Milwaukee County Stadium Photo Thread

[sflnyc]

Another stadium that needs more photos on this site is Milwaukee County Stadium. Unfortunately accessing photobucket type websites is prohibited at my work (where I do most of my posting shhhh), so I'll have to stick with the cumbersome attachment method for pictures.

This shot is from the very first Opening Day in Milwaukee on April 14, 1953 against the Cardinals in front of 34,357. Warren Spahn is warming up in the foreground during the ceremonies. Interesting thing that I didn't know is that pitchers warmed up there before the game unlike the bullpen like they do today. Maybe that explains the additional 2 unused dirt circles adjacent to the on deck circle (Shea Stadium was one) that I used to see at many parks in the 1980's

[sflnyc]

Fans lining up in September 1958 to buy World Series tickets

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

This is one stadium that i never made it to but have heard alot of positive feedback about it from people who did go there.

[sflnyc]

Photo depicting the locations and distances of Willie May's 4 HR game on 4.30.61 (he had 8 RBI).

The picture that was used for this photo was a generic picture between 1954 and 1960 and not from the day in question. Willie's power barrage was witnessed by 13,114, while the photo is of a packed house.

[sflnyc]

May 15, 1968

Chicago White Sox lined up for ceremonies marking the first of their 20 "Home Games" at County Stadium. This game against the Angels drew 23,510 and is interesting because the teams had played the previous night in Chicago. One would think that they would have played the entire series in Milwaukee rather than a single game.

[sflnyc]

Fans lining up in April 1970 to buy Opening Day tickets for the Brewers.

The internet nowadays has erased this fun? sort of lining up for tickets for events.

[sflnyc]

County Stadium B&W aerial from the early 1980's

[sflnyc]

County Stadium color aerial from the early 1980's (not the same photo as the B&W one).

Looks like a charming suburban neighborhood on the other side of the expressway.

[sflnyc]

Photo from the Upper Deck behind Home Plate (1960-1965)

I can't really make out the scoreboard to do any research, but I know it's during that time period because the right field upper deck was extended all the way and the outfield bleachers are now one structure instead of the multiple ones before.

[sflnyc]

Photo from the Upper Deck behind Home Plate (1982 World Series Game 5)

Same vantage point as before but this time at the zenith of the Brewers performance history. It was the largest baseball crowd in Milwaukee history (56,562) and the Brewers would win this game to go up 3 games to 2 before heading to St. Louis. Fans would proceed to storm the field after Game 5 in just raw emotion.

Note: Milwaukee line-ups for both Game 4 and 5 day games were identical. However, Game 4 on Saturday was a 12:20pm Central scheduled First Pitch and Game 5 on Sunday was a 3:45pm Central scheduled First Pitch, thus this picture is of game 5. Stadium clock shows the time as 3:35pm.

[sflnyc]

June 21, 1997

Photo of County Stadium after the effects of a flood in the area which cancelled the Royals-Brewers game. Interesting how the highest part of the playing surface was the infield.

[sflnyc]

Photo of County Stadium from Wikipedia during a Green Bay Packers game when they still used to play 3 of their home games there. You can see how the baseball diamond compares to the gridiron.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Countystadium_football.jpg

[placount]

the location wasnt good but this is probably my favorite of the parks that have been since torn down. its just set up better for baseball than any of the others

[Hank 755]

County Stadium was a great place but the one thing I truly hated about it were the numerous obstructed views. Other than that it really was a classic and a great place to see a game, too bad I went in the 90's when the Brewers were the Chicago Bears of baseball at the time. I wish I had taken pictures of the games I went to. Hated the "replay screen" though, it was basically the scoreboard and showed gritty black and white video, couldn't even see the ball.

I often wondered how much it would have cost to renovate County Stadium and replace the upper deck with seats a little farther away from the field but without any obstructed views, a new facade that wasn't that industrial steal paneling, new concourses and facilities, and a video screen. Instead of building a whole new stadium.

Well I guess it was just County Stadium's time.

I'll never forget the last game when they turned off the lights. It was sort of symbolic when they turned off the lights and had Miller in the background.

"So Long old friend!" - Bob Uecker, County Stadiums last game.

