Breese Stevens Municipal Athletic Field is located near the Wisconsin State Capitol on the Madison Isthmus at 917 East Mifflin Street and is the oldest extant masonry grandstand in Wisconsin. The field was built on land originally purchased by judge James Duane Doty and named in honor of former Madison mayor and University of Wisconsin regent Breese J. Stevens. The stadium was designed by noted local architects Claude and Starck and dedicated in 1926. The stone walls were constructed during the Great Depression by the federal Civil Works Administration in 1934 using sandstone from nearby Hoyt Park.
Over the years, Breese Stevens Field has hosted many great athletes including Satchel Paige, Warren Spahn, Red Grange, Jesse Owens and Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch. This complex was designated a City of Madison Landmark in 1995 and was later accepted for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places. The field has benefited from $4 million dollars in investment since 2007 by the city of Madison and is now a premier venue for concerts, festivals and community events and is managed by the award winning Big Top Baseball.
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About the Venue
