Community Maritime Park
History
On April 28, 2009, the Pensacola City Council gave final approval for the ballpark to be built.
The entire project cost $54 million and was completed in time for the Blue Wahoos' inaugural home opener on April 5, 2012. Building the ballpark cost $23,845,045.23.
Stadium description
Blue Wahoos Stadium is a 117,000 square feet (10,900 m), 5,038 seat multi-use venue. Construction includes precast concrete bowl seating, steel framed elevated slabs, post-tensioned slabs-on-grade, and an auger cast pile foundation with concrete grade beams and pile caps. This project was custom designed to meet the needs for the use by a minor league baseball team as well as for accommodating other sporting and festival type events. The structure and slab-on-grade was pile supported due to poor soil conditions and concern over scour from hurricanes.
During steel fabrication and foundation construction, a Double-A baseball team was acquired. This acquisition required enhancements to the stadium. This was a challenge for the design team who worked diligently to adjust the structure while using newly constructed elements within the enhancements, while providing subcontractors information needed to keep construction moving forward without incurring additional mobilization fees.
Randall K. and Martha A. Hunter Amphitheater description
The amphitheater has architecturally exposed steel trusses and frames supporting curved steel roof purlins with a heavy timber, tongue-and-groove roof deck. The steel trusses and frames are designed and shaped to resemble the fronds of a palm tree. The steel structure is supported on concrete piers that are supported on a large concrete pile cap that rests on auger-cast-in-place piles. The concrete piers also support the main stage floor. The stage floor is a flat plate, 8 inches (200 mm) thick post-tensioned concrete slab.
UWF Football
The stadium hosted the Argonauts football team of the University of West Florida (UWF) for six seasons from 2016 to 2021. On November 13, 2021, the Argonauts won a share of their first-ever Gulf South Conference football title at the stadium in a win over Valdosta State. On November 20, 2021, UWF hosted their first-ever home NCAA Division II playoff game at the venue.
References
- ^ Bill Vilona. "Bayfront ballpark now has official name". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "Maritime Park - Ground Breaking Ceremony". City of Pensacola. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ "Cost of Building the Maritime Park" (PDF). Pensacola News Journal. July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Vince Whibbs, Sr. Community Maritime Park" (PDF). City of Pensacola. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ "Pensacola Updates". SkyscraperPage. p. 12. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ Pillon, Dennis (April 20, 2012). "Pensacola's Class AA Baseball Fever Still Going Strong". Press-Register. Mobile. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
- ^ "HUNTER AMPHITHEATRE". Joe DeReuil Associates, LLC. 2007. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014.
- ^ Bland, Thyrie (April 24, 2009). "Council Sparks Park". Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ "Community Maritime Park Stadium". Joe DeReuil Associates, LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ "Hunter Amphitheater". Joe DeReuil Associates, LLC. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ Newby, Jake (September 9, 2021). "UWF's historic first on-campus football game is Saturday. Here's what you need to know". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ Vilona, Bill (September 11, 2021). "University of West Florida football game on campus may be annual event". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ Popowski, Aspen (February 28, 2022). "UWF football games move to Pen Air Field". WKRG-TV. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ Bernadeau, Patrick (November 14, 2021). "UWF Football: No. 3 Argos smash records and No. 2 Valdosta State, earn share of GSC title". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ Reynolds, William (November 16, 2021). "UWF Earns #3 Seed in NCAA Playoffs, Awarded First-Ever Home Playoff Game". NorthEscambia.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.