Busch Memorial Stadium

With new stadiums such as the Astrodome in Houston and Shea Stadium in New York demonstrating modern feats of engineering and architecture, St. Louis felt the need to modernize. The city's previous ballpark, Sportsman's Park, had been renamed Busch Stadium in 1953 when Anheuser-Busch bought the team, but it was aging and lacked modern amenities. Cardinals owner August Busch Jr. decided to build a new, state-of-the-art multi-purpose stadium in downtown St. Louis, near the newly completed Gateway Arch. Designed by Sverdrup & Parcel with architects Edward Durell Stone and Schwarz & Van Hoefen, the stadium was built at a cost of $24 million and opened on May 12, 1966. The stadium's most distinctive feature was its 96-arch 'Crown of Arches' roof, designed by Edward Durell Stone, which echoed the nearby Gateway Arch that had been completed only a year before. The stadium was originally named Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, shortened to Busch Stadium in January 1982. It was one of the circular multi-purpose 'cookie-cutter' stadiums built in the 1960s and early 1970s, similar to stadiums in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, all essentially open-air copies of the Houston Astrodome. The stadium served as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team for its entire 40-year existence, and the Cardinals won World Series titles there in 1967 and 1982. The stadium also hosted the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 to 1987, before the team relocated to Arizona. The St. Louis Rams used the stadium for part of the 1995 season before their new stadium, the Trans World Dome, now The Dome at America's Center, was ready. The St. Louis Stars of the NPSL and NASL played at the stadium from 1967 to 1974, and the team later used the stadium for select matches through the 1977 season. The stadium originally had a natural grass surface, but AstroTurf was installed in 1970 and remained until 1995, when natural grass was restored. The stadium hosted the MLB All-Star Game in 1966, its inaugural year. The Cardinals won the World Series in 1967, defeating the Boston Red Sox, and again in 1982, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers. The stadium was the site of Mark McGwire's record-breaking 70th home run in 1998, though the Cardinals did not reach the postseason that year. By the early 2000s, the aging stadium was showing its age, and the Cardinals began planning a new, baseball-only ballpark. The final event at Busch Memorial Stadium was Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series on October 19, 2005, in which the Cardinals defeated the Houston Astros to advance to the World Series. The stadium was demolished by wrecking ball from November 7 to December 8, 2005, and part of its former footprint is occupied by the new Busch Stadium, located to its south.

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium II, was known as 'Baseball Heaven' for its passionate fans and the Cardinals' success there. The stadium's most distinctive feature was its 96-arch 'Crown of Arches' roof, designed by Edward Durell Stone, which echoed the nearby Gateway Arch that had been completed only a year before the stadium opened. The stadium was one of the circular 'cookie-cutter' multi-purpose stadiums built in the 1960s and early 1970s, similar to stadiums in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. The Cardinals won World Series titles at the stadium in 1967 and 1982. The stadium hosted the MLB All-Star Game in its inaugural year, 1966. The stadium was the site of Mark McGwire's record-breaking 70th home run in 1998, one of the most famous moments in baseball history, though the Cardinals did not reach the postseason that year. The stadium served as home to two different NFL teams: the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 to 1987, and the St. Louis Rams for part of the 1995 season before their permanent stadium was ready. The stadium originally had natural grass, but AstroTurf was installed in 1970 and remained for 25 years until natural grass was restored in 1996. The stadium's capacity was reduced from 57,676 to 49,676 in 1997 as part of renovations to improve the fan experience. The final event at the stadium was Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series on October 19, 2005, when the Cardinals defeated the Houston Astros to advance to the World Series, a fitting end for a beloved ballpark. The stadium was demolished by wrecking ball in late 2005, and part of its former footprint is now occupied by the new Busch Stadium, Busch Stadium III, located to its south.