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Busch
Stadium
Busch Stadium, home of two NFL teams during its existence, was the
primary home of the St. Louis Cardinals (MLB). During the
1950s talk began about the possibility of building a circular
multipurpose stadium in downtown St. Louis. For more than five
decades, the Cardinals had been playing at Sportsmans Park. In
1960, the Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis giving the city a
professional football team. Both the football and baseball
teams shared the same name, the St. Louis Cardinals, and shared
the same facility Sportsmans Park. By the early 1960s
Anheuser-Busch pledged $5 million and the city pledged $20 million
towards a new stadium. On May 24, 1964 ground was broken for a
stadium on 30 acres in downtown St. Louis. A concrete, circular,
multipurpose stadium was built in just under two years.
The St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)
played their first game at Busch Stadium on September 11, 1966
with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Three tiers of 50,000 red circled the grass field. In order for
the stadium to be converted from a baseball field to football, two
sets of 8,000 seats could be moved parallel to each other to form
the football gridiron. Astroturf replaced natural grass in 1973 so
the stadium could be converted easily from football to baseball. With dwindling attendance and many losing seasons, the
owner of the Cardinals, decided to move the team west to Phoenix,
AZ after the 1987 season. The St. Louis Cardinals played their
last game at Busch Stadium on December 13, 1987 against the New
York Giants.
The St. Louis Cardinals (MLB),
were the only tenant at the stadium until 1995, when the Los
Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis. The Rams played part of the 1995
season at Busch Stadium and then moved into their own stadium, the
Edward Jones Dome. The last football game ever at Busch Stadium
was played on October 22, 1995 against the San Francisco 49ers.
After the Rams left Busch Stadium, it was retrofitted for
baseball only. Grass replaced the Astroturf and numerous other
improvements were completed at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)
played at Busch Stadium until October 2005 and will move into a
new ballpark in April 2006. Busch Stadium was demolished in
November 2005.
Get Tickets Here:
Seahawks-Cardinals-49ers-Rams |
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Facts and Figures |
Busch Stadium Pictures |
-Name: Busch Stadium
-Location: St. Louis, MO
-Tenants: St. Louis Cardinals (NFL), St. Louis Rams
(NFL), St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)
-Capacity: 59,000 (NFL), 49,676
(MLB)
-Surface: Astroturf/Grass
-Construction Began: April 15,
1964
-Opened: September 11, 1966
(NFL)
-Cost: $55 Million
-Architect:
Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates;
Edward Durell Stone |


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