venue. Like the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf, Candlestick Park is a true slice of San Francisco.

Unless you're tailgating, you have no reason to eat before entering the Stick, and it's always wise to bring a jacket, even if its 70 degrees and sunny when you depart for the stadium.

All things considered, it's a unique experience - and the quality of football is pretty good, too. Of course, getting a ticket to this tast of the city can be difficult, but if you haven't been to a 49ers game at Candlestick, the experience could be worth the price you have to pay."

As written by The Sports Staff of USA TODAY in "The Complete Four Sport Stadium Guide" for Fodor's Sports

Top of the Sixth
Tom FitzGerald
San Francisco Chronicle

Wednesday, September 23, 1998

Let's say you want to bring your own food into a 49ers game at Candlestick Park. The rules prohibit alcohol, glass bottles and cans, but plastic bottles and thermoses are permitted.

Fruit is allowed, although it "must be cut into pieces prior to entering" (so forget the idea of hurling oranges). Now, you've made a lot of sandwiches. So you may be wondering how big a cooler you can lug in.

On this issue, the 49ers are remarkably permissive. According to the club's rules on page 58 of the game program, fans can carry "coolers or ice chests measuring 14 feet wide, 13 feet high, 15 feet deep or less."

"That's about the size of a studio apartment with high ceilings," says Jim Anza of Tracy. "So one man's ice chest is another man's castle. I'm not sure what to make of this rule, but I want to see your wife carry one in. And if she can, we could use her on the defensive line."

January 29, 1999 - A survey of players by the NFL Players Association voted San Francisco as the worst grass field and fifth worst overall, behind Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and New York.

Candlestick Park
Image of Candlestick Park by Cory Suppes of Ballparks.com

THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell

Candlestick Park Ranking by USRT
Architecture 3
Concessions 6
Scoreboard 2
Ushers 6
Fan Support 6
Location 4
Banners/History 0
Entertainment 4
Concourses/Fan Comfort 3
Bonus: Tailgate Scene 2
Bonus: "Garlic Fries" 1
Total Score 37
December 10, 2000 - Opened in 1960, the originally named "Candlestick Park" has been the home to 6 NFC Championship games, two world series and 2 MLB all star games. Since the Giants have departed for their beautiful new ballpark, Pacific Bell Park, the 49ers are now the sole tenant of this stadium.

The building is located right on San Francisco bay on a piece of parkland called Candlestick Point. Opened in 1960, the stadium seats just under 70,000 for football. Other than the park, there is little around the stadium other than a multitude of surface lots ($20 to park), and reasonably easy access off the adjacent freeway. It is located about 8 miles south of downtown San Francisco.

Fans here arrive early to tailgate, and there is plenty to absorb in terms of the sights and smells of 49ers red and gold out in the parking lot. Despite the teams recent swoon, ticket demand remains high, and the Niners pretty much sell out all their games. Every seat in the house is the same price - $51. There are no premium/club seats, but there are some luxury suites hanging underneath the balcony.

Maneuvering your way around the stadium is a chore - concourses are super narrow, despite the fact that we were told that they had recently been widened (where???). There are escalators at each corner to ferry people to the upper concourse. From the mezzanine level or the upper level, one can enjoy breathtaking views of the city skyline, the bay, or the mountains depending which side of the stadium you are looking out from. Once in your seats, you realize how many locations have hideous sightlines: the baseball configuration remains intact so if you sit along the right field seats or on the visitor bleacher sides, you are far from the action and in some cases have a partial obstruction. At one end zone is a mammoth one color dot matrix board and accompanying jumbotron.

Concessions
Probably the one bright spot here is the variety of food... one is told to come hungry and if you're not tailgating, there is plenty to choose from including chinese, mexican, vegetarian, and the most noticable confectionary was the garlic fries... the heavy and enticing smell of garlic was everywhere. Unfortunately, we didn't eat anything there for two reasons - first the lines were endlessly long, and second, we sampled the local fare with some of the fans in the parking lot who graciously invited us to join their tailgate party and gave us a warm San Francisco welcome. NOCAL people beat SOCAL people anytime in terms of warmth and friendliness!

Banners/Retired Numbers
One of the biggest disappointments of this building was the lack of any of this teams' rich history on display. Ron, consider this - 5 Super Bowl titles... greats such as Montana, Brodie, Clark, and soon to depart, Rice. Yet no banners or names on display to enshrine these teams and these players. No problem, we thought, there must be a display in the concourse, or a team museum, something, anything! So we looked and looked, but came up empty. It's like nobody cares.

Our Summary
We really have so little to say about this place. The stadium is drab and ordinary, the team is mired in mediocrity, and when the best thing we have to report about is the views of the city and the french fries, you know that is a pretty sad statement. But you know what? This is still SAN FRANCISCO, one of America's greatest world class cities! And you know what else? Our day is not over yet... we're heading over to the BART train and catching the ride to Oakland.... Sunday night ESPN game of the week... where else would you rather be!

San Francisco 49ers

Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium

1946-1970
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park

1971-Present
New 49ers Stadium
New 49ers Stadium

Future

Oakland Raiders/Los Angeles Raiders/Oakland Raiders

Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium

1960
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park

1961
Frank Youell Field
Youell

1962-1965
Oakland Coliseum
Oakland

1966-1981
LA Coliseum
Coliseum

1982-1994
McAfee Coliseum
McAfee Coliseum

1994-Present

New York Giants/San Francisco Giants

Polo Grounds I
Polo Grounds I
1883-1888
Oakland Park
Oakland Park
1889
St. George Grounds
Manhattan Field
1889
Polo Grounds II
Polo Grounds I
1889-1890
Polo Grounds III
Polo Grounds I
1891-1911
Hilltop Park
Hilltop Park
1911
Polo Grounds IV
Polo Grounds I
1911-1957
Seals Stadium
Seals Stadium
1958-1959
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park
1960-1999
AT&T Park
Polo Grounds I
2000-Present


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