The city demolished its own City Hall to build a ballpark, and fans walked across the border bridge to fill it. Southwest University Park at 1 Ballpark Plaza opened on 28 April 2014 in downtown El Paso, a 78-million-dollar Populous design squeezed onto six acres in eleven months - one of the tightest sites and fastest builds in Minor League Baseball history. The El Paso Chihuahuas - the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres - packed the stands from day one, with Juarez fans crossing the nearby international bridges to join a fan base the franchise built from scratch. The park holds 7,500 fixed seats and stretches to 9,500-10,000 with berm, party decks and standing room, wrapped by a 360-degree concourse with the Franklin Mountains filling the view beyond the outfield. The awards came immediately - Ballpark of the Year from Baseballparks.com and best new ballpark from Ballpark Digest in 2014 - and the 2019 Triple-A All-Star Game confirmed the venue's standing. USL Championship soccer arrived in 2019 with El Paso Locomotive FC, and the calendar between seasons runs concerts in the outfield, festivals, and private events in the WestStar Club and Sun Kings Saloon. The El Paso Streetcar stops at Cleveland Square a block away, and the downtown revitalisation the ballpark was built to trigger has largely followed it - restaurants and hotels filling blocks that were parking lots in 2013. The design tucks the third-base concourse under Franklin Avenue's street level and hangs the right-field porch over the Union Pacific tracks - site constraints turned into character - and the ballpark's City Lights club level, rooftop party decks and kids' splash zone keep per-cap spending among the highest in Triple-A. Chihuahuas games remain among the best-attended in the Pacific Coast League, and the park's skyline seats sell out first on firework nights.

Type: Stadium / Arena

Address: 1 Ballpark Plaza, El Paso, TX, United States, 79901

Website: https://www.southwestuniversitypark.com

Capacity: 9500

Opening Date: 28/04/2014

Serves Food

Outdoor Area

Accessible