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New baseball stadium planned at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium site

New baseball stadium planned at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium site

New baseball stadium planned at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium site

This project has been in the works since 2016 and it is finally about to come to fruition, as shown Georgia State University advance with a new college baseball stadium on the imprint of the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Atlanta Stadium propelled Atlanta as a major league city, hosting the NFL’s Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons beginning in 1966. (It became Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1975.) It was a classic cookie-cutter circular stadium, with seating reconfigurations depending on the sport. It hosted the International Baseball League in the form of the Atlanta Crackers in 1965 before the Braves received court permission to relocate from Milwaukee, and it also hosted North American Soccer League games under the form of the Atlanta Chiefs in various years between 1967 and 1981. It was demolished in the summer of 1997 after the Braves moved next door to Turner Field; baseball paths and outfield shooters were used to commemorate the field where Henry Aaron hit his historic 715th home run. It is now part of the Green Lot of the State of Georgia.

Wall 715 of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

When the old Olympic Stadium/Turner Field (now Center Parc Credit Union Stadium) was renovated again to host Georgia State football in 2016, the plan called for building a new baseball stadium on the footprint of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, using the same field measurements. The school is now moving forward with those plans, as the Board of Regents has directed staff to proceed with the design and construction of a 1,000-seat baseball stadium, scheduled for completion on time for the start of the 2026 season in February 2026. The project, with a budget of $15.85 million, will be funded by donations and reserves from the GSU Athletic Association and by funds and donations from the foundation.

“We thank the Board of Trustees and staff for their support,” Athletic Director Charlie Cobb said in a university news release. “There is a lot of work to be done, but this is a very exciting day for Georgia State Athletics. A new, modern facility on campus, accessible to our students and fans and convenient for our student-athletes, will be a tremendous boost to the baseball program.

Please note: the statue of Henry Aaron, originally installed at Turner Field and now located at the football stadium, will be moved to the new baseball stadium.

Courtesy of Georgia State University. Photo by Mark Cryan.

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About Kevin Reichard

Kevin Reichard is founder and publisher of Ballpark Digest.