Breese Stevens Field
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Breese Stevens Field is a soccer field located in Madison, Wisconsin, northeast of the Wisconsin State Capitol. It is named in honor of Breese Stevens, former mayor of Madison and University of Wisconsin regent.
"Breese", as it is often referred to, is currently home to Edgewood College and the Princeton 56ers amateur soccer team. It has also hosted Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association's girls soccer tournaments in recent years.
The original grandstand structure, designed by the Madison architectural firm of Claude and Starck in the Mediterranean Revival style, was built from 1925 to 1926. It was formally dedicated on May 5, 1926.
The surrounding walls, which today encircle the playing field, are constructed of sandstone, said to be quarried from the former city quarry at Hoyt Park. The walls and concrete bleachers were built in 1934, and the wood-press box was built in 1939.
The field was once a major athletic complex and home to the minor league baseball team Madison Blues of the Triple-I League in the 1940s. It has also hosted football, softball, circuses, midget car racing, ice skating, track and field, Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps competitions, concerts, even boxing and wrestling events.
By the late 1960s Breese Stevens field had lost its status as the city's premier athletic complex when modern facilities, such as Mansfield Stadium began to appear in suburban Madison.
This complex is a Madison Landmark and was nominated by the Madison Trust in 1995.
[edit] External links
- "A Glimpse at Breese Stevens Field" from the Newsletter of the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association
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- Satellite image from WikiMapia or Google Maps
- Street map from Multimap or GlobalGuide
- Aerial image from TerraServer
