Cinergy Field / Riverfront Stadium

**Paul W** · 02-02-2010, 02:42 PM

noticed that riverfront had a cross aisle in the field level seating area, like shea. all these years i figured that it did not have this like - 3 rivers, astrodome, st. louis...

was sitting in the 3-4 rows behind behind this cross aisle as annoying there as as it was at shea, with fans walking in front of your eye view continously during the game? the mets did raise the flooring for this seating close to home plate late in the game...

was the aisle as wide as the one at shea? btw - rys had the same problem.

**redv** · 02-02-2010, 03:59 PM

Couple pics from my collection (not my photos) sorry for the large size of the second. The park looked great with grass in it, makes the building of GABP seem necessary.

**WestSideBomber** · 02-03-2010, 12:22 PM

Wow I have some great memories of Riverfront/Cinergy...first MLB game...went to the last game ever played there (took a picture myself of the last pitch...don't know where it is now, though). With that said, I think it was a terrible place to watch a game. I did think those renderings that were posted earlier were interesting, though. Had they swung the infield seating around (would've been pretty easy being multipurpose and all) and brought some seats down to field level (the first row was about 7-8 feet up) I think it would've been OK.

Funny thing, though is my 2 most vivid memories of the stadium was that down the lines, that the "warning track" was not parallel to the foul lines and the hot dog commercial they played on the scoreboard for Big Red Smokies (the "hot dog" slides into a base and the ump doesn't know whether it is a hot dog or a Big Red Smoky "MMMMMMmmmm"). I have no clue why I can remember those 2 things so clear. Also, for the couple years after the big chunk was taken out, the black wall in center field was taller than the Green Monster. And the umps always were confused to whether it was in play or not (it was BTW).

**NineWorldSeries** · 02-03-2010, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by Sean O

Tell me, is:

any worse than GABP? Was it worth several hundred million dollars of Cincinnati/Ohio investment?

No, not at all. I love GABP, but it's really not significantly better than the "remodeled" Riverfront. If they were going to sink hundreds of millions into a new stadium, they should have built a retractable-roof park, or something as impressive as PNC Park.

**J.R.** · 10-08-2010, 04:34 PM

Not many advantages for these behemoths, but they were very intimidating come October.

**chip** · 10-09-2010, 04:39 AM

Here is my cad drawing of Riverfront.....

**PurpleMustReign** · 10-09-2010, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by chip

Here is my cad drawing of Riverfront.....

Chip, how do you make your CAD drawings? do you use pictures, or personal experience? Do you have a website with all the drawings you've made?

**clevelandmunistadium** · 10-09-2010, 05:36 PM

personally, Having been to GABP twice, and Riverfront twice, Riverfront was the better park. Just felt more at home.

**Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock** · 10-09-2010, 10:09 PM

There may be another Riverfront threat floating around BBF, because I could have sworn I'd posted these before. Well here goes again.....

And the end.....

**Pelt** · 11-04-2010, 02:42 PM

RIP, Sparky. You were one of the greats and it was a pleasure to have watched you manage one of the greatest teams ever assembled back when I was a kid at Riverfront Stadium in the 1970's.

SparkyRose..jpg

**Mr. Laser Beam** · 01-22-2011, 01:43 PM

I'm watching Game 3 of the '75 Series now. I have a question - why is the football gridiron (it's just barely visible) off-center?

I always thought that the cookie cutter stadia all had the football field go straight up the middle. But that apparently didn't happen here. Is this always how it was done at Riverfront? If so, why?

OTOH, is this only because the Series was played in what is usually the football time of year and so they didn't want to keep shifting back and forth from baseball to football config?

**DrBear** · 01-22-2011, 05:37 PM

Riverfront was different in that regard. The first base stands stayed in place and the third base stands rotated into the outfield. Just a quirk, although it meant they could use one long press box from home plate to first base for baseball and football.

**stlfan** · 01-23-2011, 09:38 AM

RFK and Arlington Stadiums were designed the same way. Arlington never really utilized the rotating stands as documented in the Arlington Stadium thread.

**Paul W** · 01-23-2011, 10:58 AM

at both r'front and rfk it was the 3rd base side stands that moves and the home dugout side was permanent.

**buckeyejim** · 02-24-2011, 06:43 PM

If you'll go through the photos linked in the posts you notice that the club level (yellow seating level) has either unmatching seats or no seats at all in the center field area. It's because the permanent seats were added much later, or they are temporary seats. It just depends on the year. During the regular season (except on opening day) that area had no seats when the Reds were playing until football season when the Bengals put temporary seats there.