[steveironcity]

Is it just me, or was county stadium a wrigley in the suburbs? from the pics i have ssen, it looked alot like wrigley

[nymdan]

Some nice pictures of County Stadium here, from its last season. You can see how Miller Park towers over the old park.

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/County1.html

[hofflalu]

Photos scanned from my copy of the 1985 Brewers Yearbook:

April 24, 1952:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2201/1702787488_3593058f27.jpg

1953:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2288/1701894489_83d7442c86.jpg

September 27, 1953, during the first football game at the stadium:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2363/1702744816_71c9a69c98.jpg

Photo of the 1954 expansion:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/1702765400_b391962e4a.jpg

Another photo of the 1954 expansion:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2088/1701869833_4686f015e6.jpg

July, 1956, from Mockingbird Hill:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/1702756118_d54b540901.jpg

1957, showing Perini's Woods in the batter's eye:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/1701907411_38ea7acac7.jpg

September 29, 1957:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2068/1702737910_1a420b42f6.jpg

April 11, 1975 (home opener):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2262/1701908807_30ffdfb178.jpg

1982 World Series:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2321/1702778238_dfb159de30.jpg

[hofflalu]

Photo from the Upper Deck behind Home Plate (1960-1965)

I can't really make out the scoreboard to do any research, but I know it's during that time period because the right field upper deck was extended all the way and the outfield bleachers are now one structure instead of the multiple ones before.

You know, I wanna say that photo is from the mid-70s. According to that '85 Brewers yearbook (which provided a mini-history of County Stadium), the right field upper deck expansion was done in 1974, the left field lower deck grandstand in 1975, and the left field upper deck grandstand in 1976. Considering how the left field lower deck has fans in the seats in that photo from Opening Day 1975, and how in the photo you attached, that lower section looks complete but is totally empty, I'd guess the photo is from late in the 1974 season.

[hsnterprize]

First...thanks to hofflalu for showing the love for Milwaukee baseball!!!! :applaud: :nod: :highfive: :highfive: :bowdown:

2nd...I was at County Stadium in its last season to see the Brew Crew against Arizona. I remember my friend being happy when one of the Brewers hit a homer because he had a streak where every time he went to a Brewers game, a Brewer went deep. I can also remember moving around in the stadium, and talking to a guy who security told me was a season ticket holder and a jerk and a half. After the starting Milwaukee pitcher was taken out of the game after loading the bases, the next guy (Eric Plunk) served a "meatball" to Matt Williams on his very first pitch...and it ended up in the left center field seats. We rode Plunk like crazy, and it was fun.

Miller Park was in the home stretch towards completion. It was supposed to open after the All-Star Game that year, but construction was delayed because of the crane accident. A large crane holding pieces of the roof collapsed and killed 3 construction workers.

County Stadium was a great place, and I know the fans of Milwaukee appreciated all its splendor. Miller Park has huge shoes to fill.

[sflnyc]

You know, I wanna say that photo is from the mid-70s. According to that '85 Brewers yearbook (which provided a mini-history of County Stadium), the right field upper deck expansion was done in 1974, the left field lower deck grandstand in 1975, and the left field upper deck grandstand in 1976. Considering how the left field lower deck has fans in the seats in that photo from Opening Day 1975, and how in the photo you attached, that lower section looks complete but is totally empty, I'd guess the photo is from late in the 1974 season.

I guessed it was a picture of a Braves game because there is no Bernie Brewer structure beyond the outfield. When was the beer barrel constructed? You're a lot more knowledgeable on County Stadium than I am.

Absolutely awesome photos. What can you tell me about Mockingbird Hill? Is it anything like the "Tightwad Hill" at Cal-Berkeley's football stadium in its derivation?

[sflnyc]

On the Brewers and there wondrous 1982 Season. One thing that perplexed me back then was when I ordered my 1982 World Series Program and the cover featured Arlington Stadium on the cover.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b2/MLB-WS_1982.jpg/200px-MLB-WS_1982.jpg

I have World Series Programs from 1975-1990 and no stadium (or participating team) was featured on the cover. The Rangers were not a threat in 1982 so it was kind of wierd that they chose their stadium as the cover.

Also, here is a better resolution of the picture in Post #10.

