This plan has been in the works since 2016, and now it’s finally coming to fruition, as Georgia State University is moving forward with a new college ballpark on the footprint of the former Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
Atlanta Stadium propelled Atlanta as a major-league city, serving as home to the Atlanta Braves and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons both beginning in 1966. (It became Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1975.) It was a classic circular cookie-cutter stadium, with seating reconfigurations depending on the sport. It hosted International League baseball in the form of the Atlanta Crackers in 1965 before the Braves received court permission to move from Milwaukee, and it also hosted North American Soccer League action in the form of the Atlanta Chiefs in various years between 1967 and 1981. It was torn down in the summer of 1997 after the Braves moved next door to Turner Field; the baseball paths and outfields fencers were used to commemorate the field where Henry Aaron blasted his historic 715th home run. It’s now part of Georgia State’s Green Lot.
When the former Olympic Stadium/Turner Field (now Center Parc Credit Union Stadium) was once again renovated to accommodate Georgia State football in 2016, the plan was for a new ballpark to be built on the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium footprint, using the same field measurements. The school is now moving forward with those plans, as the Board of Regents has directed staff to proceed with design and construction of a 1,000-seat ballpark, with completion planned in time for the start of the 2026 season in February 2026. The project, with a budget of $15.85 million, will be funded by GSU Athletic Association gifts and reserves and Foundation funds and gifts.
“We thank the Board of Regents and staff for their support,” Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb said in a university press statement. “There is a lot of work ahead, but this is a very exciting day for Georgia State Athletics. A new, modern facility on campus, accessible to our students and fans and convenient for our student-athletes will be a tremendous boost to baseball program.”
Worth noting: the Henry Aaron statue originally installed at Turner Field that now sits at the football stadium, will be moved to the new ballpark.
Rendering courtesy Georgia State University. Photo by Mark Cryan.
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