The New Stadium...
August 2001
remember, all photos are thumbnails - click on them to get the bigger
version
When you see you
can click on it and get a really big, non-zoomed version of the day's photo!
Wednesday,
August 1, 4:45 p.m. - Today, I'm starting a countdown. Rikketyrik. who has contributed some really
good ideas for this website, made the suggestion and it's a good one.
So every day, we'll peel off another day. The First
and Goal website says that the stadium will be done August
1, 2002. |
 Thursday,
August 2, midday and 4:30 p.m. - Today was a big day!
They had a wonderful ceremony - some speakers for a crowd
of hard hat-ted folks complete with cheering (bottom
left). It was great. On the right, you can see the
last piece
being lifted in and on the top left you can see the
results.
That is one big scoreboard!! That
last piece is 90,000 pounds! Next week, the rusty
thingies (or falsework towers) will come down and be
trucked away to their next assignment. One of the
cranes will move out next week and the other one will go
about mid-September. It will be a strange photo with
no cranes at all! |
Friday,
August 3, 4:15 p.m. - Isn't today's sky dramatic?!
The funny part is that after I got the photo into the
computer and saw that sky, I went back to the terrace to
check and it either turned bluer in the intervening 2
minutes or the camera is playing trick son us! There
are ropes over the side of the northeast tower and I think
they might be getting ready to add the brickwork up at the
top there like they have at the bottom. |
 Saturday,
August 4, 4 p.m. - It's been brought to my attention
that I haven't discussed the tree. Putting a tree on the
highest point of a construction project is a traditional
milestone. It's part of the topping off ceremony.
Also on that scoreboard are several banners. The one
second from the top has signatures all over it - it's hard
to see but very cool looking. Today's photo also has
arrows - the scaffolding came down and the stair frames
are up on that northwest corner. Also we have
another new thing today. I got a note in my website
guestbook from Jon who did the stadium renderings that
I've posted here from time to time. I foraged around First
and Goal and found a bunch that I've never seen before.
I made a page of them.
They actually answer at least one question that Jeff
brought up on the ClamCam forum. The southeast lump
now has this nice color to it and I thought it was primer
but if you look at the renderings, you'll see that they
are all that color. It's going to look really neat! |
 Sunday,
August 5, 5 p.m. - Not a whole lot going on today but
it's not totally quiet either. There's a guy walking
around out there (see arrow) and at the risk of sounding
like a tattle-tale, he's not wearing a hard hat...
This time last year we were basically a pile of rocks with
cranes sticking out. I'm always amazed at the this
time last year photos. |
Monday,
August 6, 4:30 p.m. - It's so dark today that you
can't really see this very well, but they pulled some of
the plastic off of one of the banks of seats. It
makes a big difference in the look. They are sure
going to make a gorgeous sea of blue when they all get in. |
 Tuesday,
August 7, 5:15 p.m. - Today we have a bonus photo.
Robert caught the photo on the right this morning off of
Turner's webcam. Isn't it amazing? It does
look like the little blue crane has gone on to his next
job. |
Wednesday,
August 8, 5:15 p.m. - More seats went in today but
otherwise, I can't see any significant changes... of
course, whenever I say this, one (or sometimes many) of
you picks out some thing really obvious that I missed.
So, bring it on! |
Thursday,
August 9, 5:15 p.m. - Lots more seats today.
Yesterday they removed some of the scaffolding work from
that interior part of the northwest tower (hard to see
because of the shadows) and they put up temporary railings
on the grand staircase (also hard to see). The
railings are wood beams across sawhorse things. |
Friday,
August 10, 6 p.m. - Still more seats but you can see
the clear difference between the ones with the plastic
covering still on and the real seats (arrow points to what
they will look like). And the circle is around a
tarp they put up yesterday. Wonder what they are
doing behind there??? |
 Saturday,
August 11 5:15 p.m. - Rikketyrik sent a note that
First and Goal has more new pictures up and they are
really good ones this time. There's even a photo of
the cake they served at the topping off ceremony.
Their photos have gotten a lot more frequent and a lot
more interesting... I think it's the competition <grin>. |
 Sunday,
August 12 4:45 p.m. - Those of you who aren't here in
Seattle might have noticed that we've had a string of
non-gray days. We just got envious of your heat wave
and wanted one of our own. This day last year wasn't
even gray, but the site sure looked bare, didn't it? |
Monday,
August 13, 6:30 p.m. - I'm late, I'm late! So
sorry. I got in late from work and didn't even take
time to examine the view or the photo so it's up to you...
What's new today?? |
Tuesday,
August 14, 5 p.m. - There's some kind of action going
on by those stairs on the northeast tower... It's
been so long since we've had rain that everything is
really dusty. They have been wetting down the
staging area every night for the past several nights. |
Wednesday,
August 15, 4:15 p.m. - Look who escaped the bowl?!
