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Metrodome

With an aging Metropolitan Stadium and the cold weather in Minneapolis from fall to spring, a new dome stadium was built for the Minnesota Twins Measure League Baseball and the Minnesota Vikings National Football League. In the late 1970s the city began studying the idea of building a new stadium. By mid 1979 a new dome stadium was approved to be built in downtown Minneapolis. On December 20, 1979, construction began on the multipurpose dome stadium. The arena consists of an air supported fiberglass fabric roof. A 340 ton cover for the dome is held in place by air pressure generated fans and steel cables. The roof has snow melting ducts to prevent a collapse. However, in the fall 1982 the dome collapsed, but was reinflated.

Named after former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, the H.H.H. Metrodome opened on April 3, 1982. It was the third dome stadium to open. Approximately 48,678 blue seats circle the entire stadium for baseball. Making up the right field wall of the Metrodome are 7,600 retractable seats which allow for the conversion from baseball to football. A huge scoreboard video board is located above the upper deck in left field. Over the past two decades the Metrodome has changed very little. A gathering plaza for fans was added in 1996 along Kirby Puckett Place.

This is a place for groups to meet and enjoy food and beverages. To help reduce the number of empty seats, a 200 foot long curtain was added to cover many of the seats that are in the upper deck in right field. After the 2003 season, the Astroturf was removed from the Metrodome and replaced with Field turf. For more than a decade, the Twins have been trying to get a new ballpark built to replace the Metrodome. In May 2006, the State of Minnesota approved financing for construction of a new ballpark. To be constructed in downtown Minneapolis, the new ballpark will open in 2010 making the 2009 season the last year the Twins play at the Metrodome.

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