[sflnyc]

The finishing touches to the 1982 Milwaukee Brewer Season (from the Sporting News 1983 World Series Records Book):

[hofflalu]

I guessed it was a picture of a Braves game because there is no Bernie Brewer structure beyond the outfield. When was the beer barrel constructed? You're a lot more knowledgeable on County Stadium than I am.

Absolutely awesome photos. What can you tell me about Mockingbird Hill? Is it anything like the "Tightwad Hill" at Cal-Berkeley's football stadium in its derivation?

This is what I know on Mockingbird Hill: the quote from the '85 yearbook:

"MOCKINGBIRD HILL," just north of the Veterans Administration Hospital and south of the stadium, was a popular viewing spot for fans to get a glimpse of baseball action. Extension of the upper deck seats on the first base side during the 1974 season erased the excellent view shown here during a July, 1956 games against the defending world champion Brooklyn Dodgers.

And this, from a 2000 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article:

From 1953-'73 (before the park was expanded), hospital patients at the National Soldiers Home V.A. Hospital sat outside their rooms on Mockingbird Hill overlooking right field and watched the games for free.

It was sometime in the 70s when the barrel started. There's a NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/sports/baseball/23cheer.html?_r=1&ref=baseball&oref=slogin) that says Bernie Brewer made his debut in '73, and infers that he was sliding down the barrel slide that year. The photo I posted from '75 shows the barrel, so it was up for sure by then. Otherwise, I'm not exactly sure when it was constructed. On a side note, that same Times article mentions how Brewer fans want the barrel back at Miller Park. A Brewer official even said they were "considering the possibility" of bringing the barrel back, though nothing immediate is planned. However, considering how the new, post-Selig ownership has been very perceptive of Brewers nostalgia, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the chalet & barrel come back. Especially considering how lame (IMO) the current curvy yellow slide is.

I've always had a soft spot for County Stadium, since that's the stadium I went to my first 3 MLB games in '84, '85 & '86 when I first got into sports as a kid when I lived near Milwaukee. Actually found myself getting a little sad when I saw the photos of the County Stadium demolition. Ironically, I'm a lifelong Twins fan, but, once again, due to first getting into baseball while living near Milwaukee, I've been attached to the 80s Brewers & County Stadium. Heck, I found myself rooting for the Brewers a little more recently, especially since they brought back the retro unis and made a big deal out of the '82 World Series anniversary. (It's also easier to root for the Brewers now that they're in a different league than the Twins, but between the two, I'm always going for Minnesota. I have to. It's a border battle thing. :happy: )

"Down In The Valley" by Gregg Hoffmann is an excellent book on County Stadium, definitely worth it if you can find it. It was put together by the Brewers & the Journal Sentinel to mark the end of the stadium. Lots of great pictures.

[Lafferty Daniel]

(It's also easier to root for the Brewers now that they're in a different league than the Twins, but between the two, I'm always going for Minnesota. I have to. It's a border battle thing. :happy: )

When in doubt, it's best to root for the Twins. :)

[jimmyjimjimz]

did the mascot really slide into a beer mug? If he did, was there beer in it? That woulda been crazy.

[hofflalu]

did the mascot really slide into a beer mug? If he did, was there beer in it? That woulda been crazy.

He did slide. Then balloons would come out of the mug when he got to the bottom.

See the bottom of this thread:

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=45260

[PeteU]

The 1950s version of County Stadium reminded me a lot of Metropolitian Stadium, with a main grandstand around the diamond, and then a bunch of hodge podge random bleacher sections stretching along the foul lines and in the outfield.

[hofflalu]

Some photos I found while looking for early Miller Park model pics: these are from the November 8, 1996, edition of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, a commemorative edition marking the groundbreaking for Miller Park:

August, 1951:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2381377782_2330d2b7ab_o.jpg

April, 1952:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/2380542119_4cd0966e43_o.jpg

Winter/Spring, 1952:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2032/2380543057_702a34b798_o.jpg

1953, sometime before Opening Day:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2014/2381376656_ed3f30ef66_o.jpg

1953:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/2381378036_26ce766764_o.jpg

[BSmile]

Here's a great AP photo:

[BSmile]

Here's a cool picture from Oct. 6, 1957. The original caption reads:

This view of jammed County stadium in Milwaukee was made with the amazing 140-dgree panon camera as the first inning of the third World Series game got underway yesterday. In foreground, left, proudly holding a Milwaukee Braves banner is an unidentified man in an Indian costume.

