 Candlestick
Park
San
Francisco, CA
With a legendary history
that includes five Super Bowl Champion teams and Hall of Fame players
including Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young; Candlestick Park has been
the home to some of the greatest teams in NFL history. Originally built for the San Francisco Giants (MLB), Candlestick Park
has been the home of the 49ers since 1971. Talk of building a
stadium in the San Francisco area began in 1954, when mayor
George Christopher promised to build a stadium if a major league
team would move to the area. Later in the year, a $5 million bond
was issued to build a new stadium. Along with the Brooklyn Dodgers (MLB),
the New York Giants (MLB) decided to move to the west coast after
the 1957 season. The Giants moved to San Francisco, while the
Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Two locations for a new stadium in
San Francisco were discussed. One in downtown, and one at
Candlestick Point. The site at Candlestick Point, located near the
San Francisco Bay, was chosen because of it's lower price and
affordability.
Construction of the stadium began in August, 1958. However, immediately
after construction began, several problems arose. Neighbors complained
about numerous things, grand juries investigated irregular funding
in the stadium, seat installation was delayed because of a
teamster strike, and the stadium was called a "fire trap."
Nevertheless,
the stadium was completed. The stadium was named Candlestick Park,
after its location. The Giants played the first game ever at
Candlestick Park on April 20, 1961. In September 2004,
Candlestick Park was renamed Monster Park, after Monster Cable
Products Inc. purchased the naming rights for four years. The
stadium's named reverted back to Candlestick Park in March 2008
after the
stadium naming rights deal with Monster Cable Products expired. A city ballot measure
restricted the team from pursuing the highest bidder for the right
to name the stadium.
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