JobSight: Target Field, Minneapolis

Although a significant majority of the stonework appears on Target Field’s exterior, the stonework is also carried inside, where Mortenson and a subcontractor installed a mix of precast and hand-set pieces.

“This is really the first ballpark we’ve done that has stone cladding in the dugouts, and that’s a really nice visual on the TV cameras,” says Populous’ Miller. “It’s also incorporated on the cross-aisle walls, the press-box walls and an area in right field we call ‘the Overlook,’ as well. It’s prominent at the base of the administration building, which is in left field, and also along the right-field foul pole.”

Miller adds that much of the hand-set work took place where the use of precast panels just wasn’t possible, such as under the overhangs.

For the Twins’ Smith, however, the crowning glory of the limestone is on the roofs of the two dugouts, where the team’s logo is carved.

“People absolutely love the stone,” Smith concludes. “I’ve seen people go up to it and put their hands on it, because it’s so tactile. Some look for fossils in it as they walk around the building. The stone represents strength – and something permanent.”

Client: Minnesota Twins Baseball Club, Minneapolis
Architect: Populous™, Kansas City, Mo.
Construction Manager/General Contractor: Mortenson Construction, Minneapolis
Precast Contractor: Gage Brothers Concrete Products, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Stone Supplier: Vetter Stone Co., Mankato, Minn.

This article first appeared in the print edition of Stone Business Magazine. ©2010 Western Business Media Inc.

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