American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium used primarily for baseball. It is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard. It is the home of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers and opened in 2001 as a replacement for Milwaukee County Stadium. The stadium was previously called Miller Park as part of a $40 million naming rights deal with Miller Brewing Company, which expired at the end of 2020.
American Family Field features North America’s only fan-shaped convertible roof, which can open and close in less than 10 minutes. Large panes of glass allow natural grass to grow, augmented with heat lamp structures wheeled out across the field during the off-season.
Construction
American Family Field was one of Wisconsin’s most significant construction projects. It was built with US$290 million of public funds from a 0.1% sales tax that began on January 1, 1996 and ended on March 31, 2020. The tax was applied on purchases in Milwaukee County and four surrounding counties: Ozaukee, Racine, Washington, and Waukesha. The tax was controversial, partly because of the notion of using public funds for a privately owned sports team. In addition, the state senator who cast the deciding vote in the funding bill, George Petak of Racine, lost a recall election based on his vote for the stadium.
On November 9, 1996, groundbreaking occurred in a parking lot behind County Stadium. Originally scheduled to open in 2000, American Family Field’s construction was delayed after three construction workers were killed in an accident on July 14, 1999. In addition, a Lampson Transi-lift crane (nicknamed “Big Blue”) was brought in to build the roof that collapsed while lifting a 450-ton roof section during windy conditions. A camera crew was filming the construction of the stadium that day and captured the collapse on video as it occurred. Repair work and an investigation forced the Brewers to stay in County Stadium for one more year until 2001. There was some talk of having the Brewers move to American Family Field in the middle of 2000, but it was determined that only a few issues would need to be resolved for it to be a realistic possibility. Bed Bug Exterminator Milwaukee
Attractions
- During the 7th inning stretch, in addition to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” fans at American Family Field sing “Roll Out the Barrel” in salute to Milwaukee’s beer-making history.
- The Brewers have also set statues of legendary Milwaukee players Robin Yount and Hank Aaron outside the front entrance of American Family Field, a statue of former team owner and MLB commissioner Bud Selig and one for Brewers longtime radio broadcaster Bob Uecker.
Address: 1 Brewers Way, Milwaukee, WI
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