First Horizon Park - Home of the Nashville Sounds

[Bos2Nash]

On 1/29/2021 at 5:23 PM, markhollin said:

The problem with this theory is that the ownership group would like to develop the area around the park as part of their investment.  There simply isn't enough room unless lots of existing things are demolished. 

Additionally, if the Red Sox were starting from scratch, I can guarantee you they would not pick such a tiny plot on which Fenway Park is set hemmed in on all sides. 

Makes sense, but wants of the ownership group should not overwhelm the finances of the city. If they want new stadium with mixed use around it, that's great. They will just need to do it on privately owned land without support of bonds from the city. $91 million dollars for a stadium that is 5 years old that will most likely be abandoned (because what minor league team would be able to survive) is not only the definition of a bad investment, but it is the epitomy of unsustainable construction and development.

You're right about the Red Sox starting from scratch they would've chosen a different plot, but the brand new ownership group did develop plans to demolish Fenway and build new and the city rightfully shot them down. Instead, they got creative and added seats over the green monster, renovated the stadium extensively to find ways to make it work and work better. The potential Nashville MLB team would be a new team, but the city has a stadium that they paid alot of tax payer money for, so they shouldn't even consider a new stadium unless they just aren't involved with financing at all. 

[markhollin]

The Nashville Sounds season has been pushed back a month due to MLB and minor league complications with the pandemic. The season will begin May 5th now, instead of April 6th.

More info at Nashville Post here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/nashville-sounds/article/21146326/nashville-sounds-season-likely-delayed-a-month

[markhollin]

Views of luxury suites on second deck and behind home plate at field level:

[markhollin]

Courtesy of Martin B. Cherry at NBJ:
 

[nashvylle]

There is a structural engineer out there that can fit another 20k+ into this stadium and retrofit to a MLB park! You could put 10k in the right field alone with a triple decker.

Edited June 12, 2021 by nashvylle

[markhollin]

Some recent shots of activity at First Horizon Ballpark:

 

[titanhog]

Really would be a great place for a MLB stadium if we ever got a team.  Too bad there’s not enough room to make it work.

[nashvylle]

On 7/10/2021 at 6:23 PM, titanhog said:

Really would be a great place for a MLB stadium if we ever got a team.  Too bad there’s not enough room to make it work.

A structural engineer would disagree!

I also think if a billionaire wanted that location enough, they could combine FHP land and the adjacent state land to build a new stadium. 

[titanhog]

1 hour ago, nashvylle said:

A structural engineer would disagree!

I also think if a billionaire wanted that location enough, they could combine FHP land and the adjacent state land to build a new stadium. 

As long as they don’t build those apartments up to the south fence (like they’re supposed to)…and could demolish the parking garage…there’s probably a way they could make it work.

[markhollin]

Courtesy of Tapp Channel:
 

[markhollin]

Final weekend of games underway for this season is underway.
 

[markhollin]

The Sounds finish the season with the highest average attendance in all of minor league baseball at 6,721 per game. 
 

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/sports/sounds/sounds-lead-minor-league-baseball-in-2021-attendance/article_a885dc22-208d-11ec-8538-7b7f0f4ad18e.html

[markhollin]

Nice to see the Sounds management continue to come up with ways to keep activity at the ballpark, even during the offseason. This Nitro Circus is an X-Games kind of motocross/extreme sports fest taking over the stadium on Oct. 15th.  This weekend is Nashville Brewfest, and Oct. 23rd will be Bacon, Eggs & Kegs. 

https://firsthorizonpark.com/nitro-circus?utm_campaign=Extra Events&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=163932061&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9JtEonTmpSWXhGNdFnHLdHlii1J2MtxxTcPdCWI-5QnlweyWfFcldpD369EK8Sg4IURoDgdzry1U7oItOSTDAEM-RGJQ&utm_content=163932061&utm_source=hs_email

 

[nashvylle]

On 10/3/2021 at 8:00 AM, markhollin said:

Nice to see the Sounds management continue to come up with ways to keep activity at the ballpark, even during the offseason. This Nitro Circus is an X-Games kind of motocross/extreme sports fest taking over the stadium on Oct. 15th.  This weekend is Nashville Brewfest, and Oct. 23rd will be Bacon, Eggs & Kegs. 

