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Demolition of Busch begins Monday


cheaptrick77

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(by JIM SALTER, Associated Press Writer)

 

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The landscape of downtown St. Louis will change dramatically starting Monday, when a wrecking ball starts knocking down Busch Stadium.

 

The St. Louis Cardinals announced demolition plans Friday for the ballpark that has housed the team since 1966. A 10,000-pound wrecking ball will be used to knock down the southern half of the ballpark over a 60-day period.

 

"Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, we will be demolishing the building,'' Sid Perkins of Hunt Construction Group said.

 

Demolition of the southern half of Busch clears room for completion of the new $400 million ballpark. The projected completion date is April 1, in time for the Cardinals' home opener April 10 against Milwaukee. The rest of Busch will be demolished by June 30, Perkins said.

 

Officials said demolition of the old stadium and construction of the new are on schedule.

 

Since the Cardinals were eliminated from the postseason by Houston in the NL championship series on Oct. 19, workers have removed the seats and bleachers, and begun knocking apart concrete inside the ballpark.

 

The exterior of the stadium, hope to World Series championship teams in 1967 and 1982, looks relatively unchanged except for the metal fencing surrounding it. The Cardinals have sold thousands of seats and other items from the ballpark, and an online auction began Friday for items ranging from Albert Pujols' locker to parts of the foul poles, and even an autographed turnstile. Bidding is available at www.stlcardinals.com and www.lelands.com and closes Nov. 23.

 

Other items are being donated to the Missouri Historical Society for a display expected to open in mid-December and to the Cardinals Museum.

 

Busch was long considered among a handful of "cookie-cutter'' multipurpose stadiums built in the 1960s -- others included Veteran's in Philadelphia, Riverfront in Cincinnati and Three Rivers in Pittsburgh.

 

But the old ballpark quickly became perhaps the central part of downtown, recognizable for the 96 archways along the top that are a tribute to Eero Saarinen's 630-foot high, stainless steel Gateway Arch, opened in 1967, a year after the ballpark.

 

The Cardinals hope the new stadium will become even more of a focal point. Plans call for development of a "Ballpark Village'' of lofts and condos and retail and office space in the area vacated by the old stadium.

 

Some of the old stadium will stay with the new. The manually operated scoreboard will serve as a wall at the new ballpark. The statues will find new homes, including the Stan Musial statue, which will be installed near a decorative bridge.

 

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What a disposable society we have .......... :mad:

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Call me "anti-American" if you must for suggesting that other countries might do something better than we do, but European counties treasure their national monuments -- we tear them down in the name of progression, corporate sponsorship & luxury boxes .......... :no:

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Oh, come on...its Busch Stadium! Hardly a national monument, regardless of how many great games were played inside it. I mean, this is a place that was built in the same vein of progress you criticize now. The Vet, 3 Rivers, Riverfront, Busch - all the same, and I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I won't miss it.

 

Now, if you want to talk about the Cards demolishing Sportsman's Park in favor of Busch - that was a REAL monument to baseball.

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Originally posted by FormerMav02

Now, if you want to talk about the Cards demolishing Sportsman's Park in favor of Busch - that was a REAL monument to baseball.

sporstman3wx.jpg

 

That's a good point & perhaps "national monument" was a tad dramatic, but Busch was the ONLY jewel of the "cookie cutter" generation.

 

'still hate our disposable society ;)

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