Jerry Uht Park is a 6,000-seat baseball-only stadium in Erie, Pennsylvania that hosted its first regular season baseball game on June 20, 1995, as the tenants of the facility, the Erie SeaWolves, defeated the Jamestown Jammers. "The Uht" also hosts numerous local high school and collegiate baseball games throughout the spring. [1] The stadium is occasionally the venue for local cultural events, such as the Erie Philharmonic production of "Pops in the Park." The stadium replaced Ainsworth Field, which was built in 1947 and renovated in 1980. Located on 24th Street at Washington Place (behind the Roosevelt School), Ainsworth Field was the home of the Erie Sailors for much of the time between 1948 and 1963, and then again from 1990 to 1994. [2]

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History of construction

Local businesses and other proponents of a new ballpark formed a group named Team Erie and raised $8.7 million for stadium construction. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on July 27, 1994 and the stadium was completed in May 1995. The first Seawolves game was played at the Uht on June 20, 1995 against the Jamestown Jammers. Long time Major Leaguer Jose Guillen hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in front of a sellout crowd to win the game. Tim Collie was the winning pitcher.

Features of construction

Seating along the first- and third-base lines has a unique configuration at the Uht due to the space constraints of urban construction. There are three main concession stands and a picnic area for fans, plus six luxury suites for special occasions. The Uht is located next to Louis J. Tullio Arena. The Uht is known for its two unique grandstands that are not of the same design. The plan called for this quirky design because of the constraints of the urban setting.

In 2006, a new electronic scoreboard was added, at a cost of $1 million. In 2007, a video display was added to the scoreboard and a two-tiered Picnic Garden along the right-field line with 1,000 additional seats, priced at $3.2 million. Eleven luxury box seats and new concession stands are included in the Picnic Garden addition. ^[3]

Stadium benefactor and perpetual fund

Longtime Erie resident and local benefactor Gerard T. "Jerry" Uht, Sr., born 22 September 1929 in Erie, Pennsylvania, the son of Carl A. and Mary C. Uht, ^{[4] [5]} and graduate of Gannon University (Class of 1953), ^[6] established an endowment in 1995 with the Erie Community Foundation to perpetually support the new downtown baseball stadium. In response to his generosity, the city named the stadium in his honor. ^[7] As of January 2007, ECF continues to manage the fund, then valued at $750,000. The Erie Times-News described the fund at the time as designated for stadium maintenance expenses and equipment purchases. ^[8]

References

1. General Information
2. Ainsworth Field, Erie, Pa.
3. Jerry Uht Park
4. 1930 Federal Census for Pennsylvania, Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania
5. US Public Records Index, Ancestry.com
6. Gannon Magazine
7. Annual Report 2005
8. Uht Fund Pitches in Relief for Ballpark Renovation