They should add a MLB team to their activity schedule  

[Baronakim]

Thought some of y'all younger folks might like to see what the was there before First Horizon Park.  This is about 1965 or so showing the original Sulphur Dell Park just before it was demolished after failing to attract fans as a Demo Derby track.  The cloverleaf track is almost exactly where the field is today   Of course there was no Bicentennial Mall, just lots of junk warehousing and surface parking.   The City Auditorium was new and the vast demolitions on Union, Commerce and Charlotte were soon to happen.  The James Robertson Parkway had already nuked the old hell's Half Acre housing, but the huge parking ring around Capitol Hill had not been removed.  The huge natural gas tank is now the site of many apartments and condo complexes.

 

 

 

[smeagolsfree]

Amazing how that area went from a mix of industrial, warehouse, parking, and the stadium, then to the no mans land it was in the 90’s and then to what it is and what it is becoming today. What a transformation!

Now it is turning into a vibrant mixed use community. Soon the Ball Park residential project will break ground and there should be 2 more projects coming to the parcels that are owned by the state on 1st Ave. Those are in the process of being auctioned off but there is no word of who has won those auctions yet.

Not many parcels left, but enough still to make the area interesting.

Thanks for sharing Randy!

 

[TheRaglander]

2 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

Amazing how that area went from a mix of industrial, warehouse, parking, and the stadium, then to the no mans land it was in the 90’s and then to what it is and what it is becoming today. What a transformation!

Now it is turning into a vibrant mixed use community. Soon the Ball Park residential project will break ground and there should be 2 more projects coming to the parcels that are owned by the state on 1st Ave. Those are in the process of being auctioned off but there is no word of who has won those auctions yet.

Not many parcels left, but enough still to make the area interesting.

Thanks for sharing Randy!

 

Another incredible contrast is everything south of Broadway up to the I-40 southern loop (including the Gulch).  All junk buildings, medium industrial and parking lots.  In 15+ years it could totally be filled in with skyscrapers, mixed-used development and parks.  I hope I am around to see that all build out.

[markhollin]

Courtesy of MyNashvillePhotos:

[markhollin]

First Horizon Park had a recored S.R.) crowd of 12,409 at last Saturday night's game.  Capacity is technically 10,000.
 

[colemangaines]

1 hour ago, markhollin said:

First Horizon Park had a recored S.R.) crowd of 12,409 at last Saturday night's game.  Capacity is technically 10,000.

Oakland's average home game attendance so far this season: 8,637

[Bos2Nash]

2 hours ago, colemangaines said:

Oakland's average home game attendance so far this season: 8,637

Damn! What is Miami's then? Pretty sure they have the worst in the league

[colemangaines]

12 minutes ago, Bos2Nash said:

Damn! What is Miami's then? Pretty sure they have the worst in the league

Oakland's is the worst in the league; going up from there is as follows:

Miami - 11,590
Tampa Bay - 13,801
Pittsburgh - 14,924
Kansas City - 15,768

For reference the Dodgers are the highest at 47,883 and the median value is 26,954.

[smeagolsfree]

The Sounds attendance over the last two seasons are as follows.

Over two seasons of play, the club's total attendance was 222,227, with an average of 7,408 per match. Including postseason play, their total attendance was 232,654, an average of 7,270 per match. The club left for Nissan Stadium after 2019 in conjunction with its 2020 ascension to MLS.

I think these numbers are way down from the 2019 season due to Covid.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2022/04/26/nashville-sounds-second-attendance-minor-league-baseball/7420161001/

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2021/09/27/nashville-sounds-have-highest-attendance-minor-league-baseball/5888001001/

Here are the 2019 numbers for the minor league.

2019 Affiliated Attendance by Average | Ballpark Digest

 

[markhollin]

33 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

The Sounds attendance over the last two seasons are as follows.

Over two seasons of play, the club's total attendance was 222,227, with an average of 7,408 per match. Including postseason play, their total attendance was 232,654, an average of 7,270 per match. The club left for Nissan Stadium after 2019 in conjunction with its 2020 ascension to MLS.

I think these numbers are way down from the 2019 season due to Covid.

 

I believe this section of your post is actually about Nashville SC when they were a minor league team playing at First Horizon Park.  Much fewer games (I believe there were 15 home contests per season).   I believe he Sounds normally play 72 home games per season.

[Nathan_in_DC]

4 hours ago, colemangaines said:

Oakland's average home game attendance so far this season: 8,637

Sounds like Oakland might need a new home...

But seriously, if Nashville's minor league team pulls more in than some MLB teams, then there is no way that MLB owners and leaders haven't noticed.