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PGE Park / Portland Beavers

 

Year Built	1926; rebuilt 2001
Capacity	20,000 (including 19,566 seats)
Dimensions	319L, 405C, 321R
Web Site	Portland Beavers
Online Broadcasts	Yes
Online Ticket Sales	Yes
Phone	503-553-5400
League	Pacific Coast League
Ticket Prices	Lower-level reserved infield, $11; lower-level reserved outfield, $8; upper-level general admission, $8
Parking	There are several public parking lots within a block of the ballpark, including a larger one at the corner of 18th and Salmon. There are a slew of parking restrictions in the area surrounding the ballpark, so be prepared to either pay for a lot or take the bus.
Address/Directions	1844 SW. Morrison, Portland. The ballpark is located directly west of downtown Portland; on a nice night you can walk the half mile from downtown proper to the ballpark. The ballpark is easy to find: I-405 runs four blocks east of the ballpark, and PGE Park exits are clearly marked.
Rating

PGE Park is one of the most unique ballparks in the minor leagues, combining the old and the new in a single facility.

The old: the ballpark was originally built as a football stadium in 1926 and still somewhat retains the feel of a football facility that happens to host baseball, particularly with the long grandstand down the first-base line and the Green Monster-like wall in left field.

The new: the former Civic Stadium underwent a $38.5 million renovation before the 2001 season began to make the park usable for a Class AAA Pacific Coast League. Whether the renovation was misplaced nostalgia or a wise investment can be debated, but the end result was a facility that is among the most unique in professional baseball.

The renovation added the following:

• 38 new luxury suites, including six ground-level suites behind home plate. Each suite features a television/DVD player and a bar; the suites can also be closed for additional privacy.

• Theater-style seating.

• Hand-operated scoreboard.

• Spacious locker rooms and dugouts that have been praised by players and coaches.

• Wider concourses.

• New concession stands.

• New NexTurf playing surface. NexTurf is the grass-like playing surface marketed by (the now bankrupt) AstroTurf.

All in all, this is a pretty comfortable place to watch a game. A roof covers the grandstand seating, which can be handy during a wet Portland summer. Ellerbe Becket, which oversaw the renovation of the ballpark, added many features to give it a old-time feel. The wall in left field reminds one of the Green Monster in Fenway Park; it has similar dimensions and is painted a similar green. There are three scoreboards at the ballpark, including a manual scoreboard in left field featuring a large clock and a bell that's rung when the Beavers hit a home run; the other electronic scoreboards feature scores and images. An organist performs between innings.

The concessions are limited; while the concourses have been expanded, you're not talking about a state-of-the-art ballpark with wide concourses providing views of the action. There are six concession stands, including a beer-only stand.

If you're the kind of person who likes to be on their feet during a game, there are a few places to watch the action. The very popular Widmer beer garden down the right-field line features food as well, while the Fred Meyer Family Terrace is located in the left-field corner. In addition, an area over the wall in left field features picnic seating.

History
PGE Park began life in 1926 as Before that, the ballpark site was a gathering ground for Portland. In 1891, the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club leased the site and set up a playing surface, complete with a small grandstand in the northwest corner of the field near the current grandstand area. Events of all sorts were held at the field: baseball, football, track and field, cricket, presidential addresses and bicycle races were some of the many events played there. The first professional baseball at the field was played in 1905, when the Lewis and Clark Exposition forced the PCL Portland Giants from their regular home, Vaughn Street Park.

At that time the stadium consisted of a 3,000-seat grandstand and the Exposition Building, considered the largest wooden building west of the Mississippi. That much wood certainly represented a huge fire hazard, and on July 14, 1910 the building and the grandstand burned down; the fire was so intense that the steel girders supporting the grandstand melted.

The grandstand was replaced the following year, but it was clear Portland needed a large facility, and by 1925 officials with the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club laid out their plans for a new 28,000-seat Multnomah Stadium. To raise money for the $500,000 project, organizers sold personal seat licenses: $100 gave the buyer the right to a seat at the stadium for five years and the chance to renew for another five years. The funding drive was a success: within two months $300,000 in seat licenses had been sold, and construction began.

The original design called for a full horseshoe, but the athletic club could not acquire all the land on 18th Avenue to complete the horseshoe, leading to the unique dimensions still seen at PGE Park. Construction was done by the fall of 1926, when the stadium hosted its first football games. Financially, however, football was not enough to pay the bills, and between 1933 and 1955 the stadium's main tenant was the Multnomah Kennel Club, who held dog races.

Baseball did not arrive at Multnomah Stadium until 1956, when the PCL Portland Beavers moved to the stadium from Vaughn Street Park, a wooden facility from the turn of the century that finally gave up the ghost. When the Beavers moved, legendary groundskeeper Rocci Benevento took up the turf from Vaughn Street and installed it at the team's new home.

The 1968 season was the last one to feature play on real grass, as Civic Stadium (as it became known after the athletic club sold the stadium to the city) became the first minor-league park to feature artificial turf with a 1969 installation of Tartan Turf. Installation did not proceed on schedule, however, and the Beavers played some games with the rubberized base exposed.

