 The new park opened on March 16, 1955 with an exhibition game between the Washington Senators (now the Minnesota Twins) and the Cincinnati Redlegs.According to H. B. Richardson, Jacksonville Braves general manager at the time, "When the new park opened, it was the best park in the (Double-A) South Atlantic League and probably better than most (Triple-A) Southern League parks at the time.It was a showcase."