Intimidators Stadium

Intimidators Stadium was a baseball stadium in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Opened in 1995, it was the home venue for the Kannapolis Intimidators, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Intimidators Stadium
The Cannon
Former namesFieldcrest Cannon Stadium (1995–2012)
CMC-NorthEast Stadium (2012–2016)
Location2888 Moose Road
Kannapolis, NC 28083
Coordinates35°30′28″N 80°33′59″W
OwnerRowan County and City of Kannapolis
OperatorSmith Family Baseball (maintenance by Rowan County)
Capacity4,700 (seated)
Field sizeLeft Field: 330 feet
Left-Center: 375 feet
Center Field: 400 feet
Right-Center: 375 feet
Right Field: 310 feet
SurfaceNatural Grass
Construction
Broke groundOctober 19, 1994[1]
OpenedApril 8, 1995[2]
ClosedAugust 29, 2019[3]
Demolished2022[4]
Construction cost$6.8 million (including adjacent property)
($13.1 million in 2022 dollars[5])
ArchitectLescher and Mahoney
Services engineerBrittain Engineering, Inc.[6]
General contractorWayne Brothers, Inc.[7]
Tenants
Kannapolis Intimidators (SAL) 1995–2019
Charlotte 49ers (C-USA) 2003, 2007
Queens Royals (SAC) 2019

History

When the Intimidators franchise (then known as the Piedmont Phillies) began play in 1995, the stadium's construction was not complete. The field and seating areas were ready for the team's first game in April of that year, but the concession stands, restrooms, luxury boxes, and box office were not complete until that winter. The stadium was named Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium for the Fieldcrest Cannon Corporation, the textile giant that built the mill town of Kannapolis and operated it until the city was incorporated in 1984.

In addition to home games for the Intimidators, Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium was also used for several local high school baseball games each spring in addition to select Amateur Athletic Union events throughout the year.

The stadium was the home of UNC Charlotte 49ers baseball team during the 2003 season while their on-campus facility's playing surface was being redone.[8] The 49ers played in Kannapolis again for the first part of the 2007 season while their stadium was undergoing a $6 million renovation.[9]

The Queens Royals baseball team of Queens University of Charlotte played their 2019 season at Intimidators Stadium as they made their debut in the South Atlantic Conference (NCAA Division II) while awaiting the construction of Tuckaseegee Dream Fields in Charlotte.[10]

A new scoreboard was installed in center field for the 2005 season, replacing the original board that the stadium used when it opened.[11]

Atrium Health Ballpark, a new downtown ballpark, was scheduled to open for the 2020 season, replacing Intimidators Stadium,[12] but the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] In September 2020, the city of Kannapolis requested bids for the redevelopment of Intimidators Stadium property.[14] In May 2021, the city announced it would sell the stadium to a developer for $3 million with demolition planned for autumn.[15] In May 2022, with the sale nearing completion "before the end of the month," demolition was scheduled to take place "in coming weeks".[16] Demolition was finally underway in September 2022.[4]

Naming rights

On April 3, 2012, it was announced that Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast purchased the naming rights to the stadium, adopting the new CMC-NorthEast Stadium name for the upcoming season. Per club policy, terms were not disclosed.[17]

For 2016, the naming rights deal was quietly dropped, with the team referring to the stadium as Intimidators Stadium again.[18]

References
  1. "Officials Break Ground on Ballpark". The Charlotte Observer. October 20, 1994. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  2. "Kannapolis Brings Back Baseball to Full Stadium". Wilmington Morning Star. April 10, 1995. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  3. Spedden, Zach (August 29, 2019). "Final Intimidators Stadium Game Set for Thursday". Ballpark Digest. August Publication. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  4. Whisenant, David (September 12, 2022). "Development projects continue in Kannapolis, including at site of old ballpark". WBTV. Retrieved January 26, 2023. ...demolition of the stadium is underway.
  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. "Clients & Projects". Brittain Engineering, Inc. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  7. "Builder of the Year". The Charlotte Observer. February 13, 1997. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  8. "Baseball Moves All C-USA Home Games To Kannapolis". Charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Department of Athletics. March 12, 2003. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  9. "Charlotte Releases 2007 Baseball Schedule". Charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Department of Athletics. January 10, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  10. "Queens University of Charlotte to play 2019 Home Games at Intimidators Stadium supported by Atrium Health". WBTV. January 30, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  11. "2005 Intimidators: The Remaking of a Team, New Owners, Skipper Have the Roster Stocked with Fresh Players, Many of Them Green". The Charlotte Observer. April 7, 2005. p. 1K.
  12. "$300M Development Pitched Adjacent to New Kannapolis Intimidators Ballpark". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. January 22, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  13. "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  14. Reichard, Kevin (September 29, 2020). "Kannapolis seeks development bids for Intimidators Stadium site". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  15. Reichard, Kevin (May 26, 2021). "Intimidators Stadium sold; demolition planned for fall". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  16. Reichard, Kevin (May 8, 2022). "Trashed Intimidators Stadium set to come down". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  17. "Name Game: Welcome to CMC-NorthEast Stadium". Kannapolis Intimidators (Press release). Milb.com. April 3, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  18. "Intimidators Stadium". Milb.com. Kannapolis Intimidators. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
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