County Stadium | |
Third base grandstand marquee in 2000
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Location | 201 South 46th Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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Coordinates | 43°01′48″N 87°58′26″W / 43.030°N 87.974°WCoordinates: 43°01′48″N 87°58′26″W / 43.030°N 87.974°W |
Owner | Milwaukee County |
Capacity | 36,011 (1953) 44,091 (1954–1955) 43,117 (1956) 43,768 (1957–1969) 45,768 (1970–1972) 46,000 (1973–1974) 47,500 (1975–1976) 52,293 (1977–1978) 54,187 (1979–1980) 53,192 (1981–2000) |
Field size |
Left Line – 315 ft (96 m) Left Field – 362 ft (110 m) Deep L.C. – 392 ft (119 m) Center F. – 402 ft (123 m) Deep R.C. – 392 ft (119 m) Right Field – 362 ft (110 m) Right Line – 315 ft (96 m) Backstop – 60 ft (18 m) |
Surface | Natural grass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | October 19, 1950 |
Opened | April 6, 1953 64 years ago |
Closed | September 28, 2000 |
Demolished | February 21, 2001 |
Construction cost | $5.9 million ($52.8 million in 2017 dollars) |
Architect | Osborn Engineering |
General contractor | Hunzinger Construction |
Tenants | |
Milwaukee Braves (MLB) (1953–1965) Green Bay Packers (NFL) (1953–1994, part time) Marquette Golden Avalanche (NCAA) (1957–1958) Chicago White Sox (MLB) (1968–1969, part-time) Milwaukee Panthers (NCAA) (1968–1971) Milwaukee Brewers (MLB) (1970–2000) |
Milwaukee County Stadium (mainly known simply as County Stadium locally) was a multi-purpose stadium in the north central United States, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opened 64 years ago in 1953, it was primarily a baseball park for the major league Milwaukee Braves and Brewers. It was also used for football games, ice skating, religious services, concerts, and other large events. Its final season was in 2000, when it was replaced by the adjacent Miller Park.
Milwaukee County Stadium was originally built as a home for the Milwaukee Brewers of the minor league American Association, replacing the outdated and deteriorating Borchert Field. Both locations would be influenced by the future Milwaukee County freeway system, as Borchert Field's footprint would be cleared to make way for Interstate 43, with County Stadium located southwest of the interchange with the Stadium Freeway and Interstate 94.
Several locations around the city, including the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis were considered before the city settled on the defunct site of the Story Quarry, on the west side of Milwaukee near the Story Hill neighborhood. County Stadium was the first ballpark in the United States financed with public funds. Construction began in October 1950 and, hampered by steel shortages during the Korean War, was completed in 1953. Construction cost was $5.9 million, with the bonds paid off in 1964.