Busch Stadium

Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri has been the home of the St. Louis baseball Cardinals since May 12, 1966, four days after the last game was played in their old home, Sportsman's Park (which since 1953 had also been known as Busch Stadium).

Related Topics:
St. Louis, Missouri - St. Louis baseball Cardinals - May 12 - 1966 - Sportsman's Park - 1953

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It was one of the first multipurpose facilities built in the United States in the 1960s and early 1970s, along with those in Atlanta, Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. When the 2005 season ends for the Cardinals, it will leave Washington's RFK Stadium as baseball's last "cookie cutter" multipurpose facility.

Related Topics:
Multipurpose facilities - 1960s - 1970s - Atlanta - Washington, DC - Pittsburgh - Philadelphia - Cincinnati

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When it opened it was known as Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium. The stadium's name comes from the Busch family of Anheuser-Busch, who owned the baseball team until March 1996 and championed the stadium's construction.

Related Topics:
Stadium - Anheuser-Busch - 1996

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The St. Louis football Cardinals moved to Busch Stadium for their 1966 season. They remained there through the 1987 season, and then relocated to Tempe, Arizona after their owner failed to convince the city to pay for a new football-only stadium. In 1995, the Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis and prepared to move into the brand new Trans World Dome nearby. However, construction would not be complete until mid-season, and the now St. Louis Rams played their first two home games in Busch Stadium.

Related Topics:
St. Louis football Cardinals - 1987 - Tempe, Arizona - 1995 - Los Angeles Rams - Trans World Dome - St. Louis Rams

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The stadium was designed by architect Edward Durrell Stone. Its arched design echoes the nearby Gateway Arch, which was completed the year before Busch Stadium opened. The grounds are home to bronze statues of Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter, Red Schoendienst, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and most recently, Jack Buck.

Related Topics:
Edward Durrell Stone - Gateway Arch - Stan Musial - Enos Slaughter - Red Schoendienst - Lou Brock - Bob Gibson - Jack Buck

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The stadium's playing surface, originally natural grass, was re-covered in Astroturf in 1970; grass returned in 1998.

Related Topics:
Astroturf - 1970 - 1998

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Busch Stadium has hosted World Series games in six different seasons: 1967, 1968, 1982, 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 also of McGwire's 70th of that season, for a record which lasted until Barry Bonds surpassed it in 2001.

Related Topics:
World Series - 1967 - 1968 - 1982 - 1985 - 2004 - Mark McGwire - 1998 - Roger Maris - Barry Bonds - 2001

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The dimensions in center and the power alleys have been altered from time to time over the years. Initially the park was very conducive to the Bob Gibson and Lou Brock style of play, lots of room for pitchers to make mistakes, and for extra-base hits and not so many home runs. Later changes attempted to make the outfield better balanced between pitching and power hitting. In the interest of space, only the original and the most recent dimensions are shown in the accompanying grid.

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By the early 1990s, the stadium appeared to be falling into disrepair. However, remodeling in 1995 improved the park's sense of intimacy and converted the multi-purpose facility into a baseball-only park. Now one of the older Major League Baseball venues, Busch Stadium is scheduled to be demolished following the 2005 baseball season, to be replaced by a new 46,000-seat ball park scheduled to open in April 2006. The new park will also be named Busch Stadium.

Related Topics:
1990s - 1995 - Major League Baseball - 2005 - 2006 - New park

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