The Parc | |
 | |
 Center Parc Stadium in December 2017 | |
  Center Parc Stadium Location in Atlanta Show map of Atlanta Center Parc Stadium Location in Georgia Show map of Georgia Center Parc Stadium Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | Centennial Olympic Stadium (1996) Turner Field (1997–2016) Georgia State Stadium (2017–2020) |
|---|---|
| Address | 755Hank Aaron Drive SE[1] |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Coordinates | 33°44′7″N84°23′22″W / 33.73528°N 84.38944°W /33.73528; -84.38944 |
| Owner | Georgia State University |
| Capacity | 24,333[2] |
| Surface | FieldTurf[3] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 10, 1993 (asCentennial Olympic Stadium) |
| Opened | August 18, 2017 |
| Renovated | 1996–97 (rebuilt asTurner Field) 2017 (rebuilt as Center Parc Stadium) |
| Construction cost | $209 million (as Centennial Olympic Stadium)[4] ($419 million in 2024 dollars[5]) |
| Architect | Atlanta Stadium Design Team (a joint venture ofHeery International, Inc.,Rosser International, Inc., Williams-Russell and Johnson, Inc. andEllerbe Becket, Inc.)[6] |
| Tenants | |
| Georgia State Panthers (NCAA) (2017–present) Atlanta Legends (AAF) (2019)[7] MEAC/SWAC Challenge (NCAA) (2019–present) | |
Center Parc Stadium (also commonly referred to asGeorgia State Stadium orGSU Stadium, formerlyTurner Field) is an outdoorstadium inAtlanta, Georgia. The stadium is the home of theGeorgia State Panthers football team as of the2017 season, replacing theGeorgia Dome which had served as their home stadium from theprogram's inception in 2010 until2016.[8]
It was originally built for the1996 Summer Olympics asCentennial Olympic Stadium. Following the1996 Summer Paralympics, the Olympic Stadium was reconfigured as designed into the baseball-specificTurner Field, serving as the home of theAtlanta Braves ofMajor League Baseball from1997 until2016. After the Braves' departure forTruist Park inCobb County, Georgia State University acquired the stadium and its surrounding parking lots for a large scale expansion of the university's campus, including new private and student housing, academic, and retail space, in addition to the stadium redevelopment.
Center Parc Stadium is the second former Braves ballpark to be converted to a college football stadium, the first beingBoston University'sNickerson Field.[9]
The stadium was originally constructed as the 85,000-seatCentennial Olympic Stadium and used for the1996 Summer Olympics. Private entities, includingNBC and other Olympic sponsors, agreed to pay a large sum of the cost to build the Centennial Olympic Stadium (approximately $170 million of the $209 million bill). It was complete and ready for theopening ceremony in July 1996, where it hostedtrack and field events and theclosing ceremony.
The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) designed and built the stadium in a way that it could be readily converted to a new baseball stadium, and ACOG would pay for the conversion. This was considered a good agreement for both the Olympic Committee and the Braves. The 71,000-seatGeorgia Dome had been completed four years earlier by the state of Georgia to become the home of theNational Football League'sAtlanta Falcons, so there was no need for another large stadium indowntown Atlanta. Furthermore, the Braves had already been exploring opportunities for a new stadium.
Immediately after the1996 Summer Paralympics, which followed the Olympics, the stadium went through its first conversion. In the multimillion-dollar renovation covered by the ACOG, much of the north end of the stadium was removed in order to convert it to its permanent use as a 49,000-seat baseball park. This involved demolishing the temporary stands that had made up nearly half the Olympic stadium and replacing them with outfield stands and other attractions behind them.
The Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority continued to own the stadium and leased it to theAtlanta Braves of Major League Baseball from1997 to2016. The Braves operated the stadium. As Turner Field, the stadium hosted notable events such as games 1 and 2 of the1999 World Series and the2000 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The end of the Braves' most recent lease in 2016 coincided with the team's departure forTruist Park.[10]
In November 2013, the Atlanta Braves announced that they would vacate Turner Field upon the expiration of their lease in 2016 after negotiations between the team and the city of Atlanta to extend the lease broke down.[11] According to then-Braves vice chairmanJohn Schuerholz, Turner Field required $350 million in renovations—$150 million for structural upkeep and $200 million to improve the fan experience.[12] Then-Atlanta mayorKasim Reed stated that the city could not afford the cost of the renovations desired by the Braves while also partially funding the construction ofMercedes-Benz Stadium for the Falcons[13] and the renovation of Philips Arena (now known asState Farm Arena) for theNational Basketball Association'sAtlanta Hawks.[14]
Between April and May 2014, Georgia State University announced its intentions to pursue the 77-acre (31 ha) Turner Field site for a mixed use development. One proposed development plan included reconfiguring Turner Field into a football stadium and building a new baseball field on the footprint of the formerAtlanta–Fulton County Stadium, incorporating the wall whereHank Aaron hit his historic 715th home run; an alternate proposal submitted in November 2015 proposedadaptively reusing portions of the ballpark for a mixed housing and retail development while a new football-specific stadium was built to the north along with the aforementioned new baseball field.[15][16] On December 21, 2015, the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority announced that they had accepted Georgia State's bid for the stadium property.[17] It was decided to go with the reconfiguration plan and on August 18, 2016, Georgia State and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority reached a tentative purchase agreement for Turner Field, and the purchase and redevelopment plan was approved by theBoard of Regents of theUniversity System of Georgia on November 9, 2016.[18][19]