Big Blue! He's out! As I took the photo, he
was helping the guys on the northwest tower. They
are welding some stuff up there. I think a new beak
is on the horizon. |
Thursday,
August 16, 1:45 p.m. -
Check out the end of the arch! They removed that
platform thing and now you can actually see those massive
cables. Wow. They must really be getting ready
to add that final beak. |
Friday,
August 17, 4:30 p.m. - That frisky Big Blue crane is
now back in the 'bowl'. They must be close to taking
down the rusty thingies on the west side. I think
that will end the Craneologist's (operator of the Big Blue
crane) run on this job. He will be missed. His
partner in crime (or maybe that should be crane), Little
Blue, left at the first of August. |
 Saturday,
August 18, 1:15 p.m. - So, you guys are asleep at the
switch... Yesterday, they put The Erection Company hut
(the old dog house) on the top of the grand staircase
platform and nobody caught it. Not even me!
The other circle (to the left) points out some interior
work - probably the preparation for one of the glass
walls. It didn't just spring up either, but I just
noticed it. |
 Sunday,
August 19, 4:45 p.m. - There was actually some work
going on early this morning. I'm not sure what, but
I could see some trucks moving around and hear some
construction noise. But, it didn't last long.
Today's this time last year photo is still an amazing
contrast. |
Monday,
August 20, 5 p.m. - You can mark this date as "The
Last Beak" day. You can see, in today's photo, Big
Blue is helping set up the dog house on the new beak.
We are now a four beak stadium!! And, yes, the rusty
thingies are gone. I got lots of notes and a posting
on the ClamCam Forum. Greg reminded me that
Charpy's photos probably give us the biggest, clearest
view. |
Tuesday,
August 21, 5 p.m. - Ok first a correction!
Yesterday's beak is the third beak. The one on the
southwest end isn't in place yet. And, in fact,
getting it in place is going to take some special work.
Big Blue can't do it. He's too big! Even
totally stripped, he can only get down to 700,000 pounds
(my goal weight?!) That kind of weight would shred
Occidental Avenue which is the only access. So a 250
pound rubber tired crane will be making the placement.
Thanks to the Craneologist for this cool info. Long
time page visitor Rich Hibbard shared with me some photos
that his friend, Rick Battle took. They are so
great, I made a page out of them.
Check it out! |
Wednesday,
August 22, 1:45 p.m. - It's a dreary day here in
Seattle and unusually warm and muggy. A good day, I
guess, to put in more seats. They are now filling in
that northern section of the west side. It's going
to look very cool when they get them all in. |
Thursday,
August 23, 12:45 p.m. - Sorry about the picture
quality lately. The weather has just not been
cooperating! We have more seats today. I also
have a circle in today's photo. It's hard to make
out what's there and it was there yesterday and I don't
know what it is, but they are clearly building up
something there at the top of those stairs. |
Friday,
August 24, 4:15 p.m. - A good day for a photo at last!
So I circled the new thing again because today you can
really see it. I think it's going to be some thing
important. They have put in lots more seats. I
was at the Mariner game yesterday and had a clear view of
the east side and the new seats. They looked pretty
cool! |

Saturday, August 25, 4:30 p.m. - I haven't seen
anyone working on the site today. I suspect the weather
may have something to do with that. Seattlelites do
not like to spend a beautiful day like today at work.
But, they just showed a worker on top of the west side
arch on the Fox coverage of the Mariners' game!
Michael wrote on the ClamCam forum that he's tired of the
same old view... For him and for anyone else, don't forget
to check out the various other sources for different
views.... There's
Dan Sherbeck's live cam,
and the
Turner Web cam and
Charpy's excellent shots. |
 Sunday,
August 26, 3 p.m. - In the This Day Last Year photo
you can see the beginnings of the west side stands.
This time next year, we're liable to be seeing people
sitting in them. Amazing. |
Monday,
August 27, 5:30 p.m. - I'm afraid it's another day of
no discernable difference. There is a lot of
activity on the site - trucks moving around and people
moving here and there, but I can't see anything new in
today's photo. |
Tuesday,
August 28, 4:15 p.m. - We have the usual more seats
and other small changes. But, you can also clearly
see the stairs there on the northwest tower and if you
look closely you can see the frame that will house the
giant screen that's going into that place. (If
you've forgotten what that will look like you can see it
clearly in the huge rendering
photos.) |
Wednesday,
August 29, 3:53 p.m. - The west side roof - which you
can't see in the photo but I can if I lean way out my
terrace - is really coming along. The about the only
part of the arch that isn't painted white yet is the part
you can see in the picture! |
Thursday,
August 30, 4:30 p.m. - They are pulling the plastic
off of lots of the seats and you can now see a lot deeper
blue in the stands. It looks nice. For the
past week there have been trucks full of large concrete
forms in the staging area and they aren't moving.
I'm guessing they are for the west side - maybe those
seats near the field. But, I'm wondering why they
have been sitting around so long. Always before they
were moving them in and moving them out at a fairly good
clip. |
Friday,
August 31, 4 p.m. - I got home early from work today
and the site was nearly totally silent. I'm thinking
Labor Day weekend started early all the way around.
Before today there was a tree and a flag on the top of the
scoreboard structure that they put up there on August 4.
Today they are both gone. Wonder what that deal
is??!! |
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