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Centennial Olympic Stadium

1996 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)1997 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)Athletics (track and field) venues in Georgia (U.S. state)Defunct athletics (track and field) venues in the United StatesDefunct sports venues in Georgia (U.S. state)
Olympic athletics venuesOlympic stadiumsSports venues completed in 1996Sports venues in AtlantaVenues of the 1996 Summer Olympics
Athletics venue during the 1996 Paralympic Games
Athletics venue during the 1996 Paralympic Games

Centennial Olympic Stadium was the 85,000-seat main stadium of the 1996 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Construction of the stadium began in 1993, and it was complete and ready for the opening ceremony in July 1996, where it hosted track and field events and the closing ceremony. After the Olympics and Paralympics, it was reconstructed into the baseball-specific Turner Field, used by the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball for 20 seasons (1997–2016). After the Braves departed for Truist Park, the facility was purchased by Georgia State University, which rebuilt the stadium a second time as Center Parc Stadium, designed for American football.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Centennial Olympic Stadium (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Centennial Olympic Stadium
Bill Lucas Drive Southwest, Atlanta

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Wikipedia: Centennial Olympic StadiumContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 33.735555555556 ° E -84.389444444444 °
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Address

Pete Petit Field

Bill Lucas Drive Southwest
30312 Atlanta
Georgia, United States
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Athletics venue during the 1996 Paralympic Games
Athletics venue during the 1996 Paralympic Games
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Turner Field
Turner Field

Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics, the stadium was converted into a baseball park to serve as the new home of the team. The Braves moved less than one block from Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, which served as their home ballpark for 31 seasons from 1966 to 1996. Opening during the Braves' "division dominance" years, Turner Field hosted the NLDS a total of 11 times (1997–2005, 2010, 2013), the NLCS four times (1997–1999, 2001), one World Series (1999), one NL Wild Card Game (2012, the first in baseball history), and the 2000 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Braves played the final game at Turner Field on October 2, 2016, a 1–0 win over the Detroit Tigers. The franchise allowed its lease on the facility to expire at the end of the calendar year. In 2017, the team moved to the newly constructed SunTrust Park (now called Truist Park), located in nearby Cobb County. The stadium has been reconfigured for the second time, redesigned for college football in 2017 as Center Parc Stadium for Georgia State University. Architecture firm Heery was responsible for both stadium conversions. The stadium is also the second former Braves ballpark to be converted to a college football stadium, the first being Braves Field when it was renovated into Nickerson Field in 1955.

Fanplex

Fanplex was an entertainment center in Atlanta, Georgia, adjacent to Turner Field. It opened in 2002 and was shut down in early 2004 after losing $500,000, above and beyond an initial investment of $2.5 million. The attraction was meant to lure fans of the Atlanta Braves with miniature golf and video games, and to pump economic activity into the depressed area around the stadium. However, Fanplex saw little business, even on game days, perhaps since it was actually located far away from most game-day foot traffic. An initial staff of 16 was pared down to one and operating hours were scaled back as patrons continued not to show up. Critics say Fanplex was largely built to justify the existence of the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, which was originally created to manage Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium and The Omni Coliseum, both of which no longer exist, along with Zoo Atlanta. An October 2, 2006 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution says that the authority has put the facility up for sale twice, but cannot find a buyer at the $2.7 million price it has sought. The miniature golf course is now overgrown and nearby residents complain that the facility has become another vacant parking lot. With seemingly few commercial prospects for the current facility, Atlanta leaders quoted by the paper speculate Fanplex may ultimately be swept up in large-scale redevelopment of areas around the stadium. Starting November 2013, the Fanplex is home to the "A" team of Archer Western Contractors who is currently constructing a 5 million gallon underground storage tank in the media lot across Hank Aaron Drive.