After the Portland Beavers left in 1993, city officials worked to bring back a Pacific Coast League team, though the Portland Rockies ended up being a huge draw for the Northwest League in 1995-2000. It was clear Civic Stadium was not up to PCL standards, so it was clear that the city would either need to renovate Civic Stadium or build a new facility should the PCL return to Portland. The decision was made to renovate Civic Stadium, and the rebuilt PGE Park opened to great acclaim in April 2001.

For the Kids
The Fred Meyer Family Terrace in the left-field corner features entertainment and concessions appropriate for families.

Where to Stay
There are a few smaller hotel located less than a half mile from the ballpark, including the highly recommended Mallory Hotel (729 SW. 15th Av.; 800-228-8657), the Trousseau Hotel (840 SW. King Av.) and the Park Lane Suites (809 SW. King Av.; 800-359-4827).

Since the ballpark is within walking distance from downtown Portland, you may want to stay there and hoof it over. There are a number of hotels within a mile of the ballpark. Some are pricier in nature, like the Governor Hotel (611 SW. 10th Av.; 800/554-3456), the Paramount (808 SW. Taylor St.; 503/223-9900), the Westin Portland (750 SW. Alder St.; 503/294-9000) and The Benson (309 SW. Broadway; 888-523-6766; 888-5BENSON), while the 5th Avenue Suites (506 SW. Washington St.; 888-207-2201), Four Points by Sheraton (50 SW. Morrison; 503/221-0711), and Marriott Portland (1401 SW. Naito Pkwy.; 503-226-7600) are lower priced. The Governor (built in 1909 and on the National Register of Historic Places) and the Benson are two old-time Portland hotels that has been impressively renovated; I can recommend the Benson from a lovely stay there last year.

If you want to save even more money, consider a stay out by the airport. It's an easy drive in and out of Portland, and virtually every major chain -- Hilton, La Quinta, Marriott -- has a hotel north of the city.

Before/After the Game
There are plenty of watering holes next to PGE Park. One of the most popular is the Kingston (2021 SW. Morrison St.; 503)/224-2115), located kitty-corner from the northwest entrance to the ballpark. The Kingston is a pretty standard sports bar -- many TVs, a smoky atmosphere and plenty of drink specials -- but you can order Pabst Blue Ribbon by the bottle (only $1 on Wednesdays!) and drink it outdoors. In the same building is the Daily Double, a coffeeshop that also serves beer and food.

Another popular bar where kitsch is the main attraction is the Matador (1967 W. Burnside St.; 503/222-5822), where the walls feature velvet toreador paintings.

A more sophisticated crowd hangs out at the The Bitter End Pub (1981 W. Burnside; 503/517-0179), which features live music and pub grub, while a more sedate crowd can be found at Tony's Tavern (1955 W. Burnside; 503/228-4574), Marathon Taverna (1735 W. Burnside St.; 503/224-1341), the Bullpen Tavern (1730 SW. Taylor St.) and the Driftwood Room at the Mallory Hotel.

Also nearby are the Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant (2050 SW. Morrison St.; 503/295-1290), known for its tortilla soup; Plainfield's Mayur Restaurant (852 SW. 21st Av.; 503/223-2995), an upscale Indian restaurant; Tibet Kitchen (103 NW. 21st Av.; 971/244-0805); Pasta Bella (737 SW. 17th Av.; 503/248-4614); and Ken's Artisan Bakery & Cafe (338 NW. 21st Av.; 503/248-2202). If you have youngsters, check out Pizza Oasis - West (2241 W. Burnside St.; 503/228-5260).

If you're at all interested in books, Powell's is one of the truly great bookstores not only in Oregon, but in the entire country. The main Powell's is the anchor of the city's Pearl District (which is within walking distance of the ballpark), and it's the largest independent used and new bookstore in the world, occupying an entire city block in multiple floors. It features nine huge color-coded rooms, 3,500 specific sections and more than a million new and used titles. If you're looking for something specific, you'll want to check out the floor plan and map your path; otherwise, you can just start wandering and see what you find.

The Pearl District is a gentrified area that's getting more gentrified by the day. If you stick to the area surrounding Powell's, you'll find chain restaurants like PF Chang's and retailers like Sur La Table and Whole Foods; if you wander a little farther afield you'll find unique restaurants like Oba Restaurant (555 NW. 12th Av.; 503/228-6161), a Latin-themed hot spot; and Le Bouchon (517 NW. 14th Av.; 503/248-2193), a French-style bistro.

The bottom line: Portland is a great restaurant town, and it's really hard to go wrong no matter where you go.

More Photos

Sculptures adorn each entrance.

To the left is the Multnomah Athletic Club, the original builder of the stadium.

Multnomah Stadium soon after it opened.

A few luxury boxes and team offices are located down the first-base line.

Most of the 38 luxury boxes are behind home plate.