[BSmile]

From the 1975 All-Star Game in Milwaukee, caption reads:

Brewer's slugger Hank Aaron (R) jokes with Pete Rose, (L) of the Cincinnati Reds prior to the start of the All Star Game at Milwaukee's County Stadium. Johnny Bench is shown to the right of them.

[BSmile]

Kind of a sad one. Original caption:

A large section of the right field upper grandstand falls after demolition workers cut steel and concrete away from the rest of the structure of County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 24, 2001. Cables were used to pull the upper grandstand toward the inside of the stadium, in preparation for the opening of newly constructed Miller Park.

[BSmile]

A nice view of the 3rd base side, 1971. Not too many fans for this game.

[Milwaukee T]

That was a full house compared to some games I had gone to. We went to a double header against the Blue Jays in 96. We sat in the upper deck and were able to count the fans at the game. They said 15000+, but we physically counted them and ended up each with 42s and 43s as totals.

We started having fun with it and had a loud guy sit on the first base side as well and started to talk to each other across the field. Eventually we brought up the classic Miller Lite chants until security "asked" us to quit as it was interupting.

Someone! Please post a photo of the Tijuana-esque sheet metal exterior to our own little version of a border shanty.

It was a grand old girl though.

[Chevy114]

I miss the beer keg!

[Milwaukee T]

It was more enjoyable before it was taken down the first time. At that time Bernie would be flying down that slide and crash through th doors which let out a ton of baloons. When they brought it back the for the second version; he slide gingerly in, opened the door manually, and just a few baloons were released. Half the fun was watching the crash.

[bnbusser]

I have almost 200 photos on my site of old County stadium... most of them shot by myself. Here is the link. Click on slideshow and turn your speakers on.. enjoy...

http://ballparks.phanfare.com/album/561828#imageID=36768150

[Milwaukee T]

Sitting here watching that show make you miss the Old Girl.

The photos from 1976 were from the week leading up to the All-Star game. I love seeing the guy laying out in the infield tanning. Only in Milwaukee.

You have some great photos of the cutting edge score board and sound system. The yellow lights that you couldn't read at all during the day and was outdated the morning after it went up. And the speaker tower in center that you could only hear a third of the time as it rotated across the stadium.

Check out those brown post in the tunnels. I don't think they had ever painted those things.

One thing that is really missing from the new place around the league is that bullpen positioning. Almost any game you wanted you could sit out there and hold conversations with those guys and listen in on thier conversations. The pull pen has some real interesting folks out there.

And the night Photos from the 1991 season. All 3000 people there on any night. That was our treat during college. After classes and practices, just head over there and take in a few innings from the bleachers.

At that place; it wasn't even about the game. It was about just hanging out with friends and enjoying a few nights before we would go back into the deep freeze of winter. Most high school games around the country are more intense than those nights were. That feeling has all changed with the dome.

And then I look down at the Opening Day tickets for tomorrow and I come back to reality and am so thankful for what we have now. And not just because going to Opening Day at the old place in eight layers of winter clothing and still being cold was the norm.

As unpleasant as it may sound; it is too bad that no one ever had the thought of snapping a shot of the creative bathroom layout for male urination. I don't think most people would ever believe that unless they saw it for themselves.

[whoisonit]

I have almost 200 photos on my site of old County stadium... most of them shot by myself. Here is the link. Click on slideshow and turn your speakers on.. enjoy...

http://ballparks.phanfare.com/album/561828#imageID=36768150

Great slideshow, loooooooooooong, but really great. Feels like I've been there. (the music stinks though). Love how the field is a little league field now.

[Philtration]

Is it just me, or was county stadium a wrigley in the suburbs? from the pics i have ssen, it looked alot like wrigley

I always thought the same thing.
It does have a very Wrigley look to it and it was a classic park.

[six4three]

Wrigley? You think so?

Wrigley always struck me as being really cramped. Obviously built in another era. That's not the way I remember County Stadium at all.

It was more like Dodger Stadium (no surprises there, huh?) than anything else.

[Philtration]

Wrigley? You think so?

Wrigley always struck me as being really cramped. Obviously built in another era. That's not the way I remember County Stadium at all.

