917 E. Mifflin St. Built 1925 Madison Landmark
Mediterranean Claude and Starck
Built on land sold to the City in 1923 by the widow of former Madison Mayor
Breese J. Stevens.
Construction began in 1926 and was completed in 1934 as part of the Civil Works Administration,
a New Deal jobs program.
Until the 1960s the stadium was the city’s premier athletic facility. As the only athletic field
with lighting, it hosted the semi-pro “Madison Blues” baseball team, Badger baseball, all five
high school football teams, midget car racing, circuses, boxing, and wrestling, among other events.
In 1982, Breese Stevens was rehabilitated and converted into a soccer facility.
In 2002, a Breese Stevens neighborhood planning committee helped determine the future of the
facility. The panel recommended that the field remain a venue for soccer games. The City
Council approved $1.3 million for the renovations as part of the city's 2007 budget.
