Photo Essay
Trades work on new Minnesota Twins ballpark: Think spring, 2010

January 22, 2009

Photo essay by Steve Share, Labor Review editor

MINNEAPOLIS — Members of local building trades unions are working on the new Minnesota Twins ballpark, due for completion for the start of the 2010 baseball season. The 40,000 seat open-air ballpark is being built under a Project Labor Agreement with the Minneapolis Building & Construction Trades Council. About 700-750 workers were on site the day of a January 22, 2009 dour, reported Alex Curry, safety engineer for Mortenson, the ballpark's general contractor. Curry said Twins players have come to visit the ballpark during construction, which has been exciting for the workers.

For more information on the new ballpark, visit the Minnesota Twins website.

Above: Viewed from N. 7th St., the exterior of the new Minnesota Twins ballpark was taking on a finished look.

Above: Further away from N. 7th St. on the ballpark's west side, workers were attaching the exterior walls' limestone facing.

Above: View of ballpark and stadium from the third baseline. One of the cranes was lifting limestone panels to be attached to the exterior walls.

Right: Mike Malone, St. Paul, a member of Ironworkers Local 512, was welding from the ballpark's interior to attach the exterior limestone panels.

Right: A view of one of the interior welds.

Above: A view of the ironwork on the N. 5th Street side of stadium, where the stadium seating and exterior walls were less complete.

Above: Marcello Reyes, Faribault, a member of Carpenters Local 1644, uses a chop saw to cut metal pieces for a soffit.

Above: Ironworkers Local 512 members in a lift, viewed from behind center field seating.

	Left: Emilio Garcia, East Bethel, a member of Bricklayers Local 1, builds a cinderblock wall for a restroom. The cinderblocks are made from recycled materials, a co-worker reported.

Above: Ironworkers Local 512 members guide a pre-cast stadia into place along the ballpark's right field stands. Pneumatic suction pressure from nine points lifts the piece.

Right: View of the main ticket window, which viewed from the plaza which will be the main entrance to the ballpark.

Above: View of home plate.

Right: Jesse Zamarippa, St. Paul, a member of IBEW Local 292. He had an "IBEW for Obama-Biden" sticker on his hard hat but, he said, he worked January 20 and didn't get to watch Obama's inauguration.

Above: A rack of lights sits in the snow, waiting to be installed high atop the ballpark walls. Come spring 2010, the snow will be gone and the lights will illuminate the ballpark for the Twins' first night game in the new ballpark.

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