It’s that time of year again, Spring! And with spring comes one of America’s most loved traditions, baseball! For Atlanta and Braves lovers, this year will be a little different - this year will be the first year at the new stadium of SunTrust Park in Cobb County. We can’t help but feel a little bittersweet about this being the first year of Braves baseball without Turner Field. That’s because SKB Industries played a role in the landscaping of Centennial Olympic Stadium (which later became Turner Field).
Construction of the Centennial Olympic Stadium started in 1993 for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. This 85,000-seat main stadium of the Olympics has become one of SKB’s proudest accomplishments. Contracted to do the exterior of the Olympic Stadium; SKB installed sod, Crape Myrtles, Hollies, and Willow Oak.
As soon as the 1996 Olympics was finished the conversion to a baseball stadium began. SKB was contracted to be a part of the reconstruction. In order to turn it into a baseball field, 35,000 seats were removed and the track was relocated. In place of the seating, the Grand Entry Plaza was built. SKB installed the landscaping for the Grand Entry Plaza with Elm Trees, Liriope, and shrubbery. Since the Grand Entry Plaza was the only part of Turner Field that was renovated, the rest of the stadium’s landscaping was able to remain the same.
Though we have said our goodbyes to Centennial Olympic Stadium and Turner Field, the stadium will live on with new life as the football stadium for Georgia State University. While it’ll be a change for Braves fans, we look forward to the excitement of baseball at SunTrust Park, where many more memories will be made.
Go Braves!