It was more like Dodger Stadium (no surprises there, huh?) than anything else.


I am talking about the upper deck configuration.
It has that same look and shape to it. Maybe that is because you do not see many parks with the beams supporting the upper deck any more.

[six4three]

Oh. I get what you're saying now.

I suppose so, being that there are very few parks which still have support beams. I guess they're just not part of my most prominent memories of County Stadium.

[Lions/Tigers@Cubs.OhMy!]

Here are some photos of County Stadium that I took

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh175/rehasty/county2.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh175/rehasty/county.jpg

[six4three]

Here are some great photos of County Stadium from the 1957 World Series on Flickr:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/43/79227641_51051760de.jpg
(Uploaded to Flickr.com by user KlickerChick on December 29, 2005; described as having been taken October 1, 1957. Link to original Flickr.com post: here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/krispics/79227641/))

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/37/79227642_fb5acac505.jpg
(Uploaded to Flickr.com by user KlickerChick on December 29, 2005; described as having been taken October 6, 1957. Link to original Flickr.com post: here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/krispics/79227642/))

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2299/2240092327_5895c6d9dd.jpg
(Uploaded to Flickr.com by user KlickerChick on February 3, 2008. Link to original Flickr.com post: here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/krispics/2240092327/))

[alpineinc]

WOW, awesome shots, what color!

Was actually looking for this thread to link to a cool video from the '58 series - color not as good as above, but still neat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRTovOfUdM8

[DrBear]

I've been lurking here a while and finally got this far. I've ejoyed the pics so much, I had to add one of my own here...County Stadium August 1970. Note the house trailer above the scoreboard. That was the ORIGINAL Bernie Brewer, a 66-year-old retired stuntman named Milt Mason, who moved up there early in the season and vowed to stay until the team had a sellout (its first season, when it had only a week to sell tickets before the opening game and no time to sell season tickets). He was stuck there until September, and when they finally drew 40,000, everybody agreed enough was enough. He slid down a rope in front of the scoreboard.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/49/151316670_220b044599_o.jpg

[six4three]

Cool shot - thanks!

[Greg B.]

I really enjoyed those pictures; thanks to all who posted. I have only visited Milwaukee once in my life, in the summer of '94, and the Brewers were out of town, so I only got as close to the stadium as driving past it on the Interstate. But looking at the shots of it from the inside, it strikes me as being almost exactly as how a ballpark ought to look. Sunny, airy, open. I am no engineer, nor do I know much about the condition of the place, but one wonders what it would have taken to update it and get rid of the posts and generally bring the old girl up to today's standards. Certainly looking at the overdone colossus of Miller Park looming in the outfied makes one long for the days when County Stadium was in its prime.

[DrBear]

A few more notes on this thread, admittedly based on memory and having gone to Brewers games since that first year...

I remember the warmup mounds at County Stadium in 1970, but not after that year...I think everybody just forgot they were there, and after the catchers complained they were taken out...

The "suburban neighborhood" is the Story Parkway area, and it is a very nice and somewhat upscale place to live. They get a bit of traffic on game days but not as much now that Miller Park is there, a bit further away than County Stadium. Incidentally, County Stadium was built in Story Quarry.

County was just big enough to get a football field in (I used to cover Packer games there). The white border around the field bumped into the fences and the railing down the third base line. The press box was awful tho - only two levels plus the camera bucket below, so it stretched on forever.

The "orange replay" scoreboard was built in 1980 and was state of the art for about a month - until Dodger Stadium put up the first Diamond Vision board. Worse, the Brewers went with a Swiss company, Omega, which then went out of the scoreboard business so they had trouble getting replacement parts.

When the Bucks came into Milwaukee in the late 60s, there was talk of a new arena that would share the County Stadium parking, probably built where Miller Park is now. But that never happened. And there was no new arena until the Bradley Center was built.

As for whether County could have been upgraded - of course it could. But the Seligs didn't want that. They fought for years to get a new ballpark. Early drawings showed something like CitiField - an Ebbets-style ballpark. Then it became a retractable roof park. It's probably needed in Milwaukee because the team draws from all over the state (and occasionally from Chicago). But the mezzanine area was basically just covered folding chairs with shelves; hardly the type of luxury boxes that would get big money. And that's what the Brewers wanted. If you just wanted a ballpark, there were no problems. If you want a money machine, you needed a whole new park.