The Reds always wanted a centerfield restaurant constructed that would overlook the field but the Bengals balked, thus nothing permenent was built until towards the end of Riverfront Stadium.

**Mr. Laser Beam** · 02-24-2011, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by stlfan

RFK and Arlington Stadiums were designed the same way. Arlington never really utilized the rotating stands as documented in the Arlington Stadium thread.

And the renovations to Arlington Stadium in '78 removed its ability to rotate altogether. I believe this also happened at Shea at some point, though I don't know when. (I'm fairly sure that at the end of Shea's life, its stands could no longer rotate.)

**Paul W** · 02-24-2011, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by Mr. Laser Beam

And the renovations to Arlington Stadium in '78 removed its ability to rotate altogether. I believe this also happened at Shea at some point, though I don't know when. (I'm fairly sure that at the end of Shea's life, its stands could no longer rotate.)

yes, the late 80's / early 90's changes made it baseball only.

**dgarza** · 08-03-2011, 11:37 AM

Riverfront Stadium on the Ohio River. Ft. Washington Way (Highway Network) on near Side. Towboat with Barges Is Under the Suspension Bridge Designed and Built by J. A. Roebling before He Built the Brooklyn Bridge 08/1973 by The U.S. National Archives, on Flickr

**DiggerODell** · 08-03-2011, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by sflnyc

Yes, I’m starting a picture thread for a couple of the much-maligned cookie cutters (other than Shea Stadium). I’m from NY and love Shea, etc. but we don’t need dozens of threads on NY and other NE stadiums while most of the other parks get ignored. Classic Crosley Field, for example, has only one thread about it with all of 44 responses. Then one hears complaints about NE & East Coast Bias, but then most of the talk on the stadium thread centers in that area. Go figure!

Either way, back on topic…The Cookie Cutters need some love!

First we have Riverfront Stadium.

First Photo is a 1968 shot of the stadium under construction. Notice all the pilings outside of the stadium which would make up the parking garage that surrounded the stadium.

Second photo is of home plate being taken out of Crosley Field. This is only part of Crosley Field that made it into Riverfront Stadium.

Third photo is of Opening Day against Atlanta on 6.30.70. Johnny Bench and Gary Nolan are taking in the opening festivities along with the crowd of 51,050. Notice that the centerfield scoreboard is not yet completed. Also not yet completed is the centerfield stadium club or suite type seating underneath the upper deck.

Fourth photo is from 2001 (from Ballparks.com) after the outfield seats were removed for the construction of the GABP. On a personal side note, this helped me answer a question that I had as a youth as to what would Shea Stadium hold if it was completely encircled like the other cookie cutters and visa versa. Riverfront – in its Shea empty outfield mode – held about 39,000 compared to Shea’s 56,000. That would mean that Shea would have held roughly 76,000 for baseball and 80,000 for football if it was completely enclosed.

Absolute fabulous photos. A story in four . . . nobody could have presented it more succintly. My hats off and I apoligize for not having seen util 3 years + Absoultely excellent! I've never been to Cincy, and admit, I adore Crosley in photo more than either of the other two . . .

**DiggerODell** · 08-03-2011, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by DiggerODell

Absolute fabulous photos. A story in four . . . nobody could have presented it more succintly. My hats off and I apoligize for not having seen util 3 years + Absoultely excellent! I've never been to Cincy, and admit, I adore Crosley in photo more than either of the other two . . .

Fail fake Crosley Field, Fail!

**Milwaukee County Stadium** · 08-04-2011, 09:33 AM

Also along with riverfront stadium, rfk stadium in washington d.c., and veterans stadium in philadelphia all 3 of these stadiums had their 1st base stands stay in place while the 3rd base stands would rotate for football.

**StadiumPage** · 08-04-2011, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by dgarza

Riverfront Stadium on the Ohio River. Ft. Washington Way (Highway Network) on near Side. Towboat with Barges Is Under the Suspension Bridge Designed and Built by J. A. Roebling before He Built the Brooklyn Bridge 08/1973 by The U.S. National Archives, on Flickr

Cool pic. I didn't realize that Riverfront Stadium was actually built before the arena...

**gmtobehere** · 08-05-2011, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by Milwaukee County Stadium

Also along with riverfront stadium, rfk stadium in washington d.c., and veterans stadium in philadelphia all 3 of these stadiums had their 1st base stands stay in place while the 3rd base stands would rotate for football.

Did anything rotate at the Vet? I thought that the stands just were pulled out, like the Metrodome.