CARDINALS STADIUM

Busch Stadium is Located near the banks of the Mississippi River and the majestic Gateway Arch (and across the street from the National Bowling Hall of Fame), the ballpark is actually the second Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The original was known as Sportsman’s Park until August Busch purchased it from the St. Louis Browns in 1953 and changed the name to Busch Stadium. It served as the home of the Cardinals until the new Busch Stadium was opened, as the centerpiece of a downtown revitalization project. Five World Series have been played at Busch. The Cardinals won the Series in 1967 and 1982 but lost in 1968, 1985, 1987 and 2004. The stadium was also the site of Mark McGwire's historic 62nd home run of the 1998 season that broke Roger Maris' single-season record, and of McGwire's 70th of that season for a record which lasted through 2001. Busch Stadium is now one of the best looking Stadium in baseball. On May 24, 1964 ground was broken for a stadium on 30 acres in downtown St. Louis. The Cardinals played their first game on May 12, 1966 at Busch Stadium. Four tiers of 46,068 red seats circle the entire grass playing field, and a $1.5 million scoreboard with an electronic cardinal that chirped was located behind the outfield fence. Busch Stadium was called one of the best stadiums in the country when it opened. The architects were Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates; Edward Durell Stone (design collaborator); Schwarz & Van Hoefen, Associated. The cost for building Busch Stadium was $55 million. Astroturf replaced natural grass in 1970, so the stadium could be converted from football to baseball more easily. For more than two decades, Busch Stadium did not undergo any more changes. New ownership retrofitted Busch Stadium in 1995 after football was no longer played at the stadium. Grass replaced the Astroturf, new seats were added, along with new scoreboards. The bullpens were placed behind the outfield fence, and the area behind the outfield was spruced up. A huge manual scoreboard, that also contains retired numbers and championship flags, was built over the seats in the upper deck in centerfield. Many amenities have been added to Busch Stadium, including the Family Pavilion, which has many games and activities, Homer's Landing, a picnic area overlooking the bullpen in left center field, and a stadium club restaurant and bar. Statues of Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Enos Slaughter, Red Schoendienst, and Jack Buck are located on the Plaza of Champions outside the stadium. Although many fans would probably say that they still like and enjoy Busch Stadium, the owners of the Cardinals have committed to building a new ballpark adjacent to Busch Stadium. The stadium, now the fourth-oldest in Major League Baseball. The new Cardinals ballpark is scheduled to open in April 2006. At one time it was discussed that part of Busch Stadium would have to be demolished for construction of the new ballpark. However it appears that new stadium will be built around Busch Stadium until all of it can be demolished at one time. Busch Stadium will probably be demolished in late 2005 or early 2006. When it closes for good, Busch Stadium would be known as one of the best multipurpose stadiums ever built.