In the Shadows of the Kodak Tower

Exterior of Frontier Field, from the west, Aug-1997.

The seating bowl, as seen from the berm in left field. This photo and the next are from Sep-2004.

The park looks out upon downtown Rochester as well as a train line.

Chronological Tour: Stop 122

• Location: Platt Street (Morrie Silver Way) at Plymouth Avenue, Rochester, N.Y. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1997 as Frontier Field
• Additional names: Innovative Field (2023)
• Home team: Rochester Red Wings, International League (1997-present); Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, International League (2012, some games); Rochester Rhinos, A-League soccer (1996-2005)
• Capacity: 10,868

Rating: 3 baseballs

As a result, it saw its last season of use in 1996, to be replaced the next year by a new, state-of-the-art ballpark. Frontier Field, which got its name from a telephone company, meets all the standards for the new parks, including sky boxes, seating for over ten thousand, and a fair degree of architectural uniqueness.

The Eastman Kodak building beyond left field.

Rochester’s fans took to the new park in large numbers during the first season, filling it to 75% of capacity throughout and selling out numerous dates. Townfolk were also treated to a renovation of their hockey arena at the nearby War Memorial in 1997, making it a big year for this rebounding industrial city.

The Rhinos, an A-League soccer team, shared the field with the Red Wings for a number of seasons, but they got their own field in 2005.

By my 2022 visit, the park appeared to be showing its age, although it remained quite serviceable. An infusion of cash from a new naming sponsor for 2023 may help revitalize the facility. Frontier, which has expanded into nationwide fiber Internet service, has been replaced on the masthead by Innovative Solutions, a local technology company. Planned renovations include a wrap-around concourse as well as internal improvements mandated by Major League Baseball.