The sixteen-year saga of a stadium built from political chaos
In short: In 1994, the Minnesota Twins declared their home stadium economically obsolete. What followed was a decade of failed referendums, threats of relocation to North Carolina, and a near-death experience for the franchise itself. It took sixteen years of intense political maneuvering to transform a parking lot into a premier baseball destination.
The journey toward Target Field was marked by profound instability. Following owner Carl Pohlad's 1994 declaration that the Metrodome was obsolete, the franchise faced several existential crises. In 1998, the team even signed a letter of intent to sell to a group in Greensboro, North Carolina, a move that was only nullified when North Carolina voters rejected a stadium referendum. Later, a 1999 attempt to move the team to St. Paul also failed when local voters rejected a sales tax increase.
The financial and political landscape was equally volatile. A 1997 plan involving a state-backed loan was derailed by public outrage over its complex structure, and a 1997 Minneapolis referendum even capped the city's potential stadium contributions at $10 million. The franchise's survival was further threatened in 2001 when Major League Baseball authorized the contraction of two teams, including the Twins, with an offer of $250 million to fold the franchise.
The eventual site in Minneapolis's warehouse district was an unlikely triumph. Initially dismissed by the Twins as too small and constrained by railroads and freeways, the 8-acre site was championed by local businessmen Bruce Lambrecht and Rich Pogin. They leveraged the logistical advantages of the location—such as its proximity to planned light rail and existing parking—to turn the site into a reality. The project finally culminated in the 2010 opening of Target Field, a $555 million endeavor funded through a mix of team investment, Hennepin County sales tax, and various infrastructure contributions.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Target Field
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