History
The Cardinals built the park for their Houston farm club, and it opened in April 1928 before a crowd of about 15,000. After August Busch bought the Cardinals it carried the Busch Stadium name, though fans kept calling it Buff Stadium.
The Buffaloes left after 1961 when Houston's major league Colt .45s arrived, and the park was sold at auction in March 1963. Finger Furniture later built a showroom on the land, with the old home plate position marked in the floor.
Why it matters: It was Houston's professional baseball home for more than three decades before the city got a major league team.
Timeline
- April 11, 1928
The Buffaloes beat the Waco Cubs 7-5 before about 15,000 fans.
- July 22, 1930First night game[1]
The stadium's first night game drew about 12,000.
- October 15, 1961Final game[1]
An exhibition of major league all-stars was the last game at the park.
- March 14, 1963
The stadium was sold to a salvage company.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Former Finger Furniture showroom and warehouse, built around the old home plate location[1,2] |
| Surviving remnants | A home plate marker is set into the floor of the former furniture showroom. |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Houston Buffaloes | Texas League / American Association · 1928–1961 |
|---|---|
| Texas Southern Tigers | NCAA · 1947–1951 · tenant |
| Houston Eagles | Negro American League · 1949–1950 · tenant |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | Busch Stadium (1958–1961); Buff Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | East End; bounded by Keating St., Coyle St. and St. Bernard St. (now Cullen Blvd.); later 4001 Gulf Freeway, Houston, Texas[1,2] |
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball, Football |
| Level | Minor League, Negro Leagues, NCAA |
| Opened | April 11, 1928[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | October 15, 1961[1] |
| Demolished | 1963[1] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 11,556[1] |
| Final capacity | 14,000[1] |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia infobox: 11,556 (1928-1938), 14,000 (1938-1963); its text says 12,000 originally. |
| Architect | Henry R. Jones & Tabor[1] |
| Construction cost | $400,000 (1928, per Wikipedia infobox)[1] |
| Closure | Houston's minor league club gave way to the expansion Colt .45s, and the park was sold for salvage. |
Documented details
Sources
- Buffalo Stadium, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, teams
- March 14, 1963: Buff Stadium sold, Houston Chronicle (Bayou City History blog). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, current land use, events, opened
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (3)
- Sale price: Wikipedia $19,750 vs Chronicle $19,000.
- Original capacity: infobox 11,556 vs body 12,000.
- Cost: infobox $400,000 vs body text $40 million (likely an error).
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.