Cincinnati Reds

Location

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, United States

Capacity

43,500

Opened

2003

Time zone

UTC -05:00 Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds, and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Reds' former ballpark from 1970 to 2002. Great American Insurance bought the naming rights to the new stadium at US$75 million for 30 years. History Planning and funding In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a ½% sales tax increase to fund the construction of new venues for both the Reds and the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). According to the lease agreement, the Reds owed $2.5 million in rent annually for years 1–9 to Hamilton County, and owe $1 annually for years 10-35 of the contract. The Reds and the Bengals had previously shared occupancy of Riverfront Stadium, but by the mid-1990s, they complained that the multi-purpose stadium lacked amenities necessary for small-market professional sports teams to compete and each lobbied for venues of their own. Nearby Paycor Stadium broke ground in 1998 and was opened on August 19, 2000. Design and construction Great American Ball Park was built by the architectural firms HOK Sport (now Populous) and GBBN at a cost of approximately US$290 million. It is located on the plot of land between the former site of Riverfront Stadium (currently, The Banks mixed-use development) and Heritage Bank Center (previously, U.S. Bank Arena, previously Riverfront Coliseum). The limited construction space necessitated the partial demolition of Cinergy Field. It was fully demolished on December 29, 2002. MSA Design has been the Official Architect of the Cincinnati Reds since 2009. 2015 All-Star Game The ballpark hosted the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Reds put in $5 million for improvements, which included two new bars and upgraded concession stands. Lowest attendance record The Reds set the lowest attendance record on April 17, 2023, at Great American Ballpark, due to the cold weather. The attendance number was 4,967 fans. Temperatures were near 30 degrees, which is not normal for April weather, let alone baseball weather. Fans were seen in the stands holding blankets and drinking hot coffee, which can be bought at most concession stands. The Reds defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, by a score of 8–1.