[Pelt]

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/8346/borchertcountypostcardnx0.jpg

[brewers96]

Here's a few that I found:

In this one, the dirt area in the bottom-right corner is where Miller Park would be built--http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/county02.jpg

County Stadium Demolition Photos-- http://www.millerparkscrapbook.org/photos/county_stadium/county_stadium_demolition.htm

County Stadium (Left) and Miller Park (Right)--http://www2.jsonline.com/sports/brew/mpark/image/sky0113.jpg

County Stadium during/afer demolition--http://www2.jsonline.com/sports/brew/image/stadium/countystadium22.jpg

The Final Game--http://www2.jsonline.com/sports/brew/image/stadium/finaldaygallery0928.asp

[pudgie_child]

Can anybody here post photos of the models of the retractable roof proposals?

The radial roof eventually used in Miller Park was one of at least three proposals that were published. One firm (HOK?) proposed a linear design similar to Safeco Field (but with the roof panels stored in straight-away center-field), and the other design used steel cables to support a retractable roof similar in design to the roof at Lucas Oil Stadium. I'm not a huge fan of the Miller Park's problematic roof, but it probably was the best proposal in front of the Brewers at the time.

Anyhow, I think I once saw the model photos in "Down In The Valley," (http://www.amazon.com/Down-Valley-History-Milwaukee-Stadium/dp/0963496719/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217400931&sr=8-1) but I haven't been able to find them anywhere online.

[six4three]

Here are a couple photos of the various proposals.

First, the original plan:

[six4three]

These plans were scanned from newspaper accounts at the time. There were a couple models made, of different roof configurations.

First, an arched roof:

[six4three]

A tent roof:

[six4three]

And finally, the preliminary version of the design the team elected to develop - a fan roof:

[brewers96]

Here are a couple photos of the various proposals.

First, the original plan:

I like that one.

[Pelt]

And finally, the preliminary version of the design the team elected to develop - a fan roof:

I find that one to be more interesting than the one they ended up with.

[pudgie_child]

Thanks a lot for posting those images. The photos of the models were reproduced in the book about County Stadium, but the graphics from the JS are new to me.

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2718950582_3eb06d0c07_o.jpg

Testing an automatic tarp machine (I assume it didn't go well)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/2718130747_3f561c743e_o.jpg

Eddie Matthews -Last Braves Game in Milwaukee 1965
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/2718130855_3dba9a515a_o.jpg

1994. From Massmoga-Flickr
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2322304473_8a7243ed18_o.jpg

Miller Park groundbreaking. Reporter sits at future site of home plate. From Senator Dingdong-Flickr.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/2451254545_041cb878bf_o.jpg

[DiggerODell]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2718950582_3eb06d0c07_o.jpg

Testing an automatic tarp machine (I assume it didn't go well)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/2718130747_3f561c743e_o.jpg

Eddie Matthews -Last Braves Game in Milwaukee 1965
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/2718130855_3dba9a515a_o.jpg

1994. From Massmoga-Flickr
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/2322304473_8a7243ed18_o.jpg

Miller Park groundbreaking. Reporter sits at future site of home plate. From Senator Dingdong-Flickr.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/2451254545_041cb878bf_o.jpg

You are absoulute killer! I go site to site and you thrill!

[DiggerODell]

Sorry to post all those pics again on reply . .. you know us out west . . . we screw the bulb in differently. Plus, we stay up later.

[pudgie_child]

I find that one to be more interesting than the one they ended up with.

There was an intermediate design of the fan-shaped roof with moving panels that slid on concentric tracks as opposed to the final design where the moving panels pivot behind home plate. The outfield "windows" in this design opened up like the ones at Chase Field. I saw a photo of the Brewers' model of this never-used design in the L.A. Times (prior to groundbreaking) and computer animation of this design on a newscast in Madison.

This design probably would have been superior to the current design for two reasons:

1. It would have allowed for more daylight into the ballpark when the roof was open.
2. It would have likely been more "air tight" than the current design since the roof panels would have been concentric; in the final design, the roof panels are not concentric since they each have different pivots.

[six4three]

Here are a couple photos of the various proposals.

