Citi Field
Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the borough of Queens, New York City, United States. Opening in 2009, Citi Field is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent Shea Stadium, which had opened in 1964.
Citi Field in 2019 | |
Citi Field Location within New York City Citi Field Citi Field (New York) Citi Field Citi Field (the United States) | |
| Address | 41 Seaver Way |
|---|---|
| Location | Flushing, Queens, New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°45′25″N 73°50′45″W |
| Public transit | Long Island Rail Road: Port Washington Branch at Mets–Willets PointNew York City Subway: at Mets–Willets Point New York City Bus: Q19, Q48, Q66 |
| Owner | New York Mets |
| Operator | New York Mets |
| Capacity | 41,922 (2012–present) 41,800 (2009–2011) 45,000+ (including standing room) |
| Record attendance | 45,186 (2013 All-Star Game) 44,859 (2015 World Series) 44,466 (Regular season, 2016) |
| Field size | Left field line - 335 feet (102 m) Left center - 358 feet (109 m) Deep left center - 385 feet (117 m) Center field - 408 feet (124 m) Deep right center - 398 feet (121 m) Right center - 375 feet (114 m) Right field line - 330 feet (101 m) |
| Surface | Kentucky Bluegrass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 13, 2006 |
| Opened | March 29, 2009 (college game) April 3, 2009 (exhibition game) April 13, 2009 (regular season) |
| Construction cost | US$900 million ($1.28 billion in 2023 dollars) |
| Architect | Populous (formerly HOK Sport) |
| Structural engineer | WSP Cantor Seinuk |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc. |
| General contractor | Hunt/Bovis Lend Lease Alliance II (a joint venture) |
| Main contractors | International Concrete Products |
| Tenants | |
| New York Mets (MLB) (2009–present) New York City FC (MLS) (2020–present, part-time) | |
Citi Field was designed by the company Populous. The $850 million baseball park was funded with $615 million in public subsidies, including the sale of New York City municipal bonds that are to be repaid by the Mets with interest. The payments will offset property taxes for the lifetime of the park.
The first game at Citi Field was on March 29, 2009, with a college baseball game between St. John's and Georgetown. The Mets played their first two games at the ballpark on April 3 and 4, 2009 against the Boston Red Sox as charity exhibition games. The first regular-season home game was played on April 13, 2009, against the San Diego Padres. Citi Field hosted the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, marking the second time the Mets have hosted the event (the first being in 1964, the inaugural season of Shea Stadium).
The naming rights were purchased by Citigroup, a New York financial services company, for $20 million annually.