The sale of the Turner Field property to Georgia State was officially closed on January 5, 2017, with the stadium conversion project beginning in February 2017.[20] The stadium acquisition and renovation project was expected to cost $52.8 million; the university did not expect to add or increase student fees to fund the project, and the proceeds would come from revenue from bookstore operations, parking, and housing, as well as private donations. Renovations took place over multiple phases, and included installing an artificial turf playing surface, reorienting the lower bowl, covering upper deck seating, and upgrading locker rooms. Initial capacity for the stadium was 23,000, with future expansion for 33,000. In addition to football, the university intends to use the stadium as a multipurpose facility.[19]
The university announced on February 9, 2017, that the Panthers' first game in Georgia State Stadium was scheduled for August 31, 2017 againstTennessee State.[21] Reconstruction for Georgia State Stadium began on February 27, 2017, and the first phase of construction was completed prior to the Panthers' first scheduled game at the stadium. The second phase of construction took place in 2018 and built out the remainder of the stadium. While the university planned to tailor the stadium to suit the Panthers' football team and its future needs, the university also planned to honor the legacy of the 1996 Olympics and the Braves' tenure at the stadium.[22] On August 8, 2017, the university announced that the playing surface would be named in honor of Georgia State alumnus Parker H. "Pete" Petit, who contributed $10 million towards the Panthers athletic program.[23]
Prior to and since the acceptance of the bid from Georgia State and developers Carter and Oakwood Development for Turner Field, residents of theSummerhill andMechanicsville neighborhoods, which lie adjacent to the stadium, have expressed their criticisms over the impending development, particularly over the potential of being displaced due togentrification, despite both Georgia State and the developers seeking input from local residents to help mitigate their concerns. In April 2017, protesters set up atent city near the stadium; however, the encampment was removed by the Georgia State Police Department at the behest of Summerhill residents in June 2017 for health and safety reasons.[24]
On August 11, 2020, the university entered anaming rights agreement with theAtlanta Postal Credit Union (APCU), in a contract lasting 15 years and valued at $21 million. The stadium was renamed under APCU's new consumer brand Center Parc as Center Parc Stadium.[25][26] Under the agreement, APCU can change the name of the stadium no more than twice with approval from the university and the Georgia Board of Regents.[27]
The stadium's first event was the 2017Corky Kell Classic, a series of high school football games, on August 18 and 19, 2017.[28] The first Panthers home game in the stadium was on August 31, 2017, a 17–10 loss to theTennessee State Tigers in front of an announced sellout crowd of 24,333.[29] Georgia State's first home victory at Center Parc Stadium came on October 26, 2017, with a 21–13 victory over theSouth Alabama Jaguars.[30]
Foo Fighters played the first concert at Center Parc Stadium on April 28, 2018, as part of theConcrete and Gold Tour.[31]
The Legends' first home game was played on February 24, 2019, against theBirmingham Iron, where they lost 28–12.[32][33]
On September 10, 2022, Georgia State hosted aPower 5 conference school for the first time in the Panthers' history.[34] The game was a 35–28 loss to theNorth Carolina Tar Heels.
On September 14, 2024, Georgia State defeated theVanderbilt Commodores out of theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) 36–32 at Center Parc Stadium.[35] It was Georgia State's first time hosting an SEC opponent, and their first victory against an SEC team since beating theTennessee Volunteers on the road in 2019.[36]
In 2018, Center Parc Stadium became the new neutral home of theMEAC/SWAC Challenge.[37]
On May 7, 2019, theGeorgia High School Association (GHSA) announced that the football championships would be moved from Mercedes-Benz Stadium to Center Parc Stadium starting in the 2019 season, citing the higher costs of renting Mercedes-Benz Stadium compared to the former Georgia Dome. The GHSA's first two years at Mercedes-Benz Stadium were also marred by logistical issues, with the six of the eight 2017 championship games postponed and moved to school sites due to a winter storm hitting Atlanta on the weekend of the championships, and the 2018 championships were moved to mid-week due toMajor League Soccer'sAtlanta United FC hostingMLS Cup 2018 on December 8.[38] In December 2022, the GHSA and theAtlanta Falcons reached a three-year agreement, starting in the 2023 season, to bring the football championships back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.[39]
Drum Corps International has hosted the annual DCI Southeastern Championship at Center Parc Stadium since 2022.[40]
Center Parc Stadium is located in theSoutheastern Atlanta neighborhood ofSummerhill.[41] It is located on Hank Aaron Drive, which provides multiple parking areas.
Center Parc Stadium is also accessible from multiplebus routes near the stadium courtesy ofMARTA. MARTA does not offer a direct rail station at the stadium; however, it can be accessed from theGeorgia State station on theBlue/Green Line.[42]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(September 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Rank | Attendance | Date | Game Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24,333 | August 31, 2017 | Georgia State 10,Tennessee State 17 |
| 2 | 24,238 | August 26, 2023 | Jackson State 37, South Carolina State 7* |
| 3 | 23,333 | September 1, 2019 | Jackson State 15,Bethune-Cookman 36* |
| 4 | 23,088 | August 30, 2018 | Georgia State 24, #5(FCS) Kennesaw State 20 |
| 5 | 22,210 | August 25, 2024 | #25(FCS) Florida A&M 24, Norfolk State 23* |
| 6 | 21,720 | October 19, 2019 | Georgia State 28, Army 21 |
| 7 | 21,088 | August 27, 2022 | Alabama State 23, Howard 13* |
| 8 | 20,351 | September 7, 2019 | Georgia State 48, #7(FCS) Furman 42 |
| 9 | 20,011 | November 24, 2018 | Georgia State 14,Georgia Southern 35 |
| 10 | 19,587 | October 11, 2025 | Georgia State 20,Appalachian State 41 |
| 11 | 18,280 | September 4, 2021 | Georgia State 10,Army 43 |
| |||||||
| Academics |  | ||||||
| Campus | |||||||
| Athletics |
| ||||||
| Student life | |||||||
| People | |||||||
