Admiral Fetterman Field

Admiral Fetterman Field (located in the Community Maritime Park and also locally referred to as Blue Wahoos Stadium) is a multi-use park in Pensacola, Florida that includes a stadium, commercial buildings, a waterfront public park and amphitheater.[8] The mixed use stadium holds 5,038 people and can be used for a number of events year-round, including baseball, soccer, football, festivals, graduations, and similar events. The multi-use stadium was originally designed to be the home field of the Pensacola Pelicans; it hosts the Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Southern League. The stadium is situated facing the Pensacola Bay.

Admiral Fetterman Field at Community Maritime Park[1]
Community Maritime Park
2012 photo of the Stadium
Full nameAdmiral Jack Fetterman Field at Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park
Location351 West Cedar Street
Pensacola, FL 32502
Coordinates30.404295°N 87.219662°W / 30.404295; -87.219662
OwnerCommunity Maritime Park Associates
OperatorCommunity Maritime Park Associates
Capacity5,038[2]
SurfaceArtificial Turf
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 17, 2009[3]
OpenedApril 5, 2012
Construction cost$23,845,045.23[4]
($30.4 million in 2022 dollars[5])
ArchitectPopulous[4]
Bullock Tice Associates[4]
SMB Architecture[4]
Project managerHatch Mott MacDonald/Morette[6]
Structural engineerJoe DeReuil Associates, LLC.[7]
Services engineerSchmidt Consulting Engineers[7]
General contractorMagi Construction JV[4]
Main contractorsSoutheastern Construction Inc.[4]
Tenants
Pensacola Blue Wahoos (SL/Double-A South) (2012–present)
West Florida Argonauts (NCAA) (2016–2021)

History

On April 28, 2009, the Pensacola City Council gave final approval for the ballpark to be built.[9]

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.[4]

Admiral Fetterman Field description
Admiral Fetterman Field

Admiral Fetterman Field is a 117,000 square feet (10,900 m2), 5,038 seat multi-use stadium. 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, an AA 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.[10]

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.[11]

UWF Football

As of the 2016 season, the stadium hosts the West Florida Argonauts football team. On November 23, 2021, the Argonauts won a share of their first-ever Gulf South Conference football title at the stadium in a win over Valdosta State.[12] On November 20, 2021, UWF hosted their first-ever home NCAA Division II playoff game at the venue.[13]

References
  1. Bill Vilona. "Bayfront ballpark now has official name". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  2. Pillon, Dennis (April 20, 2012). "Pensacola's Class AA Baseball Fever Still Going Strong". Press-Register. Mobile. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  3. "Maritime Park - Ground Breaking Ceremony". City of Pensacola. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  4. "Cost of Building the Maritime Park" (PDF). Pensacola News Journal. July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  5. 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 May 28, 2023.
  6. "The Vince Whibbs, Sr. Community Maritime Park" (PDF). City of Pensacola. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  7. "Pensacola Updates". SkyscraperPage. p. 12. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  8. "HUNTER AMPHITHEATRE". Joe DeReuil Associates, LLC. 2007. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014.
  9. Bland, Thyrie (April 24, 2009). "Council Sparks Park". Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  10. "Community Maritime Park Stadium". Joe DeReuil Associates, LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  11. "Hunter Amphitheater". Joe DeReuil Associates, LLC. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  12. "UWF Football: No. 3 Argos smash records and No. 2 Valdosta State, earn share of GSC title" Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  13. "UWF Earns #3 Seed in NCAA Playoffs, Awarded First-Ever Home Playoff Game" NorthEscambia.com. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
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