When Kauffman Stadium opened, it was way ahead of its time. With the Kansas City A’s playing at a deteriorating Municipal Stadium, it was time a new stadium was built. In 1967, Jackson County voters approved a $43 million bond issue for a sports complex. Unlike many other cities, that were building multipurpose stadiums at the time, the county decided to build two new stadiums. One for the A's, and one for the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL). However, A’s owner Charles Finley, could not wait for a new stadium to be built, and moved his team to Oakland. But in 1969, Major League Baseball awarded Kansas City and Ewing Kauffman an expansion franchise. Originally known as Royals Stadium, the ballpark debuted on April 10, 1973. The stadium was very colorful, with 40,793 seats, all facing second base and arranged in three tiers with maroon, gold, and orange seats. The stadium was the American League's first ballpark with Astroturf as the playing surface. The most unique feature of the stadium was the water fountains beyond the outfield fence. The fountains, stretch 322 feet horizontally, and have a 10 foot high waterfall that descends from an upper cascade pool that serves as a background for two water fountain pools. A 12 story scoreboard, in the shape of the Royals' crest, is located beyond the centerfield fence.
There were not many changes to the stadium until the 1990’s. In 1990, a 30-by-40 foot Sony JumboTron video board was installed in left-center field. In 1993 Royals Stadium was renamed Kauffman Stadium, after the death of Ewing Kauffman. The Astroturf was removed prior to the 1995 season, and replaced with natural grass. This gave Kauffman Stadium a very intimate feel. Kauffman Stadium was renovated at the end of the 1998 season. The stadium renovation project included the addition of Crown Seats, Dugout Suites, an exclusive restaurant and lounge known as the Crown Club, state-of-the-art facilities, and new clubhouses. All of the orange seats throughout the stadium were replaced by blue seats.
Kauffman Stadium Information
