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Busch Stadium Information
Busch Stadium, originally known as the Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, was opened in May 1966 after only two years of construction. The stadium was named after the Busch family, of Anheuser-Busch fame, who contributed substantially to the development and also owned the St. Louis Cardinals until 1996. Under the architectural design of Edward Durrell Stone, the 30-acre Busch Stadium was built on a $20 million budget. Once officially opened, Busch Stadium was called one of the best in America.
Throughout the years, many improvements have been made in an attempt to preserve the stadium's presence. In order for any venue to remain profitable, it must keep with the times and technology. Busch Stadium did just that as renovations were made throughout the years of it's existence. Among them, a commemorative scoreboard, a natural-grass playing field replacing the artificial turf in 1996 and the opening of the Family Pavilion and Homer's Landing.
The current Busch Stadium has a seating capacity of over 50,000. For years, fans have watched many of baseball's historical moments happen here. To commemorate such moments, fans enjoy the presence of bronze statues featuring Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter, Bob Gibson and others as they grace the stadium with a touch of history. Among the special moments at Busch Stadium is the fact that it has been host to six different World Series games. The stadium was also the location of Mark McGwire's 1998 historic 62nd homerun, which broke the single-season record of Roger Maris. Busch Stadium was also the site of McGwire's 70th homerun during that same season which, until Barry Bonds surpassed it in 1991, was a new record all it's own.
Despite all of the improvements and the tradition held in the hearts of many, fans will bid farewell to the current Busch Stadium at the end of the 2005 baseball season. After 39 years, it will be time to say goodbye as the stadium is set to be demolished. It will be replaced with a new Busch Stadium, which is scheduled to open in April 2006. For baseball fans, a lot of tradition will be demolished along with Busch Stadium. However, new memories and traditions will rise with the construction of the new Busch Stadium and fans will, once again, watch history being made. There is no doubt that Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals will soon flock to a new Busch Stadium and will be bringing their fans along for the ride.
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