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In
the mid-1950s, August A. Busch Junior with an anticipation of
attracting the fans and prosperity of the team decided to move
the team to a new stadium. To materialize his plans he proposed
this idea to city officials and civic leaders. The officials and
leaders accepted the proposal sine they were aware of the fact
that the development of a new stadium and that too in the
downtown area would serve as the hub to attract the tourists and
natives. On May 12, 1966, the stadium was inaugurated with the
seating capacity of 50,345. To add more to the site new office
buildings, hotels, shopping complexes, parking garages and other
facilities, including the International Bowling Hall of Fame and
Museum and the Cardinals Hall of Fame were also gradually built.
In a 12-inning inaugural game, the Cardinals defeated the
Atlanta Braves, 4-3. In 1996 it was purchased by a group of
private investors, but still it bears the moniker of the brewing
company. Until 1982, the stadium became known as Busch Memorial
Stadium. |
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Located
in St. Louis, Missouri near the banks of the Mississippi and
the royal Gateway arch, the stadium was initially recognized
as the Sportsman’s Park. The stadium’s structure is made of
concrete with a two-deck facility. The seats completely
encircle the field. To enhance the view posts or columns do
not form a part of the seating area. |
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The outside
diameter of the globular structure is more than 800ft and
covers more than 12 acres of land. The playing field is 10
to 30 feet lower than street level with eight major
doorways. The layout of the arena was prepared by architect
Edward Durrell Stone.
The
ballpark has been consistently upgraded to give it a
contemporary look. Recent improvements include the
installation in 1997 of a hand-operated scoreboard bordered
by flag decks that honor the retired numbers and memorialize
the Fall Classic wins. |
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In 1996
artificial turf was replaced by the natural grass, Family
Pavilion, Homer's Landing, a picnic above the bullpen in
left-center field area was inaugurated. In 1993, a
state-of-the-art sound system and a new large-screen video
display, a Diamond Vision MARK III High Contrast system by
Mitsubishi Electronics was installed to improve the audible and
visible aspects. In 1995, the Stadium Club was totally
modernized and featured the sports-themed bar. |
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The
quintessence of the ballpark is the bronze statues of the
legendary players. They have been erected there to
memorialize their achievements and to pay them their due
obeisance. Hall-of-Famers such as Bob Gibson and Stan Musial
are among the list of their legends that have been given
their due respect. From 1986 through 1987, the ballpark
served as a home to the St. Louis Cardinals (football) until
the club shifted to Arizona. The St. Louis Rams also
competed there for a short period as a part of the 1995 NFL
season. |
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The stadium hosted World Series playoffs in
six different years: 1967, 1968, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 2004. The
stadium is planned to be bulldozed late in the year 2005. The
new stadium has been scheduled to open in 2006. The Busch
Stadium is the fourth-oldest ballpark in the MLB. |
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