First, the original plan:
I like that one.

So do I.

It was unveiled in 1992, but by the time a public referendum was planned in 1994 the club decided they needed a retractable roof.

[pudgie_child]

Speaking of proposals for the Brewers ballpark, this proposal for a ballpark on Water Street (after demolition of the Park East Freeway), ultimately, would have served the Brewers best. Even the current Brewers owner (who has been a far superior owner than the Selig family) has acknowledged that the new stadium should have been built downtown. I'm not a fan of Phillip Bess' insistence on obstructed seating, but it's otherwise a great design.

"Downtown Milwaukee Ballpark" (http://www.thursdayassociates.net/Baseball%20Projects/milwaukee_ballpark_study.htm)

[stlfan]

Speaking of proposals for the Brewers ballpark, this proposal for a ballpark on Water Street (after demolition of the Park East Freeway), ultimately, would have served the Brewers best. Even the current Brewers owner (who has been a far superior owner than the Selig family) has acknowledged that the new stadium should have been built downtown. I'm not a fan of Phillip Bess' insistence on obstructed seating, but it's otherwise a great design.

"Downtown Milwaukee Ballpark" (http://www.thursdayassociates.net/Baseball%20Projects/milwaukee_ballpark_study.htm)
It's a shame that was never built.

[Pelt]

Wow. The ChiSox, Cincy and Milwaukee all missed out on better ballparks than what they ended up with.

[six4three]

Oh, man. That breaks my heart.

I've never seen those plans - thanks! That's exactly what they should have done.

I've long thought that it should go on the west side of the river, exactly opposite where they proposed it - orient the field to the southeast, and you'd have great views of downtown across the river. It could have been incorporated into Riverwalk with some sort of pavillion/beer garden.

Google Map (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=w+cherry+%26+MLK+milwaukee&sll=43.049196,-87.911417&sspn=0.004477,0.00824&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=43.05058,-87.91433&ll=43.047095,-87.910001&spn=0.007041,0.013497&z=16&iwloc=addr)

Oh, what might have been....

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Here are some photos of Milwaukee County Stadium from the book "Down In The Valley Milwaukee County Stadium" that I don't think were posted here or on the internet yet.

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Here are some more photos of Milwaukee County Stadium from the book "Down In The Valley Milwaukee County Stadium" that I don't think were posted here or on the internet yet.

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Here are some more photos of Milwaukee County Stadium from the book "Down In The Valley Milwaukee County Stadium" that I don't think were posted here or on the internet yet.

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Here are some more photos of Milwaukee County Stadium from the book "Down In The Valley Milwaukee County Stadium" that I don't think were posted here or on the internet yet.

[PurpleMustReign]

Thanks for the pics, but can you make them smaller?

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Some Photos I just found of County Stadium's Concourse

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Some more Photos I just found of County Stadium

[ericlc129]

County Stadium color aerial from the early 1980's (not the same photo as the B&W one).

Looks like a charming suburban neighborhood on the other side of the expressway.

How would you like have had to walk the 10 rows of cars in the biting Milwaukee January after a Packers game? Or hoofing it WAYYY the heck back to your car during a rain delay?

I gotta hand it to those places (Dodger Stadium, Anaheim, Kaufmann) that still force their fans to suffer through the elements.

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Some New Photos I found of Milwaukee County Stadium

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

New Photos I found of Milwaukee County Stadium

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Photos I found of Milwaukee County Stadium

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

The last of the new photos I found of Milwaukee County Stadium

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

2000, 2009 Milwaukee County Stadium Comparison Photos

[87Twins91]

I always loved going to games at County. A classic old ballpark. I caught a foul ball off the bat of Rich Becker there. I was always envious (downright jealous) as a Twins fan that fans in Wisconsin had it so good compared to us Twins fans being cooped up in that sterile dome. Needless to say I can't wait until next year and a return to real baseball under the sun and stars and on grass.

Miller Park is also a very nice ballpark. I've been there once with my wife and two boys and we had a great time. It is a very comfortable and family friendly place to take in a ballgame, which as a parent I really appreciate.

But it was sad to see County go. It reminded me of the old Met in Bloomington as well as Wrigley.

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

Here are some photos of the Packers at Milwaukee County Stadium