Readers OK With Cardinals 1966 Move Away From Sportsman’s Park
Last week readers weighed in on their thoughts on the 1966 relocation of the former Sportsman’s Park. Â The single answer with the most responses goes along with my thought the Cardinals should have rebuilt rather than move downtown, but looking at all the answers it is clear readers support the move:
- A great neighborhood ballpark, the Cardinals should have rebuilt at Dodier & Grand 23 [25%]
- No opinion 15 [16.3%]
- No choice but to move: the area was changing fast. 15 [16.3%]
- Like people would have continued going to North St. Louis for a Cards game 14 [15.22%]
- No choice but to move: too little parking and the streetcar line was replaced with buses in 1960. 10 [10.87%]
- Other answer… 9 [9.78%]
- A good neighborhood ballpark but it was no Wrigley Field 6 [6.52%]
It is the nine other answers provided by readers I find interesting:
- How is this relevant to anyone?
- A great ballpark that would’ve helped a great neighborhood evolve.
- Cards set a popular trend moving downtown, too bad about Hop Alley though.
- moving was part of a larger plan to destroy the northside
- Looks like a great ballpark!
- Best move ever, Busch II was a great stadium.
- Why not look to the future? Use the space for something great for the city.
- By buliding the new stadium downtown, really revitalized the downtown area.
- Gave some definition to downtown – robbing NSTL to make the investment downtown.
Not sure where to start. Â Relevant because the decision to relocate removed a source of revenue & jobs from one part of the city and placed it in another part that was bought and cleared via urban renewal. Â We can’t undo the past but we can learn from our mistakes.
I don’t believe their was a plan to destroy the north side, that was just a casualty of the times. Busch Stadium II did not “revitalize” downtown, far from it. Â A huge area was razed for the stadium, garages and other buildings. Â The stadium did not create new development in that part of downtown. Â MetroLink and renovations of nearby historic warehouses in Cupples Station a quarter center later helped offset the dead zone created in 1966.
– Steve Patterson
To suggest that Busch Stadium did not improve the downtown area is laughable. “Damn you, Civic Progress. Hop Alley was destined to become a bustling night spot.” Other buildings, like hotels and office towers. You know, stuff that brings tax revenue to the area.Â
To suggest that Busch Stadium did not improve the downtown area is laughable. “Damn you, Civic Progress. Hop Alley was destined to become a bustling night spot.” Other buildings, like hotels and office towers. You know, stuff that brings tax revenue to the area.
Oops, I intended in my vote to say people would continue to go to north STL for Cardinals games, I didn’t notice until now that it was a sarcastic option because of the word “like”
Oops, I intended in my vote to say people would continue to go to north STL for Cardinals games, I didn’t notice until now that it was a sarcastic option because of the word “like”
I have never been to a game at Wrigley Field, but I have driven around it. Â As you approach, the area has a down to earth feel, with apartments, shops and bars lining the street. Â Then you come up on Wrigley, which is a whole block, surrounded by more 2 story apartments, restaurants, and bars. Â It’s like a neighborhood that happens to have a ballpark in it. Â Sportsman’s Park, from the pictures I have seen, had a similar atmosphere, where a home run might go onto Grand, or even across the street if hit by Babe Ruth. Â Baseball developed on the field, and was played there from the 1860’s. Â Perhaps the decline of N Stl, and Busch’s need for something bigger was inevitable, but it seems like something very special was lost. No doubt Wrigleyville went through a decline before people figured out that it was really cool to live in the ballpark neighborhood. Â Perhaps Jeffvanderlou could have rebounded, given the chance. Â
I have also heard that Busch II was built to pacify Bill Bidwell, who threatened to move to Atlanta if he had to play in Sportman’s Park much longer.  Of course, 20 years later, Busch II wasn’t good enough anymore, and he bolted anyway. Busch II to me was the opposite of Wrigley.  Not very walkable as a neighborhood, coldly efficient, astroturf,  surrounded by parking garages, modern skyscrapers, and of course, the Arch.  It worked best when it was all about efficiency and modern architecture.  When AB put the flowers in the bleachers in 92, and later when Dewitt took out the outfield upper deck for signs, it seemed rather fake, like trying to turn a modern stadium into some semblance of a jewelbox.  Didn’t work at all for me.  I was sure that I would like Busch III, and I wasn’t really sad to see Busch II go, just like the rest of the cookie cutters. However, after I saw Busch III completed, I realized that for all its faults, Busch II fit its surroundings well.  A retro ballpark downtown in a sea of modern architecture was as out of place to me as a surburb style house surrounded by a city street of 100 year old brick.  Maybe I’m biased because I am no longer an MLB baseball fan, but it doesn’t work well at all. It’s a pipe dream, but I would love to see some version of Sportman’s rebuilt at Grand and Dodier, with a streetcar line on Grand, and scattered parking.  Trademarks likely won’t allow it, but a Frontier league type of team called the Browns would be awesome.  Put up signs detailing the history of the site, hall of famers who played there, number of World Series, etc., and use the following as a slogan “Baseball as it was for 100years, and as it truly oughtta be.”
I have never been to a game at Wrigley Field, but I have driven around it. As you approach, the area has a down to earth feel, with apartments, shops and bars lining the street. Then you come up on Wrigley, which is a whole block, surrounded by more 2 story apartments, restaurants, and bars. It’s like a neighborhood that happens to have a ballpark in it. Sportsman’s Park, from the pictures I have seen, had a similar atmosphere, where a home run might go onto Grand, or even across the street if hit by Babe Ruth. Baseball developed on the field, and was played there from the 1860’s. Perhaps the decline of N Stl, and Busch’s need for something bigger was inevitable, but it seems like something very special was lost. No doubt Wrigleyville went through a decline before people figured out that it was really cool to live in the ballpark neighborhood. Perhaps Jeffvanderlou could have rebounded, given the chance.
I have also heard that Busch II was built to pacify Bill Bidwell, who threatened to move to Atlanta if he had to play in Sportman’s Park much longer. Of course, 20 years later, Busch II wasn’t good enough anymore, and he bolted anyway. Busch II to me was the opposite of Wrigley. Not very walkable as a neighborhood, coldly efficient, astroturf, surrounded by parking garages, modern skyscrapers, and of course, the Arch. It worked best when it was all about efficiency and modern architecture. When AB put the flowers in the bleachers in 92, and later when Dewitt took out the outfield upper deck for signs, it seemed rather fake, like trying to turn a modern stadium into some semblance of a jewelbox. Didn’t work at all for me. I was sure that I would like Busch III, and I wasn’t really sad to see Busch II go, just like the rest of the cookie cutters. However, after I saw Busch III completed, I realized that for all its faults, Busch II fit its surroundings well. A retro ballpark downtown in a sea of modern architecture was as out of place to me as a surburb style house surrounded by a city street of 100 year old brick. Maybe I’m biased because I am no longer an MLB baseball fan, but it doesn’t work well at all. It’s a pipe dream, but I would love to see some version of Sportman’s rebuilt at Grand and Dodier, with a streetcar line on Grand, and scattered parking. Trademarks likely won’t allow it, but a Frontier league type of team called the Browns would be awesome. Put up signs detailing the history of the site, hall of famers who played there, number of World Series, etc., and use the following as a slogan “Baseball as it was for 100years, and as it truly oughtta be.”