The Hangar (Lancaster, California)
The Hangar, also known as Lancaster Municipal Stadium and formerly known as Clear Channel Stadium, is a baseball stadium in Lancaster, California, United States. From its opening in 1996 to 2020, the stadium was the home field of the Lancaster JetHawks, a now-defunct minor league team of the Advanced A California League. In 2005, Clear Channel Communications entered into a 10-year, $770,000 naming rights deal with the JetHawks and the City of Lancaster, who divided the revenue between them. The deal was planned to run through the 2014 season, but Clear Channel Stadium signage was removed in 2012. The stadium was then renamed The Hangar, its nickname since the stadium opened in 1996, as well as Lancaster Municipal Stadium. The Hangar is located near State Route 14 west of downtown Lancaster. In 2023, The Hangar was the home field of the Lancaster Sound Breakers, an independent baseball team of the Pecos League.[4]
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| Former names | Lancaster Municipal Stadium (1996–2004) Clear Channel Stadium (2005–2012) |
|---|---|
| Location | 45116 Valley Central Way Lancaster, CA 93536 |
| Coordinates | 34°42′10″N 118°10′23″W |
| Owner | City of Lancaster |
| Operator | Clutch Play Baseball LLC. |
| Capacity | 4,500 permanent stadium seats |
| Field size | Left Field - 350 ft (110 m) Left-Center Power Alley - 385 ft (117 m) Center Field - 410 ft (120 m) Right-Center Power Alley - 385 ft (117 m) Right Field - 350 ft (110 m) Backstop - 50 ft (15 m) |
| Surface | 85,000 square feet (7,900 m2) of high-grade sports turf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 6, 1995[1] |
| Opened | April 16, 1996 |
| Construction cost | $14.5 million ($27.1 million in 2022 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | Populous |
| General contractor | Pinner Construction Company[3] |
| Tenants | |
| Lancaster JetHawks (CL) 1996–2020 Lancaster Sound Breakers (PL) 2023 | |
Features
Because of the area's aerospace legacy, the stadium has a NASA F/A-18 Hornet mounted on display at the front entrance. It is one of the premier facilities in minor league baseball. The $14.5 million facility offers luxury skyboxes, a video message board, and an old-fashioned manual scoreboard.[5] The stadium's seating capacity is listed at 6,860, but can accommodate over 7,000 fans and features slightly over 4,500 permanent full chair stadium seats.[6] Two expansive grass berm general admission areas are available when all seats are sold out.[5]
The stadium is also used to accommodate special events such as local high school graduations, charity softball games, concerts, and the Field of Drafts (an annual brew festival by the City of Lancaster since 2013). Before the Lancaster JetHawks started each new season in April, they played an exhibition game against the local Antelope Valley College Marauders baseball team. However, for the last three JetHawks seasons, they played their exhibition games against the local University of Antelope Valley Pioneers baseball team.
Pilots Pavilion
On April 2, 2014, the Lancaster JetHawks introduced the largest addition to The Hangar since 2005: the Pilots Pavilion. The new tent structure on the third baseline just beyond the stands replaced the stadium's old barbecue tent. At 3,000 square feet and 25 feet tall, the Pilots Pavilion was nearly twice the size and nearly double the height of its predecessor. It was the largest structure of its kind in the California League before the 2019 season. After the JetHawks left the California League in 2020, the Pilots Pavilion was deconstructed and taken down.
The roof canvas material weighed over 1,500 pounds and was supported by six trusses made up of over 6,000 pounds of steel. Just' In Construction, Inc. led the construction efforts.[7]
References
- "Ballpark Matters On Deck". Los Angeles Daily News. September 4, 1995. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- 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.
- "Design-Bid-Build". Pinner Construction Company. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- "The Lancaster Sound Breakers are one and done in the Hangar". Pecos League. September 1, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- "Lancaster Municipal Stadium". City of Lancaster. Archived from the original on 2014-05-27. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- "2017 Minor League Baseball Attendance".
- Schwartz, Jason (April 2, 2014). "JetHawks Introduce Pilots Pavilion at Hangar". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved April 11, 2014.