Borchert Field

Borchert Field
The Orchard
Looking north at Borchert Field
Map
Milwaukee is located in the United States
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Location in the United States
Milwaukee is located in Wisconsin
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Location in Wisconsin
Former namesAthletic Park (1888–1927)
Address3000 N. 8th Street
LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Coordinates43°04′26″N 87°55′14″W / 43.074°N 87.9205°W / 43.074; -87.9205
OwnerThe Borchert Family
Capacity13,000 (1952)
Field sizeLeft Field – 267 ft (81 m)
Left-Center – 435 ft (133 m)
Center Field – 392 ft (119 m)
Right-Center – 435 ft (133 m)
Right Field – 268 ft (82 m)
SurfaceNatural grass
Construction
Opened1888; 136 years ago (1888)
Closed1952; 72 years ago (1952)[1]
Demolished1953
Tenants
Milwaukee Brewers/Milwaukee Creams (WL) (1888–1894)
Milwaukee Brewers (AA) (1891)
Milwaukee Brewers (AA) (1902–1952)
Milwaukee Badgers (NFL) (1922–1926)
Milwaukee Bears (NNL) (1923)
Milwaukee Chicks (AAGPL) (1944)
Green Bay Packers (NFL) (1933)
Colorized postcard of Athletic Park exterior, postmarked 1911

Borchert Field was a baseball park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States.[2] The home field for several professional baseball clubs from 1888 through 1952, it became obsolete after the construction of County Stadium in 1953 and was demolished later that year. The site is now covered by Interstate 43.[3]

The park was built on a rectangular block bounded by North 7th, North 8th, West Chambers, and West Burleigh Streets.[4][5] Home plate was at the south end (Chambers), with the outfield bounded by the outer fence, making fair territory home-plate-shaped, with short fields in left and right and very deep power alleys,[6] a configuration used by a number of ballparks of the era that were constrained by a narrow block.

The playing field's approximate elevation was 690 feet (210 m) above sea level.

  1. ^ McBride, Raymond E. (August 27, 1952). "Ceremonies observe death of a ballpark". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, part 2.
  2. ^ Levy, Sam (January 15, 1952). "Ghosts of Old Borchert Field". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 14.
  3. ^ Kissinger, Meg (March 28, 1986). "A dream gone sour". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, part 2.
  4. ^ "Borchert Field offered to city". The Milwaukee Journal. December 3, 1951. p. 1, part 2.
  5. ^ Suycott, Caroline G. (March 11, 1988). "Knothole gang remembers life around Borchert Field". The Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 3.
  6. ^ Wolf, Bob (June 23, 1978). "Way back then, at old Borchert Field". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 8, part 2.