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Cardinal Stadium Demolition to Start Thursday

Cardinal Stadium, Louisville

Demolition will begin Thursday on Cardinal Stadium, the former home of the Louisville Redbirds (Class AAA; American Association).

Originally opening as Fairgrounds Stadium in 1956, the facility built a legacy as a multipurpose venue that played host to professional and collegiate sports, along with large concerts and more. University of Louisville football played there from 1957-1997, before opening what is now known as Cardinal Stadium, while it also played host to Minor League Baseball action for decades. However, it become obsolete for professional baseball once Louisville Slugger Field opened in 2000.

The right-field bleachers were torn down in 2014, but remaining portions of Cardinal Stadium–which has gradually deteriorated over the years–are now slated to come down. The demolition process will launch with an event on Thursday. More from WAVE 3 News:

Kentucky Venues has announced the official kickoff of demolition of the 63 year old Cardinal Stadium will begin on Thursday. Gov. Matt Bevin and Tourism Secretary Don Parkinson are expected to be on hand for a media event to officially commence the demolition.

Built in 1956 as Fairgrounds Stadium, the ballpark originally served as home to University of Louisville football for 40 seasons. For five seasons it was also home to the Louisville Colonels AAA baseball team.

Following the 1972 season, the stadium was converted to a football-only facility, a state it remained in for nine years before being renovated to accommodate the arrival of the Louisville Redbirds in 1982. At that time it also received a new name – Cardinal Stadium.

In the last years of the 20th Century, the stadium lost its two primary tenants. UofL football moved to its new on campus facility for the 1998 season and the baseball club, then called the Louisville RiverBats, moved to a new stadium in downtown Louisville in April 2000.

Cardinal Stadium was at one point home to University of Louisville baseball, but it ceased to be an active college baseball facility once the program opened Jim Patterson Stadium in 2005.

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