The building of professional ballpark in Bloomington was a big event in the mid-1950s. These photographs show several stages in the construction of Metropolitan Stadium, from the first excavation of the building site, to the dedication and active use of the park. The images clearly show how undeveloped the area just south of Interstate Highway 494 and Cedar Avenue was during this time.
Photo Credits (all from the Minnesota Historical Society Photograph Collection):
Image 1: Aerial view of Bloomington-Richfield, showing Seventy-eighth and Cedar Avenue (stadium site), 1955. Minneapolis Star Journal Tribune. Location no. MH5.9 BL1 p6.
Image 2: Aerial of Metropolitan Stadium excavation, Bloomington, 1955. Minneapolis Star Journal Tribune. Location no. MH5.9 BL4 p10.
Image 3: Met Stadium construction, Bloomington, 1956. Minneapolis Star Journal Tribune. Location no. MH5.9 BL4 p13..
Image 4: Dedication of Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, April 24, 1956. Minneapolis Star Tribune. Location no. MH5.9 BL4 p26..
Image 5: Aerial view, Metropolitan Stadium and vicinity, Bloomington, 1962. St. Paul Dispatch & Pioneer Press. Location no. MH5.9 BL4 p8.
Image 6: Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, postcard ca. 1960. Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce. Location no. MH5.9 BL4 r7.
Creator: Minneapolis Star Journal Tribune, St. Paul Dispatch & Pioneer Press, Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society
Dates: 1955–1956
Identifer: location (See description, below)
