Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium
Busch Stadium II ; Baseball Heaven
	; April 2005 (above; in baseball configuration) and September 1977 (below; in football configuration)
Former names	Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium (1966–1981); Busch Stadium (1982–2005)
Location	250 Stadium Plaza; St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates	38°37′26″N 90°11′33″W / 38.62389°N 90.19250°W
Owner	St. Louis Cardinals
Operator	St. Louis Cardinals
Capacity	Baseball: 49,676 (1997–2005); 57,676 (1966–1996); Football: 60,000
Field size	Left Field – 330 ft (101 m); Left-Center – 372 ft (113 m); Center Field – 402 ft (123 m); Right-Center – 372 ft (113 m); Right Field – 330 ft (101 m); Backstop – 64 ft (20 m); ; Original Dimensions (1966); Left Field – 330 ft (101 m); Left-Center – 386 ft (118 m); Center Field – 414 ft (126 m); Right-Center – 386 ft (118 m); Right Field – 330 ft (101 m); Backstop – 64 ft (20 m)
Surface	Natural grass (1996–2005); AstroTurf (1970–1995); Natural grass (1966–1969)
Construction
Broke ground	May 25, 1964
Built	1964–1966
Opened	May 12, 1966
Closed	October 19, 2005
Demolished	November 7 – December 8, 2005
Construction cost	US$24 million; ($225 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	Sverdrup & Parcel; Edward Durell Stone; Schwarz & Van Hoefen, Associated
General contractor	Fruin–Colnon/Millstone
Tenants
	St. Louis Cardinals (MLB) (1966–2005); St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) (1966–1987); St. Louis Stars (NPSL / NASL) (1967–1974, 1977); St. Louis Rams (NFL) (1995)

Busch Memorial Stadium (Busch Stadium II) was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri, that operated for 40 years, from 1966 through 2005.^[5] Built as Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, its official name was shortened to Busch Stadium in January 1982.^[6]

The stadium served as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals National League baseball team for its entire operating existence, while also serving as home to the National Football League's Cardinals team for 22 seasons, from 1966 through 1987, as well as the St. Louis Rams during part of the 1995 season. It opened four days after the last baseball game was played at Sportsman's Park (which had been renamed Busch Stadium in 1953, when Anheuser-Busch bought the team). The St. Louis Stars of the NPSL and later NASL played at the stadium from 1967 to 1974; the team later used the stadium for select matches up through the 1977 season.

The stadium was designed by Sverdrup & Parcel and built by Grün & Bilfinger.^[7] Edward Durell Stone designed the roof, a 96-arch "Crown of Arches".^[8] The Crown echoed the Gateway Arch, which had been completed only a year before Busch Stadium opened. Otherwise, it was very similar in appearance to other circular multipurpose "cookie-cutter" stadiums built in the 1960s and early 1970s in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, all of which were essentially open-air copies of the Houston Astrodome.

Its final event was the sixth game of the 2005 NLCS on October 19.^[9] The stadium was demolished by wrecking ball in late 2005 and part of its former footprint is occupied by its replacement stadium—the new Busch Stadium (a.k.a. Busch Stadium III), located just south.

^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference alookback was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Football Cards remain undecided on Atlanta". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. May 26, 1964. p. 2C.
^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ O'Neil, Tim (May 11, 2013). "In 1966, New Busch Stadium Was a Tub-Thumping Civic Cause". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
^ Newberry, Paul (October 13, 2005). "Cardinals want to close out old home with title". Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau. Associated Press. p. 4B.
^ "Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, will now be known simply as Busch Stadium - This Day in Baseball". January 1982.
^ Bilfinger Berger Corporate history animation Archived March 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
^ Save the Arches – jbauer.com – Retrieved January 22, 2008 Archived February 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^ Fitzpatrick, Mike (October 20, 2005). "Busch stadium closes in disappointing fashion". Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau. Associated Press. p. 1B.

[alookback-1] Cite error: The named reference alookback was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[fcruoa-2] "Football Cards remain undecided on Atlanta". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. May 26, 1964. p. 2C.

[inflation-US-3] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.

[4] O'Neil, Tim (May 11, 2013). "In 1966, New Busch Stadium Was a Tub-Thumping Civic Cause". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved February 28, 2015.

[semcwtco-5] Newberry, Paul (October 13, 2005). "Cardinals want to close out old home with title". Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau. Associated Press. p. 4B.

[6] "Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, will now be known simply as Busch Stadium - This Day in Baseball". January 1982.

[7] Bilfinger Berger Corporate history animation Archived March 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

[8] Save the Arches – jbauer.com – Retrieved January 22, 2008 Archived February 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

[bscidfn-9] Fitzpatrick, Mike (October 20, 2005). "Busch stadium closes in disappointing fashion". Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau. Associated Press. p. 1B.

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Construction
Busch Stadium II Baseball Heaven
April 2005 (above; in baseball configuration) and September 1977 (below; in football configuration)

Former names	Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium (1966–1981) Busch Stadium (1982–2005)
Location	250 Stadium Plaza St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates	38°37′26″N 90°11′33″W / 38.62389°N 90.19250°W / 38.62389; -90.19250
Owner	St. Louis Cardinals
Operator	St. Louis Cardinals
Capacity	Baseball: 49,676 (1997–2005) 57,676 (1966–1996) Football: 60,000
Field size	Left Field – 330 ft (101 m) Left-Center – 372 ft (113 m) Center Field – 402 ft (123 m) Right-Center – 372 ft (113 m) Right Field – 330 ft (101 m) Backstop – 64 ft (20 m) Original Dimensions (1966) Left Field – 330 ft (101 m) Left-Center – 386 ft (118 m) Center Field – 414 ft (126 m) Right-Center – 386 ft (118 m) Right Field – 330 ft (101 m) Backstop – 64 ft (20 m)
Surface	Natural grass (1996–2005) AstroTurf (1970–1995) Natural grass (1966–1969)
Broke ground	May 25, 1964; 60 years ago (May 25, 1964)^[1]^[2]
Built	1964–1966
Opened	May 12, 1966; 58 years ago (May 12, 1966)^[1]
Closed	October 19, 2005; 18 years ago (October 19, 2005)
Demolished	November 7 – December 8, 2005
Construction cost	US$24 million^[1] ($225 million in 2023 dollars^[3])
Architect	Sverdrup & Parcel Edward Durell Stone Schwarz & Van Hoefen, Associated
General contractor	Fruin–Colnon/Millstone^[4]
Tenants
St. Louis Cardinals (MLB) (1966–2005) St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) (1966–1987) St. Louis Stars (NPSL / NASL) (1967–1974, 1977) St. Louis Rams (NFL) (1995)