Metropolitan Stadium — affectionately called ‘the Met’ — was an outdoor multipurpose stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, that served as the birthplace of major league sports in the Upper Midwest. Built in 1956 for a minor league baseball team, it went on to house both the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings for two decades before being torn down and replaced by the Mall of America.
This guide covers everything about the Met: its exact field dimensions and seating capacity through the years, the legendary games and concerts it hosted, why the Twins and Vikings eventually left for a domed stadium, and precisely what stands on the site today.
Quick Answer
Metropolitan Stadium was an outdoor stadium at 8000 Cedar Avenue South in Bloomington, Minnesota, open from April 24, 1956 until December 20, 1981. It was home to the Minneapolis Millers, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, and Minnesota Kicks. It was demolished on January 28, 1985, and the Mall of America now occupies the site.
Where Was Metropolitan Stadium Located?
The Met sat at 8000 Cedar Avenue South in Bloomington, a Minneapolis suburb, on roughly 160 acres of former farmland. The site’s location near the junction of Interstate 494 and Cedar Avenue — and directly under the flight path of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport — later became a selling point for a massive retail redevelopment.
That same parcel is now home to the Mall of America, and the terms of the original land sale actually prohibit any future stadium from being built there, permanently tying the site’s sports history to its retail present.
Seating Capacity and Field Dimensions
Capacity grew in stages as the Met was upgraded for major league use. It opened in 1956 with about 18,200 seats, expanded to roughly 30,000 for the Twins’ arrival in 1961, and topped out at 45,919 for baseball and 49,784 for football by the early 1970s — just shy of the NFL’s 50,000-seat benchmark of the era.
The baseball field had famously asymmetrical, pull-hitter-friendly dimensions: 343 feet down the left-field line, 402 feet to dead center, and just 330 feet down the right-field line, with an 8-foot outfield wall. Football, by contrast, was cramped — the gridiron ran north-south with barely enough room for the field and end zones inside the ballpark’s footprint.
Construction and Design
Ground broke on June 20, 1955, and the stadium was completed in about ten months at a cost of $8.5 million (roughly $101 million in 2025 dollars), built to major league specifications even though its first tenant was the minor league Minneapolis Millers. Osborn Architects & Engineers and Thorshov and Cerny designed the structure, with Tepper Engineering handling the cantilevered grandstand — a design that eliminated view-blocking posts for baseball fans.
The dual-sport arrangement created quirks: when bleachers were added for football and baseball expansion, no concourse connected them to the main grandstand, so fans in those sections had to exit the stadium entirely to reach concessions or restrooms elsewhere in the park.
Legendary Games, Concerts, and Records
1965 was the Met’s signature year: it hosted the MLB All-Star Game and, that October, Game 7 of the World Series, drawing 50,596 fans — still the only baseball crowd to top 50,000 there. Weeks later, on August 21, 1965, The Beatles played the stadium to roughly 25,000 fans, one of the first major rock concerts staged at a professional sports venue in the Twin Cities. The Eagles (1978) and the Allman Brothers Band (1979) also drew large crowds to the Met in its later years.
On the football side, the Vikings opened their inaugural 1961 season at the Met with a stunning 37-13 upset of the Chicago Bears and later won the 1969 NFL Championship Game there. The Minnesota Kicks of the NASL set a franchise attendance record when Pelé’s New York Cosmos visited, drawing 46,164 fans, with playoff crowds reaching 49,571.
For the Twins, the most enduring moment came on June 3, 1967, when Harmon Killebrew crushed a 520-foot home run into the upper deck in left-center — still regarded as the longest ball ever hit at the stadium.
Why the Twins and Vikings Left the Met
By the late 1970s, the Met was showing its age. Its infield was widely considered the worst in Major League Baseball, broken railings in the third deck became a safety hazard, and persistent rumors held that stadium operators let conditions deteriorate to help build political support for a new, domed facility.
Cold and windy early- and late-season games were a constant complaint from players and Twins owner Calvin Griffith, who championed the idea of an enclosed, climate-controlled stadium. Those pressures led directly to construction of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis, which both the Twins and Vikings moved into for the 1982 season.
The Chaotic Final Games
The Twins played their last game at the Met on September 30, 1981, a 5-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals; home plate was reportedly stolen the night before, and fans combed the field for souvenirs afterward. The Vikings’ finale came on December 20, 1981, a 10-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, after which fans tore apart seats, bleachers, and even the goalposts despite tripled security — resulting in hundreds of minor injuries.
The Minnesota Kicks played their last regular-season match on August 19, 1981, and their final playoff game on September 6, 1981. After the Vikings’ finale, the Met sat empty and increasingly vandalized for three years before demolition crews arrived.
From the Met to the Mall of America
Metropolitan Stadium was demolished starting January 28, 1985, with the process taking about four months. The 160-acre site was redeveloped over the following years into the Mall of America, which opened in August 1992 and remains one of the largest and most-visited shopping and entertainment complexes in the country.
Several physical tributes to the old ballpark survive inside the mall today. A single red seat mounted near Nickelodeon Universe marks the exact spot where Killebrew’s 520-foot home run landed, and a brass plaque on the first level marks the location of home plate. The stadium’s original flagpole was preserved and later relocated to Target Field, the Twins’ current ballpark, when it opened in 2010.
You can still visit the site today — it’s simply shopping and entertainment now rather than sports. For current hours, directions, and attraction details, see
the official Mall of America website.
Every Team That Called the Met Home
Minneapolis Millers (Minor League Baseball, American Association) — 1956 to 1960, the stadium’s original tenant.
Minnesota Twins (MLB) — 1961 to 1981, after Calvin Griffith relocated the Washington Senators franchise to Bloomington.
Minnesota Vikings (NFL) — 1961 to 1981, an NFL expansion franchise that shared the Met with the Twins for its first 21 seasons.
Minnesota Kicks (NASL) — 1976 to 1981, drawing some of the largest crowds in the league’s history.
Metropolitan Stadium history and facts FAQs
When was Metropolitan Stadium built and when did it open?
Groundbreaking was June 20, 1955, and the stadium opened on April 24, 1956, at a construction cost of about $8.5 million.
What was Metropolitan Stadium’s seating capacity?
Capacity grew over time from about 18,200 in 1956 to a peak of 45,919 for baseball and 49,784 for football in the early 1970s, after several expansions to accommodate the Twins and Vikings.
What were Metropolitan Stadium’s field dimensions?
The baseball field measured 343 feet down the left-field line, 402 feet to center, and 330 feet down the right-field line, with an 8-foot outfield wall — dimensions that favored pull hitters.
Did the Beatles really play at Metropolitan Stadium?
Yes. The Beatles performed there on August 21, 1965, to roughly 25,000 fans, making it one of the first major rock concerts held at a professional sports venue in the Twin Cities.
When was Metropolitan Stadium demolished?
Demolition began on January 28, 1985, and took about four months, after the stadium had sat vacant since the Vikings’ final game in December 1981.
Why did the Twins and Vikings leave Metropolitan Stadium?
Cold, windy weather for early- and late-season games, a deteriorating playing surface, and safety issues with aging grandstands pushed both teams toward the enclosed Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which opened in 1982.
What stands on the site of Metropolitan Stadium today?
The Mall of America occupies the site. A red seat and a brass home-plate plaque inside the mall mark where Harmon Killebrew’s 520-foot home run landed and where home plate once sat.
Which teams played at Metropolitan Stadium?
The Minneapolis Millers (1956-1960), Minnesota Twins (1961-1981), Minnesota Vikings (1961-1981), and Minnesota Kicks of the NASL (1976-1981) all played there.
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