History
Paid for partly through a public bond drive, the Met was built on a 160-acre tract in Bloomington, outside Minneapolis city limits. It opened in April 1956 with the minor-league Millers, and in 1961 the Twins and the Vikings both began play there.
The stadium hosted the 1965 All-Star Game and that fall's World Series, the 1969 NFL Championship Game, and a Beatles concert in August 1965. Harmon Killebrew hit a 520-foot home run there in June 1967.
Both teams left for the downtown Metrodome after 1981, with the Vikings playing the final game on December 20, 1981. The stadium sat partly dismantled for several years before demolition began in January 1985. The Mall of America opened on the land in 1992, with a home plate plaque inside the mall.
Why it matters: It brought major-league baseball and NFL football to Minnesota and was the region's first big-league stadium.
Timeline
- April 24, 1956
The Minneapolis Millers opened the park against the Wichita Braves before 18,366.
- 1961
The Twins and the Vikings both began play at the Met.
- 1965
The stadium hosted the All-Star Game and the World Series; Game 7 drew 50,596.
- August 21, 1965Beatles concert[1]
About 25,000 attended.
- September 30, 1981
The Twins lost 5-2 to Kansas City.
- December 20, 1981
The Vikings lost 10-6 to Kansas City in the last event.
- January 28, 1985
Demolition began and lasted about four months.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Mall of America (opened 1992)[1,2,3] |
| Surviving remnants | Brass home plate plaque in Nickelodeon Universe inside the mall; red seat on a wall marking Harmon Killebrew's 520-foot home run; the old flagpole was restored in 2010 and placed at Target Field[1,2,3] |
| Mapped location | Former venue parcel |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Minneapolis Millers | American Association · 1956–1960 |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins | American League · 1961–1981 |
| Minnesota Vikings | NFL · 1961–1981 |
| Minnesota Kicks | NASL · 1976–1981 · tenant |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | The Met |
|---|---|
| Location | 8000 Cedar Avenue South, Bloomington, Bloomington, Minnesota[1] |
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Baseball, Football, Soccer |
| Level | MLB, NFL, Minor League, NASL |
| Opened | April 24, 1956[1,3] |
| Last used for sports | December 20, 1981[1,3] |
| Demolished | 1985[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 18,200[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 45,919[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | About 45,919 baseball (1975-1981) and 48,446 football (1977-1981) per Wikipedia; Ballparks of Baseball lists 18,200 original. SABR gives the record crowd as 50,596 (1965 World Series Game 7). |
| Architect | Thorshov & Cerny (Ballparks of Baseball lists Osborn Engineering)[1] |
| Construction cost | $8.5 million[1,2] |
| Surface | Grass[1] |
| Owner / operator | City of Minneapolis (1956-1977); Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (1977-1981)[1] |
| Closure | Both the Twins and the Vikings moved to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in 1982. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- Metropolitan Stadium, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, owner operator, remnants, surface, teams
- Metropolitan Stadium, Ballparks of Baseball. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, construction cost, current land use, demolished, remnants
- Metropolitan Stadium (Bloomington, MN), Society for American Baseball Research (Stew Thornley). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, opened, remnants, teams
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (2)
- Architect: Wikipedia credits Thorshov & Cerny (infobox also lists Osborn); Ballparks of Baseball lists Osborn Engineering only.
- SABR gives no demolition date, noting only that the stadium was partly dismantled for years first; demolition year 1985 is from Wikipedia and Ballparks of Baseball.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.