With a legendary history that includes five Super Bowl champion teams and Hall of Fame players such as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Steve Young, Candlestick Park stands as one of the most iconic stadiums in NFL history. Originally built for the San Francisco Giants, it later became the long-time home of the San Francisco 49ers for more than four decades.
Planning for a major stadium in the San Francisco began in 1954, when Mayor George Christopher promised a stadium if a Major League Baseball team could be attracted to the city. That same year, a $5 million bond was approved to support construction. In 1957, both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants relocated to the West Coast, with the Giants moving to San Francisco and the Dodgers moving to Los Angeles.
Two possible sites were considered for the new stadium: downtown San Francisco or Candlestick Point along the bay. The Candlestick Point location was ultimately chosen due to its lower cost. Construction began in August 1958, but the project quickly faced challenges, including funding investigations, labor strikes that delayed seating installation, neighborhood opposition, and concerns over safety that led critics to label it a “fire trap.” Despite these issues, the stadium was completed and named Candlestick Park after its location.
The San Francisco Giants played the first game there on April 20, 1961. When it first opened, the stadium seated around 45,000 fans. At the time, the 49ers still played at Kezar Stadium, where they had been based since 1946.
As the facility aged, deterioration and concerns about modernization led to proposals for replacement stadiums, including a downtown site, though those plans were eventually abandoned. In 1971, the city approved $16.1 million in upgrades to make the venue suitable for football. The stadium was enclosed to create a multipurpose configuration, increasing capacity to about 61,000. Retractable seating was installed in right field, and natural grass was replaced with AstroTurf. The San Francisco 49ers played their first game at Candlestick Park on October 10, 1971.
Over time, the stadium saw relatively modest changes. In 1979, AstroTurf was replaced with natural grass. In 1995, the stadium was renamed 3Com Park following a naming rights deal. After the San Francisco Giants moved to Oracle Park following the 1999 season, the 49ers became the sole major tenant.
Candlestick Park’s final NFL season came in 2013, when the 49ers played their last game there on December 23, 2013 against the Atlanta Falcons. The team then moved to Levi’s Stadium in 2014. The stadium was demolished in the winter of 2015 and the site has since remained vacant.
